David Wayne
David Wayne | |
---|---|
from the trailer for Adam's Rib (1949) | |
Born |
Wayne James McMeekan January 30, 1914 Traverse City, Michigan, U.S. |
Died |
February 9, 1995 81) Santa Monica, California, U.S. | (aged
Cause of death | Lung Cancer |
Residence | Santa Monica, California |
Nationality | American |
Occupation | Actor, singer |
Years active | 1938–1994 |
Home town | Bloomingdale, Michigan |
Spouse(s) | Jane Gordon (1941–1993; her death) |
Children |
Kearney Wayne, Melinda Wayne, Timothy Wayne |
Awards | Tony Award (1947), (1954) |
David Wayne (January 30, 1914[1] – February 9, 1995) was an American stage and screen actor with a career spanning nearly 50 years.
Early life and career
Wayne was born Wayne James McMeekan in Traverse City, Michigan, the son of Helen Matilda (née Mason) and John David McMeekan. His mother died when he was 4.[1] He grew up in Bloomingdale, Michigan. 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.
Wayne's first major Broadway role was Og the leprechaun in Finian's Rainbow, for which he won the Theatre World Award and the first ever Tony for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. 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).
It was in 1948 as well that Wayne became one of those fortunate 50 applicants (out of approximately 700) granted membership in New York's newly formed Actors Studio.[2] He was awarded a second Tony for Best Actor in a Play for The Teahouse of the August Moon and was nominated as Best Actor in a Musical for The Happy Time. 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.
Later career
In films, Wayne most often was cast as a supporting player, such as the charming cad and singer/songwriter/neighbor opposite Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn in Adam's Rib (1949). He portrayed the child killer, originally played by Peter Lorre, in the remake of M (1951), a chance to see him in a rare leading role, even rarer as an evil character. He costarred in The Tender Trap (1955) with Frank Sinatra, Debbie Reynolds, and Celeste Holm.
Wayne also 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).
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 television series with Barton MacLane. Wayne was also noted for his portrayal of Dr. Charles Dutton in the 1971 film version of Michael Crichton's The Andromeda Strain. He also 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, starring Craig Stevens as public relations specialist Mike Bell. In the storyline, Wayne's character, the wealthy John Zeck, hires Bell to prepare Zeck's obituary before his death.
In the 1960s, Wayne was a radio host on NBC's magazine program Monitor. Wayne appeared as Uncle Timothy Jamison in the NBC sitcom, The Brian Keith Show. He co-starred with Jim Hutton in the 1976 television series Ellery Queen (as Inspector Richard Queen). In 1978, Wayne played Digger Barnes in 4 episodes of the CBS soap opera Dallas. Wayne left that show to co-star in the 1979-82 television series House Calls with Lynn Redgrave and later Sharon Gless in the role of Dr. Amos Weatherby. Wayne's friend, Keenan Wynn, replaced Wayne in the role of Digger Barnes. Wayne made a guest appearance in a 1975 episode of Gunsmoke titled "I Have Promises to Keep". His leading role in this episode is considered one of his best performances.
Personal life
Wayne was married to Jane Gordon in 1941 and had two daughters, Kearney Wayne and Melinda Wayne, and a son, Timothy. Timothy disappeared and was presumed drowned during a rafting trip in August, 1970. His wife died in 1993.
Death
On February 9, 1995, Wayne died in his Santa Monica, California home from complications of lung cancer at the age of 81. He was survived by his twin daughters and two grandchildren.[1] His remains were cremated and given to his family.
