American actor (1914?1995)
David Wayne
|
---|
Wayne in 1955
|
Born
| Wayne James McMeekan
(
1914-01-30
)
January 30, 1914
|
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Died
| February 9, 1995
(1995-02-09)
(aged 81)
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Alma mater
| Western Michigan University
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Occupation
| Actor
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Years active
| 1936?1994
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Spouse
|
Jane Gordon
(
m.
1941; died 1993)
|
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Children
| 3
|
---|
Awards
| Theatre World Award
(1947)
Tony Award
(1947, 1954)
|
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David Wayne
(born
Wayne James McMeekan
, January 30, 1914
[1]
– February 9, 1995) was an American stage and screen actor with a career spanning over 50 years.
Early life and career
[
edit
]
Wayne was born in
Traverse City, Michigan
, the son of Helen Matilda (nee Mason) and John David McMeekan. His mother died when he was four.
[1]
He grew up in
Bloomingdale, Michigan
.
[
citation needed
]
Wayne attended
Western Michigan University
for two years before working as a statistician in Cleveland. He began acting with Cleveland's Shakesperean
repertory theatre
in 1936.
[2]
When
World War II
began, Wayne volunteered as an ambulance driver with the
British Army
in North Africa. When the United States entered the war he joined the
United States Army
.
[2]
Wayne's first major
Broadway
role was Og the
leprechaun
in
Finian's Rainbow
, for which he won the
Theatre World Award
[3]
and the first ever Tony for Actor, Supporting or Featured (Musical).
[4]
While appearing in the play, he and co-star
Albert Sharpe
were recruited by producer
David O. Selznick
to play Irish characters in the film
Portrait of Jennie
(1948).
In 1948, Wayne was one of 50 applicants (out of approximately 700) granted membership in New York's newly formed
Actors Studio
.
[5]
He was awarded a second Tony for Best Actor (Dramatic) for
The Teahouse of the August Moon
and was nominated as Best Actor (Musical) for
The Happy Time
.
[4]
He originated the role of
Ensign Pulver
in the classic stage comedy
Mister Roberts
and also appeared in
Say, Darling
;
After the Fall
; and
Incident at Vichy
.
Film and television career
[
edit
]
In films, Wayne was most often cast as a
supporting player
, such as the charming cad and neighbor of
Spencer Tracy
and
Katharine Hepburn
's characters in
Adam's Rib
(1949). He portrayed the child killer, originally played by
Peter Lorre
, in the remake of
M
(1951), in a rare title and villainous role. Wayne appeared in four films with
Marilyn Monroe
, more than any other actor:
As Young as You Feel
(1951),
We're Not Married
(1952),
O. Henry's Full House
(1952) (although he shared no scenes with Monroe), and
How to Marry a Millionaire
(1953) where he had scenes with Monroe. He starred in
The Tender Trap
(1955) with
Frank Sinatra
,
Debbie Reynolds
, and
Celeste Holm
.
In 1955, Wayne starred in the NBC comedy
Norby
.
[6]
: 771
Wayne appeared in the late 1950s on
ABC
's
The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom
and the
Twilight Zone
episode "
Escape Clause
". He starred as Darius Woodley in two 1961 episodes of
NBC
's
The Outlaws
starring
Barton MacLane
. Also in 1961, Wayne appeared in the
Bell Telephone Company
-produced driver safety film
Anatomy of an Accident
, about a family outing tragically cut short by a car accident.
He played the
Mad Hatter
, one of the recurring villains in the 1960s
television series
Batman
. In 1964, he guest-starred in the series finale, "Pay Now, Die Later", of
CBS
's drama
Mr. Broadway
. Also in the 1960s, Wayne was a radio host on NBC's magazine program
Monitor
.
[
citation needed
]
Wayne was known for his role as Dr. Charles Dutton in
Michael Crichton
's
The Andromeda Strain
(1971). He also appeared as Uncle Timothy Jamison in the NBC
sitcom
The Brian Keith Show
and played Charles Dutton in
The Good Life
, also on NBC.
[6]
: 404?405
Wayne made a guest appearance in a leading role for a 1975 episode of
Gunsmoke
titled "I Have Promises to Keep". He co-starred with
Jim Hutton
in the 1976 television series
Ellery Queen
(as
Inspector Richard Queen
).
[6]
: 305
In 1978, Wayne played James Lawrence in the ABC drama
Family
[6]
: 324
, and he played
Digger Barnes
in four episodes of the CBS soap opera
Dallas
.
[6]
Wayne's friend
Keenan Wynn
later replaced Wayne in this role. From 1979 to 1982, Wayne starred as Dr. Amos Weatherby in the television series
House Calls
.
[6]
: 480
Personal life
[
edit
]
Wayne was married to Jane Gordon in 1941 and had two daughters and a son. In August 1970, their son disappeared and was presumed drowned during a camping and fishing trip
[7]
[8]
Wayne's wife, daughter of opera vocalist
Jeanne Gordon
, died in 1993.
