John Gavin (born April 8, 1931) is an American
film actor and a former
United States Ambassador to Mexico. Gavin is half
Mexican and fluent in
Spanish.
He is probably best known for the part of Sam Loomis, Janet Leigh's boyfriend in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho and as Julius Caesar in Stanley Kubrick's Spartacus.
Early life
Gavin's father's side, the Golenor family, of
Irish origin, were early landowners in California when it was still under Spanish rule. His mother Delia Pablos, was a member of the powerful Pablos family in the Mexican state of Sonora, Mexico and took the surname "Gavin" when she married Ray Gavin.
After attending St. John's Military Academy of Los Angeles, he earned a B.A. from Stanford University, where he did senior honors work in Latin American economic history and was a member of Stanford's Naval ROTC unit. During the Korean War Gavin was commissioned in the U.S. Navy serving aboard the USS Princeton offshore Korea where he served as an air intelligence officer from 1952 to 1955. Due to Gavin's fluency in both Spanish and Portuguese he was assigned as Flag Lieutenant to Admiral Milton E. Miles.
Following his naval service, he offered himself as a technical adviser to a film about the US Navy but was instead offered a screen test.
Film and stage career
Contracted to
Universal Pictures where he was groomed as a virile, strapping, handsome leading man in the mold of
Rock Hudson, some of his most famous roles include
A Time to Love and A Time To Die and
Imitation of Life (1959) for director
Douglas Sirk and producer
Ross Hunter, both of whom had earlier helped make a star of Hudson. Gavin also appeared in the classic thriller
Psycho (1960) for director
Alfred Hitchcock, the epic
Spartacus (1960) directed by
Stanley Kubrick, and the 1920s-era Julie Andrews musical
Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967) for
George Roy Hill, again for producer
Ross Hunter. Each of those films was among the most successful box-office attractions of their year of release. Gavin also co-starred with such top leading ladies of the era as
Doris Day in the 1960 thriller
Midnight Lace,
Sophia Loren the same year in the comedic
A Breath of Scandal and, in 1961, with
Susan Hayward in the melodrama
Back Street and in
Romanoff and Juliet and
Tammy Tell Me True, both with
Sandra Dee.
James Bond
Gavin was signed on for the role of
James Bond in 1971's
Diamonds Are Forever after
George Lazenby left the role. However, he never played Bond due to
Sean Connery's expensive return to the 007 franchise yet still had his contract honored in full. According to
Roger Moore's
James Bond Diary, Gavin was also slated to play Bond in 1973's
Live and Let Die but
Harry Saltzman insisted on an Englishman for the role. Gavin did play
OSS 117 the French equivalent of 007, in
Pas de Roses pour OSS 117 /
No Roses For OSS 117 (1968) replacing
Frederick Stafford who was filming
Alfred Hitchcock's
Topaz.
Screen Actors Guild
He was president of the
Screen Actors Guild from 1971 to 1973.
Live theater
Gavin made a successful foray into live theater in the 1970s, showcasing his baritone voice. He toured the summer stock circuit as El Gallo in a production of
The Fantasticks and later replaced
Ken Howard in the Broadway musical,
Seesaw (1973) opposite
Michelle Lee. Gavin also toured the country in
Seesaw with
Lucie Arnaz. Both the Broadway and touring production were directed by
Michael Bennett.
Politics
of Mexico (left) and
Nancy Reagan of the United States (right) after the
1985 Mexico City earthquake.]]
A
Republican, Gavin was appointed U.S. Ambassador to
Mexico in June 1981 by President
Ronald Reagan and served until June 12, 1986. During his tenure as ambassador, he was involved in an incident where he roughed up a local television cameraman. Since leaving government service, he has become a successful businessman and civic leader, along with volunteering for his nearby community.
Personal
He has been married to
Constance Towers, a stage and television actress, since 1974. They had first met in 1957 at a party when his godfather
Jimmy McHugh introduced them. When they wed, Gavin and Towers each had two children from previous marriages, so the couple have four adult children and three grandchildren. Gavin's older daughter,
Cristina Gavin, followed in his footsteps and became an actress. His younger daughter, Maria, also followed in Gavin's footsteps in her own right with a Masters Degree from Gavin's Stanford Alma Mater, and a successful career in television production.
Filmography
Film
Raw Edge (1956)
Behind the High Wall (1956)
Four Girls in Town (1957)
Quantez (1957)
A Time to Love and a Time to Die (1958)
Imitation of Life (1959)
A Breath of Scandal (1960)
Psycho (1960)
Spartacus (1960)
Midnight Lace (1960)
Romanoff and Juliet (1961)
Tammy Tell Me True (1961)
Back Street (1961)
Pedro Páramo (1967)
Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967)
Pas de Roses pour OSS 117 (1968)
The Madwoman of Chaillot (1969)
Cutter's Trail (1970) (TV movie)
Pussycat, Pussycat, I Love You (1970)
Nefertiti y Aquenatos (1973) (Short film)
Keep It in the Family (1973)
The Lives of Jenny Dolan (1975) (TV movie)
La casa de las sombras (1976)
Doctors' Private Lives (1978) (TV movie)
Jennifer (1978)
The New Adventures of Heidi (1978) (TV movie)
Sophia Loren: Her Own Story (1980) (TV movie)
Television
Alcoa Premiere (1962) 1 episode
Insight (1963) 1 episode
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1963-1965) 2 episodes
Kraft Suspense Theatre (1964) 2 episodes
Destry (1964) 13 episodes
The Virginian (1964) 1 episode
Convoy (1965) 13 episodes
The Doris Day Show (1971) 1 episode
Mannix (1973) 1 episode
Wide World Mystery (1974) 1 episode
Medical Center (1976) 1 episode
The Love Boat (1977) 1 episode
Flying High (1978) 1 episode
Fantasy Island (1978-1981) 2 episodes
Doctors' Private Lives (1979) (Mini-series)
Hart to Hart (1980) 1 episode
Notes
External links
John Gavin - So Suave
Category:1931 births
Category:Living people
Category:American film actors
Category:American stage actors
Category:Presidents of the Screen Actors Guild
Category:Hispanic and Latino American people
Category:Hispanic and Latino American politicians
Category:Hispanic and Latino American actors
Category:American people of Irish descent
Category:American people of Irish descent
Category:American politicians of Mexican descent
Category:American people of Mexican descent
Category:American actor-politicians
Category:United States ambassadors to Mexico
![A view of Mauchline and the house of Gavin Hamilton in 1840[2]](http://web.archive.org./web/20110831040509im_/http://cdn6.wn.com/pd/80/ca/483677d3b35b81e16b0980d9f8f4_grande.jpg "A view of Mauchline and the house of Gavin Hamilton in 1840[2]")
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![A view of Mauchline and the house of Gavin Hamilton in 1840[2]](http://web.archive.org./web/20110831040509im_/http://cdn5.wn.com/pd/80/ca/483677d3b35b81e16b0980d9f8f4_thumb.jpg "A view of Mauchline and the house of Gavin Hamilton in 1840[2]")
