Coordinates	28°36′36″N77°13′48″N
name	José Ferrer
birth name	José Vicente Ferrer de Otero y Cintrón
birth date	January 08, 1912
birth place	Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico
death date	January 26, 1992
death place	Coral Gables, Florida, United States
occupation	Actor/Director
years active	1935–92
spouse	Uta Hagen (1938–48)Phyllis Hill (1948–53) Rosemary Clooney (1953–61; 1964–67) Stella Magee (19??–92, his death)}}

José Vicente Ferrer de Otero y Cintrón (January 8, 1912 – January 26, 1992), best known as José Ferrer, was a Puerto Rican actor, as well as a theater and film director. He was the first Hispanic actor to win an Academy Award.

Early life

Ferrer was born in the Santurce district of San Juan, Puerto Rico, the son of Maria Providencia Cintron and Rafael Ferrer, an attorney and writer. He studied in the Swiss boarding school Institut Le Rosey. In 1933, he graduated from Princeton University, where he wrote a senior thesis, ''French Naturalism and Pardo Bazán''; he was also a member of the Princeton Triangle Club.

Career

Theater

Ferrer made his Broadway debut in 1935. In 1940, he played his first starring role on Broadway, the title role in ''Charley's Aunt'', partly in drag. He played Iago in Margaret Webster's 1943 Broadway production of ''Othello'', starring Paul Robeson in the title role, Webster as Emilia, and Ferrer's wife at the time, Uta Hagen, as Desdemona. It became the longest-running production of a Shakespeare play staged in the U.S., a record it still holds. His Broadway directing credits include ''The Shrike'', ''Stalag 17'', ''The Fourposter'', ''Twentieth Century'', ''Carmelina'', ''My Three Angels'', and ''The Andersonville Trial''.

Cyrano de Bergerac

Ferrer may be best-remembered for his performance in the title role of ''Cyrano de Bergerac'', which he first played on Broadway in 1946. Ferrer feared that the production would be a failure in rehearsals due to the open dislike for the play by director Mel Ferrer (who was not related to José), so he called in Joshua Logan (who had directed his star-making performance in ''Charley's Aunt'') to serve as "play doctor" for the production. Logan wrote that he simply had to eliminate pieces of business which director Ferrer had inserted in his staging; they presumably were intended to sabotage the more sentimental elements of the play that the director considered to be corny and in bad taste. The production became one of the hits of the 1946/47 Broadway season, winning Ferrer the first Best Actor Tony Award for his depiction of the long-nosed poet/swordsman (tied with Fredric March for Ruth Gordon's play about her own early years as an actress, ''''Years Ago''). He reprised the role of Cyrano onstage at the New York City Center under his own direction in 1953, as well as in two films: the 1950 film of Edmond Rostand's play directed by Michael Gordon and the 1964 French film ''Cyrano et d'Artagnan'' directed by Abel Gance.

Ferrer would go on to voice a highly truncated cartoon version of the play for an episode of ''The ABC Afterschool Special'' in 1974, and made his farewell to the part by performing a short passage from the play for the 1986 Tony Awards telecast.

Early films

Ferrer made his film debut in 1948 in the Technicolor epic ''Joan of Arc'' as the weak-willed Dauphin opposite Ingrid Bergman. Leading roles in the films ''Whirlpool'' (opposite Gene Tierney) (1949) and ''Crisis'' (opposite Cary Grant) (1950) followed, and culminated in the 1950 film ''Cyrano de Bergerac''. He next played the role of Toulouse-Lautrec in John Huston's fictional 1952 biopic, ''Moulin Rouge''.

Later stage career

Beginning circa 1950, Ferrer concentrated on film work, but would return to the stage occasionally. In 1959 Ferrer directed the original stage production of Saul Levitt's ''The Andersonville Trial'', about the trial following the revelation of conditions at the infamous Civil War prison. It was a hit and featured George C. Scott. He took over the direction of the troubled musical ''Juno'' from Vincent J. Donehue, who had himself taken over from Tony Richardson. The show folded after 16 performances and mixed-to extremely negative critical reaction. The show's commercial failure (along with his earlier flop, ''Oh, Captain!''), was a considerable setback to Ferrer's directing career. Nor did the short-lived ''The Girl Who Came to Supper'' do much for his acting career. A notable performance of his later stage career was as Miguel de Cervantes and his fictional creation Don Quixote in the hit musical ''Man of La Mancha''. Ferrer took over the role from Richard Kiley in 1967, and subsequently went on tour with it in the first national company of the show.

Other filmwork

He portrayed the Rev. Davidson in 1953's ''Miss Sadie Thompson'' (a remake of ''Rain'') opposite Rita Hayworth; Barney Greenwald, the embittered defense attorney, in 1954's ''The Caine Mutiny''; and operetta composer Sigmund Romberg in the MGM musical biopic ''Deep in My Heart''. In 1955 Ferrer directed himself in the film version of ''The Shrike'', with June Allyson. ''The Cockleshell Heroes'' followed a year later, along with ''The Great Man'', both of which he also directed. In 1958 Ferrer directed and appeared in ''I Accuse!'' (as Alfred Dreyfus) and ''The High Cost of Loving''. Ferrer also directed, but did not appear in, ''Return to Peyton Place'' in 1961 and also the remake of ''State Fair'' in 1962.