[
citation needed
]
Wayne was a lifelong
Democrat
who supported
Adlai Stevenson
's campaign during the
1952 presidential election
.
[9]
Death
[
edit
]
On February 9, 1995, Wayne died in his
Santa Monica, California
, home from complications of
lung cancer
at the age of 81.
[1]
His remains were cremated and distributed to his family.
[
citation needed
]
Awards
[
edit
]
Wayne won two
Tony Awards
, one in 1947 for
Finian's Rainbow
and one in 1954 for
The Teahouse of the August Moon
.
[1]
Filmography
[
edit
]
Features:
Short Subjects:
- Screen Snapshots: Hollywood Awards
(1951) as Himself
- Screen Snapshots: Hollywood Night Life
(1952) as Himself
- Anatomy of an Accident
(1961) as John Avery
- John F. Kennedy
: 1917-1963
(1979) as Narrator
Television work
[
edit
]
- Great Catherine
(1948, TV Movie)
- Norby
(1955) as Preston Norby / Pearson Norby (canceled after 13 episodes)
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents
(1957) (Season 2 Episode 28: "One More Mile to Go") as Sam Jacoby
- The Strawberry Blonde
(1959, TV Movie) as Biff Grimes
- The Twilight Zone
, "
Escape Clause
" (1959) as Walter Bedeker
- Wagon Train
(1960) ('The Shad Bennington Story') as Shadrack Bennington
- Naked City
, "The Multiplicity of Herbert Konish" (1962) as Herbert Konish
- Teahouse of the August Moon
(1962 TV movie) as Sakini
- Kings of Broadway
(1962, TV Movie) (unsold pilot)
- The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
(1963) (Season 1 Episode 15: "The Thirty-First of February") as Andrew Anderson
- Cowboy and the Tiger
(1963, TV Movie) as Narrator (unsold pilot)
- Lamp At Midnight
(1966, TV Movie) as Father Firenzuola
- Batman
(1966, guest villain, episodes 13, 14, 69, 70) as
The Mad Hatter
- Arsenic and Old Lace
(1969, TV Movie) as Teddy Brewster
- The Boy Who Stole the Elephant
(1970, TV Movie) as Colonel Rufus Ryder
- Night Gallery
, "The Diary" (1971) as Dr. Mill (segment "The Diary")
- Mooch Goes to Hollywood
(1971, TV Movie) as Himself (uncredited)
- The Good Life
(1971?1972) as Charles Dutton
- The Catcher
(1972, TV Movie) as Armand Faber
- The Dark Side
(1972) (unsold pilot)
- The Streets of San Francisco
(1972, TV Series) as Wally Sensibaugh
- Banacek
("Ten Thousand Dollars a Page") (1973) as Walter Tyson
- Hawaii Five-O
("30,000 Rooms and I Have the Key") (1974) as Monsieur Bordeaux
- Return of the Big Cat
(1974, TV Movie) as Grandpa Jubal
- Barney Miller
("Bureaucrat") (1975) as E. J. Heiss
[10]
- Gunsmoke
("I Have Promises to Keep") (1973-1975) as Reverend Byrne / Judge Warfield
- It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman
(1975, TV Movie) as Dr. Abner Sedgwick
- Ellery Queen
(1975?1976) as Inspector Richard Queen
- Once an Eagle
(1976, TV Mini-Series) as Colonel Terwilliger
- In the Glitter Palace
(1977, TV Movie) as Nate Redstone
- Hunter
("Yesterday Upon the Stair") (1977)
- Black Beauty
(1978, TV Mini-Series) as Mr. Dowling / Narrator
- Loose Change
(1978, TV Mini-Series) as Dr. Moe Sinden
- Murder at the Mardi Gras
(1978, TV Movie) as Mickey Mills
- Dallas
(1978) as Digger Barnes
- The Gift of Love
(1978, TV Movie) as O'Henry / Narrator
- The Girls in the Office
(1979, TV Movie) as Ben Nayfack
- An American Christmas Carol
(1979, TV Movie) as Merrivale
- Eight is Enough
(1980) as Matt
- House Calls
(1979?1982) as Dr. Amos Weatherby
- Matt Houston
(1984) S2/Ep20, “Blood Ties” as Bill Houston
- Murder, She Wrote
(1985, TV Series) as Cyrus Leffingwell
- Newhart
(1985, TV Series) as Mr. Pittman (episode "Pirate Pete")
- The Golden Girls
(1986) as Big Daddy
- Poker Alice
(1987, TV Movie, based on the frontier gambler
Poker Alice
, with
Elizabeth Taylor
in the starring role) as Amos (final film role)
Stage appearances
[
edit
]
- As You Like It
(1935) (
Cleveland
)
- Escape This Night
(April 22 ? May 1938) (Broadway)
- Dance Night
(October 14?16, 1938) (Broadway)
- The American Way
(January 21 ? September 23, 1939) (Broadway)
- The Scene of the Crime (March 28 ? April 4, 1940) (Broadway)
- The Merry Widow
(Revival) (August 4, 1943 ? May 6, 1944) (Broadway)
- Peepshow
(February 3?26, 1944) (Broadway)
- Park Avenue
(November 4, 1946 ? January 4, 1947) (Broadway)
- Finian's Rainbow
(January 10, 1947 ? October 2, 1948) (Broadway) (replaced by Philip Truex in February 1948)