Awards
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
Features:
- Portrait of Jennie (1948)
- Adam's Rib (1949)
- The Reformer and the Redhead (1950)
- Stella (1950)
- My Blue Heaven (1950)
- Up Front (1951)
- M (1951)
- As Young as You Feel (1951)
- With a Song in My Heart (1952)
- Wait Till the Sun Shines, Nellie (1952)
- We're Not Married! (1952)
- O. Henry's Full House (1952)
- The I Don't Care Girl (1953)
- Tonight We Sing (1953)
- Down Among the Sheltering Palms (1953)
- How to Marry a Millionaire (1953)
- Hell and High Water (1954)
- The Tender Trap (1955)
- The Naked Hills (1956)
- The Three Faces of Eve (1957)
- The Sad Sack (1957)
- The Last Angry Man (1959)
- The Big Gamble (1961)
- The Andromeda Strain (1971)
- The African Elephant (1971) (documentary) (narrator)
- Huckleberry Finn (1974)
- The Front Page (1974)
- Tubby the Tuba (1975) (voice)
- The Apple Dumpling Gang (1975)
- A Place to Be (1979) (documentary) (narrator)
- The Prize Fighter (1979)
- Finders Keepers (1984)
- The Survivalist (1987)
Short Subjects:
- Screen Snapshots: Hollywood Awards (1951)
- Screen Snapshots: Hollywood Night Life (1952)
- Anatomy of an Accident (1961)
- John F. Kennedy: 1917-1963 (1979) (narrator)
Television work
- Great Catherine (1948)
- Norby (1955) (canceled after 13 episodes)
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents, "One More Mile to Go" (1957)
- The Strawberry Blonde (1959)
- The Twilight Zone, "Escape Clause" (1959)
- Kings of Broadway (1962) (unsold pilot)
- Naked City, "The Multiplicity of Herbert Konish" (1962)
- Cowboy and the Tiger (1963) (unsold pilot)
- The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, "The 31st of February" (1963)
- Lamp At Midnight (1966)
- Batman (1966) as The Mad Hatter, guest villain, episodes 13, 14, 35, 36
- Arsenic and Old Lace (1969)
- The Boy Who Stole the Elephant (1970)
- Night Gallery, "The Diary" (1971)
- Mooch Goes to Hollywood (1971)
- The Good Life (1971–1972)
- The Catcher (1972)
- The Dark Side (1972) (unsold pilot)
- Banacek, "Ten Thousand Dollars a Page" (1973)
- Return of the Big Cat (1974)
- Hawaii Five-O, "30,000 Rooms and I Have the Key" (1974)
- Barney Miller, "Bureaucrat" (1975)
- It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman (1975)
- Ellery Queen (1975–1976)
- Once an Eagle (1976) (miniseries)
- Hunter, "Yesterday Upon the Stair" (1977)
- In the Glitter Palace (1977)
- Black Beauty (1978) (miniseries)
- Loose Change (1978) (miniseries)
- Murder at the Mardi Gras (1978)
- The Gift of Love (1978)
- Dallas (1978)
- The Girls in the Office (1979)
- An American Christmas Carol (1979)
- House Calls (1979-1982)
- The Golden Girls (1986)
- Poker Alice (1987, based on the frontier gambler Poker Alice, with Elizabeth Taylor in the starring role)
Stage appearances
- 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)
- Showboat (July 1966) Lincoln Center (Role; Capt. Andy)
- The Happy Time (January 18 - September 28, 1968) (Broadway)
Radio appearances
Year | Program | Episode/source |
---|---|---|
1952 | Stars in the Air | Good Sam[3] |
1953 | Lux Radio Theatre | Wait 'Till the Sun Shines, Nellie[4] |
References and notes
- 1 2 3 4 Lueck, Thomas J. (February 13, 1995). "David Wayne, Sprightly and Versatile Actor, Is Dead at 81". New York Times. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
- ↑ Dick Kleiner: "The Actors Studio: Making Stars Out of the Unknown," The Sarasota Journal (Friday, 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."
- ↑ 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
Wikimedia Commons has media related to David Wayne. |
- David Wayne at Find a Grave
- David Wayne at the Internet Movie Database
- David Wayne at the Internet Broadway Database
- David Wayne at AllMovie
- David Wayne as The Mad Hatter