Ferrer's other notable film roles include the Turkish Bey in ''Lawrence of Arabia'' (1962), Herod Antipas in ''The Greatest Story Ever Told'' (1965), a budding Nazi in ''Ship of Fools'', a pompous professor in Woody Allen's ''A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy'' (1982), the treacherous Professor Siletski in the 1983 remake of ''To Be or Not to Be'', and Shaddam Corrino IV in ''Dune'' in 1984. However, in an interview given in the 1980s, he bemoaned the lack of good character parts for aging stars, and readily admitted that he now took on roles mostly for the money.

In 1980, he had a memorable role as future Justice Abe Fortas, to whom he bore a strong resemblance, in the made-for-television film version of Anthony Lewis' ''Gideon's Trumpet'', opposite Henry Fonda in an Emmy-nominated performance as Clarence Earl Gideon.

Radio and television

Among other radio roles, Ferrer starred as detective Philo Vance in a 1945 series of the same name.

On May 8, 1958, Ferrer guest starred on NBC's ''The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford.''

Ferrer, not usually known for regular roles in TV series, had a recurring role as Julia Duffy's WASPy father on the long-running television series, ''Newhart'' in the 1980s. He also had a recurring role as elegant and flamboyant attorney Reuben Marino on the soap opera ''Another World'' in the early 1980s. He narrated the very first episode of the popular 1964 sitcom ''Bewitched'', in mock documentary style. He also provided the voice of the evil Ben Haramed on the 1968 Rankin/Bass Christmas TV special ''The Little Drummer Boy''. Ferrer would don the nose and costume of Cyrano for a last time in a TV commercial in the 1970s.

Legacy

In 2005, the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors (HOLA) renamed its Tespis Award to the ''HOLA José Ferrer Tespis Award''.

Personal life

Ferrer had a decade-long first marriage to famed actress and acting teacher Uta Hagen (1938–1948), with whom he had a daughter, Leticia ("Lettie") Ferrer. His second wife was dancer/actress Phyllis Hill (1948–1953). His third marriage was to the singer Rosemary Clooney, actor George Clooney's aunt. The couple had five children: Miguel Jose (born February 7, 1955); Maria P (born August 9, 1956); Gabriel V (born August 1, 1957), Monsita T (born October 13, 1958) and Rafael F (born March 23, 1960). Ferrer and Clooney married in 1953, divorced in 1961, and remarried in 1964, only to divorce again three years later. Their son, Gabriel Ferrer, is married to singer Debby Boone, daughter of Pat and Shirley Boone.

He was the cousin of the tennis player Gigi Fernández.

At the time of his death, he was married to Stella Magee, whom he had met in the late sixties. Ferrer died following a brief battle with colon cancer in Coral Gables, Florida in 1992 and was interred in Santa Maria Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery in Old San Juan in his native Puerto Rico.

Filmography

! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1948			Nominated — Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
1949		David Korvo
1950		Cyrano de Bergerac
1950		Raoul Farrago
1950	''''	José
1952		Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec	Nominated — Academy Award for Best Actor
1952	''Anything Can Happen''	Giorgi Papashvily
1953	''Miss Sadie Thompson''	Alfred Davidson
1953	''Producers' Showcase'': "Cyrano de Bergerac"	Cyrano de Bergerac
1954		Sigmund Romberg
1954	''''	Lt. Barney Greenwald
1955	''''	Major Stringer
1955	''''	Jim Downs
1956	''''	Joe Harris
1958	''''	Jim 'Jimbo' Fry
1958	''I Accuse!''	Capt. Alfred Dreyfus
1961	''Return to Peyton Place''
1961	''Forbid Them Not''	Narrator
1962		Turkish Bey
1963	''Delay in Marienborn''	Cowan the Reporter
1963	''Nine Hours to Rama''	Supt. Gopal Das
1964	''Cyrano et d'Artagnan''	Cyrano de Bergerac
1965		Siegfried Rieber
1965	''''	Herod Antipas
1967		Hassan Bey
1967	''Enter Laughing''	Mr. Marlowe
1975	''''	Inspector Reed
1976	''''	Ironman
1976	''Forever Young, Forever Free''	Father Alberto
1976	''Paco''	Fermin Flores
1976	''Voyage of the Damned''	Manuel Benitez
1977	''''	Lionel McCoy
1977	''Who Has Seen the Wind''
1977	''''	Priest of the Brotherhood
1977	''Crash!''	Marc Denne
1978	''''	Dr. Andrews
1978	''Dracula's Dog''	Inspector Branco
1978		Doctor Vando
1978	''''	Captain Nemo
1979	''Natural Enemies''	Harry Rosenthal
1979	''''
1979	''''	Bishop
1980	''''	Domenici
1981	''Bloody Birthday''	Doctor
1982	''Blood Tide''	Nereus
1982	''''	Leopold
1983		Prof. Siletski
1983	''''	Mayor Gordon Lane
1984		Padishah Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV
1984	''''	Dr. Hector Lomelin
1987	''''
1990	''Hired to Kill''	Rallis
1990	''Old Explorers''	Warner Watney
1992	''Laam Gong juen ji faan fei jo fung wan''