- Mister Roberts
(February 18, 1948 ? January 6, 1951) (Broadway) (replaced by
Larry Blyden
in 1950)
- The Teahouse of the August Moon
(October 15, 1953 ? March 24, 1956) (Broadway) (replaced by
Burgess Meredith
in 1954)
- The Ponder Heart
(February 16 ? June 23, 1956) (Broadway)
- The Loud Red Patrick
(October 3 ? December 22, 1956) (Broadway)
- Say, Darling
(April 3, 1958 ? January 17, 1959) (Broadway) (replaced by
Eddie Albert
in 1959)
- Send Me No Flowers
(December 5, 1960 ? January 7, 1961) (Broadway)
- Venus at Large
(April 12?14, 1962) (Broadway)
- Too True to Be Good
(Revival) (March 12 ? June 1, 1963) (Broadway)
- After the Fall
(January 23, 1964 ? May 29, 1965) (
ANTA Washington Square Theatre
)
- Marco Millions
(February 20 ? June 18, 1964) (
ANTA Washington Square Theatre
)
- But For Whom Charlie
(March 12 ? July 2, 1964) (
ANTA Washington Square Theatre
)
- Incident At Vichy
(December 3, 1964 ? May 7, 1965) (
ANTA Washington Square Theatre
)
- The Yearling
(December 10?11, 1965) (Broadway)
- Show Boat
(July 1966) Lincoln Center (Role; Capt. Andy)
- The Happy Time
(January 18 ? September 28, 1968) (Broadway)
Radio appearances
[
edit
]
Notes
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
d
Lueck, Thomas J. (February 13, 1995).
"David Wayne, Sprightly and Versatile Actor, Is Dead at 81"
.
The New York Times
. Archived from
the original
on 30 June 2013
. Retrieved
27 June
2015
.
When World War II began he was rejected by the Army, but volunteered to serve as an ambulance driver in North Africa with the American Field Service.
- ^
a
b
Folkart, Burt A. (February 13, 1995).
"David Wayne, 81; Versatile Actor Won 2 Tony Awards"
.
Los Angeles Times
. Retrieved
2 December
2019
.
In the early days of the war he drove an ambulance in Africa for the British. After the United States joined the war he served with the U.S. Army.
- ^
"Theatre World Award Recipients"
.
Theatre World Awards
. Archived from
the original
on 25 July 2017
. Retrieved
25 July
2017
.
- ^
a
b
"Search Results: David Wayne"
.
Tony Awards
. Archived from
the original
on 31 August 2016
. Retrieved
25 July
2017
.
- ^
Kleiner, Dick.
"The Actors Studio: Making Stars Out of the Unknown,"
The Sarasota Journal
. December 21, 1956, p. 26. "That first year, they interviewed around 700 actors and picked 50. In that first group were people like Marlon Brando, Montgomery Clift, Tom Ewell, John Forsythe, Julie Harris, Kim Hunter, Karl Malden, E.G. Marshall, Margaret Phillips, Maureen Stapleton, Kim Stanley, Jo Van Fleet, Eli Wallach, Ray Walston and David Wayne."
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
Terrace, Vincent (January 10, 2014).
Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010
(2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland. p. 229.
ISBN
978-0-7864-8641-0
. Retrieved
December 2,
2019
.
- ^
"David Wayne's Son Missing With a Friend in Canada"
.
The New York Times
. August 24, 1970.
- ^
"Actor's Son Believed Dead"
.
The New York Times
. August 29, 1970
. Retrieved
December 2,
2019
.
- ^
Motion Picture and Television Magazine
, November 1952, page 33, Ideal Publishers
- ^
"Barney Miller (TV series) "Bureaucrat" (1975)"
.
IMDb
. Retrieved
12 July
2019
.
- ^
Kirby, Walter (March 9, 1952).
"Better Radio Programs for the Week"
.
The Decatur Daily Review
. p. 42
. Retrieved
May 23,
2015
– via
Newspapers.com
.
- ^
Kirby, Walter (May 3, 1953).
"Better Radio Programs for the Week"
.
The Decatur Daily Review
. p. 52
. Retrieved
June 26,
2015
– via Newspapers.com.
External links
[
edit
]
Awards for David Wayne
|
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1947?1975
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1976?2000
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2001?present
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1947?1975
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1976?2000
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2001?present
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International
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National
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Artists
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Other
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