See also

List of famous Puerto Ricans

French immigration to Puerto Rico

List of Puerto Rican Academy Award winners and nominees

References

External links

Category:1912 births Category:1992 deaths Category:American film actors Category:American radio actors Category:American stage actors Category:American television actors Category:Best Actor Academy Award winners Category:Best Drama Actor Golden Globe (film) winners Category:Cancer deaths in Florida Category:Deaths from colorectal cancer Category:People from San Juan, Puerto Rico Category:People from Santurce, Puerto Rico Category:Princeton University alumni Category:Puerto Rican actors Category:Puerto Rican film actors Category:RCA Victor artists Category:United States National Medal of Arts recipients

an:José Ferrer (actor) ca:José Ferrer de:José Ferrer es:José Ferrer (actor) fr:José Ferrer (acteur) gl:José Ferrer it:José Ferrer he:חוזה פרר nl:José Ferrer ja:ホセ・フェラー no:José Ferrer pl:José Ferrer pt:José Ferrer ru:Феррер, Хосе sr:Хозе Ферер sh:José Ferrer fi:José Ferrer sv:José Ferrer tl:Jose Ferrer tr:José Ferrer yo:José Ferrer

Coordinates	28°36′36″N77°13′48″N
name	Cyrano de Bergerac
birth date	March 06, 1619
birth place	Sannois, France
death date	July 28, 1655
death place	Paris, France
occupation	Playwright, Soldier
children	}}

Hercule-Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac (6 March 1619 – 28 July 1655) was a French dramatist and duelist. He is now best remembered for the works of fiction which have been woven, often very loosely, around his life story, most notably the 1897 play by Edmond Rostand. In these fictional works he is featured with an overly large nose, which people would travel from miles around to see. Portraits suggest that he did have a big nose, though not nearly as large as described in Rostand's play and the subsequent works about him. His work furnished models and ideas for subsequent writers.

Life and works

He was the son of Abel de Cyrano, lord of Mauvières and Bergerac. He received his first education from a country priest, and had for a fellow pupil his friend and future biographer, Henri Lebret. He then proceeded to Paris to the college de Beauvais, where he had for master Jean Grangier, whom he afterwards ridiculed in his comedy ''Le Pédant joué'' (''The Pedant Tricked'') of 1654. At the age of nineteen, he entered a corps of the guards, serving in the campaigns of 1639 and 1640.

Research indicates that around 1640 he became the lover of Charles Coypeau d'Assoucy, a writer and musician, until around 1653, when they became engaged in a bitter rivalry. This led to Bergerac sending d'Assoucy death threats that compelled him to leave Paris. The quarrel extended to a series of satirical texts by both men. Bergerac wrote ''Contre Soucidas'' (an anagram of his enemy's name) and ''Contre un ingrat'' ("Against an Ingrate"), while D’Assoucy counterattacked with ''Le Combat de Cyrano de Bergerac avec le singe de Brioché, au bout du Pont-Neuf''.

He is said to have fought more than 1000 duels, mostly on account of his nose. The story of his adventure single-handed against a hundred enemies was vouched for by Lebret as the simple truth. After two years in the guards, Cyrano left the service and returned to Paris to pursue literature, producing tragedies cast in the orthodox classical mode.

The model for the Roxane character of the Rostand play was Bergerac's cousin, who lived with his sister, Catherine de Cyrano, at the Convent of the Daughter of the Cross As in the play, Bergerac did fight at the siege of Arras (1640), a battle of the Thirty Years' War between French and Spanish forces in France (though this was not the more famous final Battle of Arras, fought fourteen years later). One of his confreres in the battle was the Baron Christian of Neuvillette, who married Cyrano's cousin. However, the plotline of the play, ''Cyrano de Bergerac'', involving Roxane and Christian is entirely fictional.

Cyrano was a freethinker and a pupil of Pierre Gassendi, a canon of the Catholic Church who tried to reconcile Epicurean atomism with Christianity. Cyrano's insistence on reason was rare in his time. His tragedy ''Mort d'Agrippine'' (1654) was regarded at the time as the vehicle of atheistic teaching.

He was injured by a falling wooden beam in 1654 while entering the house of his patron, the Duc D'Arpajon. Whether it was a deliberate attempt on his life or merely an accident is unknown. It is also inconclusive as to whether or not his death was a result of the injury, or an unspecified disease. He died over a year later on July 28, 1655 aged 36. His place of death was the house of his cousin, Pierre De Cyrano, in Sannois. He was buried in a church in Sannois.

Cyrano de Bergerac's works ''L'Autre Monde: où les États et Empires de la Lune (The Other World: The States and Empires of the Moon)'' (published posthumously, 1657) and ''Les États et Empires du Soleil (The States and Empires of the Sun)'' (1662) are classics of early modern science fiction. In the former, Cyrano travels to the moon using rockets powered by firecrackers and meets the inhabitants. The moon-men have four legs, musical voices, and firearms that shoot game and cook it.

His mixture of science and romance in the last two works furnished a model for many subsequent writers, among them Jonathan Swift, Edgar Alan Poe and probably Voltaire. Corneille and Molière freely borrowed ideas from ''Le Pédant joué''.

In fiction

Rostand

In 1897, the French poet Edmond Rostand published a play, ''Cyrano de Bergerac'', on the subject of Cyrano's life. This play, by far Rostand's most successful work, concentrates on Cyrano's love for the beautiful Roxane, whom he is obliged to woo on behalf of a more conventionally handsome but less articulate friend, Christian de Neuvillette.

The play has been adapted for cinema several times, most recently in 1990 with Gerard Depardieu in the title role. That 1990 version's dialogue is in French with subtitles written by Anthony Burgess in rhymed couplets, mirroring the form of the dialogue in the original play. The most famous film version in English is the 1950 film, with José Ferrer in the title role, a performance for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor. In 1959, Hiroshi Inagaki wrote and directed a Japanese version, ''Aru kengo no shogai'' (''Samurai Saga'' AKA ''Life of a Expert Swordsman''), setting the story in 17th century Shogunate Japan and starring Toshirō Mifune as the Cyrano character "Heihachiro Komaki" and Yoko Tsukasa as the Roxanne character "Lady Ochii". Ferrer reprised the role in the 1960 French film ''Cyrano et d'Artagnan'', directed by Abel Gance, opposite Jean-Pierre Cassel as D'Artagnan. Much later, Cassel made a cameo appearance as Cyrano de Bergerac in ''The Return of the Musketeers'': the character was depicted as fifty-something and attempting to travel to the Moon with the aid of a balloon.

Other works

"The Adventures of Cyrano De Bergerac", by Louis Gallet, was published in English by Jarrolds Publishers (London) in 1900. This is a swashbuckling tale of adventure and romance bearing no resemblance to Rostand's play, other than the outstanding physical characteristics of the De Bergerac character.

Other film interpretations of Rostand include the romantic comedies ''Roxanne'', and ''The Truth About Cats & Dogs'', respectively starring Steve Martin and Janeane Garofalo in the Cyrano-like roles. ''Cyrano Fernández'' (2007) is a retelling from Venezuela, set in contemporary times, in which Cyrano is disfigured but lacks the large nose.

Geraldine McCaughrean rewrote the play as a novel entitled ''Cyrano'', which was longlisted for the Carnegie Award in 2007. In 1936, Franco Alfano composed his opera, ''Cyrano de Bergerac'', to a libretto based on the play. David Bintley, Director of Birmingham Royal Ballet, created a ballet of the story in 2007. Most recently, David DiChiera rewrote the play as another opera entitled ''Cyrano'', which was produced first by Michigan Opera Theater and then by the Opera Company of Philadelphia (February 2008).

The character of Cyrano also inspired a song, "Cyrano," by Italian performer Francesco Guccini about the hypocrisy, servitude to conventions, and superficialities of modern show business and political society. Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac is one of the main characters in Philip José Farmer's ''Riverworld'' novels.

A couple of characters in modern works are based on Cyrano, although not named as such. Robert Heinlein's ''Glory Road'' features a cameo appearance by such a figure. The Swordmaster in Alain Ayrole's and Jean-Luc Masbou's French comic book ''De cape et de crocs'' portrays a colorful gentleman living on the Moon, at ease either with a sword or with a sonnet, and using both to silence those foolish enough to mock his prominent nose.

"Sir Nose D’Voidoffunk" is a character with a Pinocchio-like nose, whose moniker is a play on the name "Cyrano de Bergerac." Sir Nose is an antagonist within P-Funk mythology, and first appears on the album Funkentelechy Vs. the Placebo Syndrome by Parliament.

In 1995, the award-winning Scottish novelist A. L. (Alison) Kennedy featured a newly-revived Cyrano in her novel 'So I am glad'. The heroine finds him entering her life where she is under stress as a radio 'voice'. We are left unsure whether Cyrano has returned to live with her as her lover for a time or is a figment of her imagination. In any case, she is engaged by the vitality of his character, his revisiting the events of his life and his unorthodoxy and adventures in modern Glasgow.

In 1998, James L. Carcioppolo wrote and published ''The Lost Sonnets of Cyrano de Bergerac''. The book fictionalizes a dying Cyrano writing a sequence of sonnets in an attempt to come to terms with his conflicted life. It portrays a Cyrano very close to the historical personage without diminishing his love for freedom and individuality.

Influence

The ghostwritten love letters of Cyrano de Bergerac are said to have inspired Heart Raps, a modern day service that writes custom romantic hip-hop verses to be given as gifts .

See also

Asteroid 3582 Cyrano, named after de Bergerac.

Cyrano (Damrosch), a four-act opera with music by Walter Damrosch and libretto by William J. Henderson

Cyrano (opera), an opera in three acts by David DiChiera to a libretto by Bernard Uzan

Cyrano de Bergerac (Alfano), a four-act opera with music by Franco Alfano and libretto by Henri Caïn

Cyrano de Bergerac (film)

Cyrano de Bergerac (play)

Roxanne (film)

Addyman, Ishbel (2008). ''Cyrano: The Life and Legend of Cyrano De Bergerac'', Simon & Schuster

References

External links

Brief biography at Kirjasto (Pegasos)

Le Vrai Cyrano de Bergerac (French)—Biography

Cyrano(s) de Bergerac (French)—Information on fictional portrayals versus real person

''The Other World: Society and Government of the Moon''—annotated English language edition

—English language edition. —French language edition.

Category:1619 births Category:1655 deaths Category:French dramatists and playwrights Category:French science fiction writers Category:Lycée Louis-le-Grand alumni Category:Moon in fiction Category:Writers from Paris

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Coordinates	28°36′36″N77°13′48″N
name	Van Johnson
birth name	Charles Van Dell Johnson
birth date	August 25, 1916
birth place	Newport, Rhode Island, U.S.
death date	December 12, 2008
death place	Nyack, New York, U.S.
years active	1935–92
occupation	Actor, dancer, singer
spouse	Eve Lynn Abbott Wynn (1947–68; divorced; 1 daughter and 2 stepsons) }}

Van Johnson (August 25, 1916 – December 12, 2008) was an American film and television actor and dancer who was a major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios during and after World War II.

Johnson was the embodiment of the "boy next door," playing "the red-haired, freckle-faced soldier, sailor or bomber pilot who used to live down the street" in MGM movies during the war years. At the time of his death in December 2008, he was one of the last surviving matinee idols of Hollywood's "golden age."

Early life

Johnson was born Charles Van Dell Johnson in Newport, Rhode Island; the only child, and his mother had German-American Pennsylvania Dutch ethnicity. His mother, an alcoholic, left the family when her son was a child; Johnson's relationship with his father was chilly.

Career

Johnson performed at social clubs in Newport while in high school. He moved to New York City after graduating from high school in 1935 and joined an off-Broadway revue, ''Entre Nous'' (1935).

After touring New England in a theatre troupe as a substitute dancer, his acting career began in earnest in the Broadway revue ''New Faces of 1936''. Johnson returned to the chorus after that, and worked in summer resorts near New York City. In 1939, director and playwright George Abbott cast him in Rodgers and Hart's ''Too Many Girls'' in the role of a college boy and as understudy for all three male leads. After an uncredited role in the film adaptation of ''Too Many Girls'' (which costarred Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz), Abbott hired him as a chorus boy and Gene Kelly's understudy in ''Pal Joey''.

Johnson was about to move back to New York when Lucille Ball took him to Chasen's Restaurant, where she introduced him to MGM casting director Billy Grady, who was sitting at the next table.

This led to screen tests by Hollywood studios. His test at Columbia Pictures was unsuccessful, but Warner Brothers put him on contract at $300 a week. His all-American good looks and easy demeanor were ill-suited to the gritty movies Warner made at the time, and the studio dropped him at the expiration of his six-month contract. Shortly before leaving Warner, he was cast as a cub reporter opposite Faye Emerson in the 1942 film ''Murder in the Big House''. His eyebrows and hair were dyed black for the role.

Years at MGM

Fortuitously for Johnson, Lew Ayres, who played the title role in the popular ''Dr. Kildare'' movie series, was leaving to join the US Army as a medical corpsman. Ayres had played a young doctor who assisted the crusty Dr. Gillespie, played by Lionel Barrymore. Johnson was assigned to the new role of Dr. Randall Adams in ''Dr. Gillespie's New Assistant'' and ''Dr. Gillespie's Criminal Case'', and he appeared as a bit player in two other MGM features. At the same time he was given the classes in acting, speech, diction and other disciplines that were provided to all contract actors at MGM at the time.

He subsequently appeared in ''Pilot No. 5'' (1943) and in William Saroyan’s ''The Human Comedy'', which was produced in 1943, and in the title role in ''Two Girls and a Sailor''.

His big break was in ''A Guy Named Joe'', with Spencer Tracy and Irene Dunne, in which he played a young pilot who acquires a deceased pilot as his guardian angel. Midway through the movie's production in 1943, he was involved in a car crash that left him with a metal plate in his forehead and a number of scars on his face that the plastic surgery of the time could not completely correct or conceal; he used heavy makeup to hide them for years. Dunne and Tracy insisted that Johnson not be removed from the cast despite his long absence. The injury exempted Johnson from service in World War II. With many actors now serving in the armed forces, the accident proved to be a major career break for Johnson. Johnson played himself in a walk-on role in ''I Love Lucy'', which, according to Benjamin Svetkey, "may have pioneered the cheesy sitcom walk-on."

During the 1950s, Johnson continued to appear in films and also appeared frequently in television guest appearances. He received favorable critical notices for ''Miracle in the Rain'' (1956), in which he starred with Jane Wyman, and in ''23 Paces to Baker Street'', in which he played a blind playwright residing in London. Johnson guest starred as Joe Robertson, with June Allyson and Don Rickles, in her CBS anthology series ''The DuPont Show with June Allyson'' in the 1960 episode entitled "The Women Who." In 1961 Van Johnson came to England to star in Harold Fielding's production of "The Music Man" at London's Adelphi Theatre. The show enjoyed a successful run of almost a year with Van playing the arduous leading role of Harold Hill to great acclaim. He also guest-starred on ''Batman'' as "The Minstrel" in two episodes in 1966, ''Here's Lucy'', ''Quincy, M.E.'', ''McMillan & Wife'', Murder, She Wrote along with June Allyson, and ''The Love Boat'' and in the miniseries ''Rich Man, Poor Man''. He was nominated for an Emmy Award for that role. He appeared as the title character of the 1957 made-for-television film ''The Pied Piper of Hamelin'', a musical version of Robert Browning's poem. He turned down an opportunity to star as Eliot Ness in ''The Untouchables'', which went on to become a successful TV series with Robert Stack in the Ness role.

In the 1970s, after twice fighting bouts of cancer, Johnson began a second career in summer stock and dinner theater. In 1985, returning to Broadway for the first time since ''Pal Joey'', he was cast in the starring role of the musical ''La Cage aux Folles''. In that same year he appeared in a supporting role in Woody Allen's ''The Purple Rose of Cairo''. At the age of 75, now grey and rotund, he toured in ''Show Boat'' as Captain Andy. His last film appearance was in ''Clowning Around'' (1992). In 2003, he appeared with Betsy Palmer for three performances of A.R. Gurney's ''Love Letters'' at a theater in Wesley Hills, New York. In 1948, the newlyweds had a daughter, Schuyler. By this marriage, Johnson also had two stepsons, Edmond Keenan (Ned) and Tracy Keenan Wynn.

The Johnsons separated in 1961 and their especially bitter divorce was finalized in 1968. According to Eve Johnson, her marriage to Johnson had been engineered by MGM: "They needed their 'big star' to be married to quell rumours about his sexual preferences and unfortunately, I was 'It'—the only woman he would marry."

Van Johnson lived in a penthouse in the Sutton Place area of 54th Street on Manhattan's East Side until 2002, when he moved to Tappan Zee Manor, an assisted living facility in Nyack, New York.

Legacy

Johnson was never nominated for an Academy Award and during the height of his career was noted mainly for his cheerful screen presence. Reflecting on his career after his death, one critic observed that Johnson was "a better actor than Hollywood usually allowed him to be," and that "he did prove he was capable of an Oscar-worthy performance, and that’s more than most movie stars can claim."

For his contribution to the film industry, Van Johnson has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6600 Hollywood Blvd.

He was one of several people interviewed by Lucie Arnaz for her biopic of her parents, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, "Lucy and Desi: A Home Movie" Other interviews included Carole Cook, Bob Hope, Fred Ball and several others.

Selected filmography

+ Film
Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1940		Chorus boy #41	Uncredited
1942	''Somewhere I'll Find You''	Lieutenant Wade Hall	Uncredited
1943	''''	Marcus Macauley
1943	''Pilot No. 5''	Everett Arnold
1943		Reporter
1943	''''	Ted Randall
1944	''Two Girls and a Sailor''	John Dyckman Brown III
1944	''''	Sam Bennett
1944	''Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo''	Ted Lawson
1945	''Week-End at the Waldorf''	Captain James Hollis
1945	''Thrill of a Romance''	Major Thomas Milvaine
1946	''Till the Clouds Roll By''	Bandleader in Elite Club
1946	''No Leave, No Love''	Sergeant Michael Hanlon
1946	''Easy to Wed''	Bill Chandler
1947	''''	Henry Carson
1948		Spike McManus	Alternative title: ''The World and His Wife''
1948		Technical Sergeant Immanuel T. Evans
1949	''Mother Is a Freshman''	Professor Richard Michaels	Alternative title: ''Mother Knows Best''
1949		Mike Conovan
1949	''In the Good Old Summertime''	Andrew Delby Larkin
1949		Holley
1950	''Duchess of Idaho''	Dick Layne
1951	''Grounds for Marriage''	Dr. Lincoln I. Bartlett
1951	''Three Guys Named Mike''	Mike Lawrence
1951		Lieutenant Michael Grayson
1951	''Too Young to Kiss''	Eric Wainwright
1952		Daniel I. "Dan" Pierce
1952		Father John X. Halligan
1952	''Plymouth Adventure''	John Alden
1954	''''	LT Stephen Maryk, USNR
1954		Jeff Douglas
1954	''''	Charles Wills
1955	''''	Maurice Bendrix
1956	''23 Paces to Baker Street''	Phillip Hannon
1956	''Miracle in the Rain''	Pvt 1st class Arthur Hugenon
1957	''Slander''	Scott Ethan Martin
1957	''Action of the Tiger''	Carson
1959	''Web of Evidence''	Paul Mathry	Alternative title: ''Beyond This Place''
1967	''Divorce American Style''	Al Yearling
1968	''Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows''	Father Chase
1968		Warrant Officer Darrel Harrison
1969	'''	President James Garfield	Alternative titles: ''La muerte de un presidente''''Texas''
1971	''Eye of the Spider''	Professor Orson Krüger	Alternative title: ''L'occhio del ragno''
1979	''Concorde Affaire '79''	Captain Scott
1979	''From Corleone to Brooklyn''	Lieutenant Sturges	Alternative titles: ''Da Corleone a Brooklyn''''The Sicilian Boss''
1980	''''	Vice President Ethan Richards
1985	''''	Larry
1992	''Clowning Around''	Mr. Ranthow

+Television
! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1955	''I Love Lucy''	Himself	TV series, 1 episode
1957	''''	Pied Piper/Truson	Television special
1959	''Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater''	Frank Gilette	TV series, 1 episode
1960	''General Electric Theater''	Jimmy Devlin	TV series, 1 episode
1960	''''	Terry Tyler	TV series, 1 episode
1965	''Ben Casey''	Frank Dawson	TV series, 1 episode
1966		The Minstrel	TV series, 2 episodes
1967	''''	Charlie Snow	TV series, 1 episode
1971	''''	Alonzo	TV series, 1 episode
1971	''''	Charlie Webb	TV series, 1 episode
1971	''Love, American Style''	Don	TV series, 1 episode
1972		Henry	TV series, 1 episode
1974		Dan Kiley	TV series, 1 episode
1974	''McMillan & Wife''	Harry Jerome	TV series, 1 episode
1976		Marsh Goodwin	Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor – Miniseries or a Movie
1976	''Rich Man, Poor Man Book II''	Marsh Goodwin	Miniseries
1977	''Quincy, M.E.''	Al Ringerman	TV series, 2 episodes
1982	''One Day at a Time''	Gus Webster	TV series, 1 episode
1983		Gerry T. Armstrong	TV series, 1 episode
1988	''''	Art Bellasco	TV series, 1 episode

References

1984 Murder, She Wrote (TV) 1 episode

Further reading

External links

Category:1916 births Category:2008 deaths Category:Actors from Rhode Island Category:American film actors Category:American people of German descent Category:American people of Swedish descent Category:American stage actors Category:American television actors Category:Cancer survivors Category:Pennsylvania Dutch people Category:People from Newport, Rhode Island

ca:Van Johnson cy:Van Johnson da:Van Johnson de:Van Johnson es:Van Johnson fr:Van Johnson it:Van Johnson nl:Van Johnson ja:ヴァン・ジョンソン no:Van Johnson pl:Van Johnson pt:Van Johnson fi:Van Johnson sv:Van Johnson

Coordinates	28°36′36″N77°13′48″N
name	Fred MacMurray
birth name	Frederick Martin MacMurray
birth date	August 30, 1908
birth place	Kankakee, Illinois, United States
death date	November 05, 1991
death place	Santa Monica, California, United States
occupation	Actor
years active	1929–78
spouse	Lillian Lamont (1936–53; her death) 2 adopted childrenJune Haver (1954–91; his death) twin daughters (adopted) }}

Frederick Martin "Fred" MacMurray (August 30, 1908 – November 5, 1991) was an American actor who appeared in more than 100 movies and a successful television series during a career that spanned nearly a half-century, from 1930 to the 1970s.

MacMurray is well known for his role in the 1944 film noir ''Double Indemnity'' directed by Billy Wilder, which he starred in with Barbara Stanwyck. Later in his career, he became better known as the paternal Steve Douglas, the widowed patriarch on ''My Three Sons'', which ran on ABC from 1960–1965 and then on CBS from 1965–1972.

Early life and career

MacMurray was born in Kankakee, Illinois to Frederick MacMurray and Maleta Martin, both natives of Wisconsin. When MacMurray was two years old the family moved to Madison, Wisconsin and several years later settled in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, where his mother had been born in 1880. He earned a full scholarship to attend Carroll College in Waukesha, Wisconsin. In college, MacMurray participated in numerous local bands, playing the saxophone.

In 1930, he recorded a tune for the Gus Arnheim Orchestra as a featured vocalist on ''All I Want Is Just One Girl'' on the Victor 78 label. Before he signed on with Paramount Pictures in 1934, he had already appeared on Broadway in ''Three's a Crowd'' (1930–31) and alongside Sydney Greenstreet and Bob Hope in the original production of ''Roberta'' (1933–34).

In his heyday, MacMurray worked with some of Hollywood's greatest names, including directors Billy Wilder and Preston Sturges and actors Barbara Stanwyck, Humphrey Bogart and Marlene Dietrich. He played opposite Claudette Colbert in seven films, beginning with ''The Gilded Lily''. He co-starred with Katharine Hepburn in ''Alice Adams,'' with Joan Crawford in ''Above Suspicion,'' and with Carole Lombard in four films, ''Hands Across the Table,'' ''The Princess Comes Across,'' ''Swing High, Swing Low'' and ''True Confession.''

Usually cast in light comedies as a decent, thoughtful character (''The Trail of the Lonesome Pine'') and in melodramas (''Above Suspicion'' 1943) and musicals (''Where Do We Go from Here?'' 1945), MacMurray had become one of Hollywood's highest-paid actors; for 1943, when his salary reached $420,000, he was the highest-paid actor in Hollywood, and the fourth highest-paid American.

Despite being typecast as a "nice guy," MacMurray often said his best roles were when he was cast against type by Wilder. In 1944, he played the role of Walter Neff, an insurance salesman (numerous other actors had turned the role down) who plots with a greedy wife Barbara Stanwyck to murder her husband in ''Double Indemnity.'' Sixteen years later he played Jeff Sheldrake, a two-timing corporate executive in Wilder's Oscar-winning comedy ''The Apartment,'' with Shirley MacLaine and Jack Lemmon. In another turn in the "not so nice" category, MacMurray played the cynical, duplicitous Lieutenant Thomas Keefer in 1954's ''The Caine Mutiny.''

MacMurray's career got its second wind beginning in 1959, when he was cast as the father figure in a popular Disney comedy, ''The Shaggy Dog.'' In the 1960s, he starred in ''My Three Sons,'' which ran for 12 seasons, making it one of America's longest-running television series. Concurrent with ''My Three Sons,'' MacMurray stayed busy in films, starring in 1961 as Professor Ned Brainerd in Disney's ''The Absent-Minded Professor'' and in its sequel, ''Son of Flubber,'' in 1964. Using his star clout, MacMurray had a provision in his "Sons" contract that all his scenes be shot first. This freed him to pursue his film work and golf hobby. It's also interesting to note that two character names on "My Three Sons" were obviously nods to his real life children, that of Rob (as in Rob Douglas) and Katherine (Kate); he often referred to his TV son Robbie as 'Rob' and later TV daughter-in-law Katie Douglas as 'Kate.'

He was a staunch supporter of the Republican Party. He joined Bob Hope and James Stewart to campaign for Richard Nixon in 1968.

He was one of the wealthiest and, at the same time, most frugal actors in the business. Studio co-workers noticed that even as a successful actor, MacMurray usually brought a brown bag lunch to work, often with a hard-boiled egg. According to his co-star on ''My Three Sons,'' William Demarest, MacMurray continued to bring dyed Easter eggs for lunch several months after Easter so as not to waste them. Friends and business associates jokingly referred to him as ''"the thrifty multimillionaire."'' After the cancellation of ''My Three Sons'' in 1972, MacMurray made only a few more film appearances before retiring in 1978.

In the 1970s, MacMurray did commercials for Trailways Bus. Towards the end of the decade, he also did a series of commercials for the Korean chisenbop math calculation program.

Personal life

MacMurray was married twice. He and his first wife, Lillian Lamont, were married on June 20, 1936, and they adopted two children, Susan (b. 1940) and Robert (b. 1946). After Lamont died on June 22, 1953, he married actress June Haver the following year; he and Haver adopted two more children, twins Katherine and Laurie (b. 1966). MacMurray suffered from throat cancer in the late 1970s and it reappeared in 1987; he also suffered a severe stroke at Christmas 1988 which left his right side paralyzed and his speech affected, although with therapy he was able to make a 90% recovery.

MacMurray Ranch

In 1941 MacMurray purchased land in the Russian River Valley in Northern California and established MacMurray Ranch where he spent his time when not making films and engaged in raising prize-winning Aberdeen Angus cattle. In line with his wishes that the property's agricultural heritage be preserved it was sold in 1996 to Gallo, which planted vineyards on it for wines that bear the MacMurray Ranch label. Haver and MacMurray's daughter Kate now lives on the property (in a cabin built by her father) and is "actively engaged in Sonoma's thriving wine community, carrying on her family's legacy and the heritage of MacMurray Ranch."

Death

After suffering from leukemia, MacMurray died from pneumonia in 1991, aged 83 in Santa Monica. He was buried in Holy Cross Cemetery.

Biography

In 2007, Bearmanor Media published the first full-length biography of Fred MacMurray by author Charles Tranberg.

Influence

In 1939, artist C.C. Beck used MacMurray as the initial model for the superhero character who became Fawcett Comics' Captain Marvel.

Awards

MacMurray was the first person honored as a Disney Legend, in 1987.

Filmography

Features

''Why Leave Home?'' (1929)

''Tiger Rose'' (1929)

''Grand Old Girl'' (1935)

''The Gilded Lily'' (1935)

''Car 99'' (1935)

''Men Without Names'' (1935)

''Alice Adams'' (1935)

''Hands Across the Table'' (1935)

''The Bride Comes Home'' (1935)

''The Trail of the Lonesome Pine'' (1936)

''Thirteen Hours by Air'' (1936)

''The Princess Comes Across'' (1936)

''The Texas Rangers'' (1936)

''Champagne Waltz'' (1937)

''Maid of Salem'' (1937)

''Swing High, Swing Low'' (1937)

''Exclusive'' (1937)

''True Confession'' (1937)

''Cocoanut Grove'' (1938)

''Men with Wings'' (1938)

''Sing You Sinners'' (1938)

''Cafe Society'' (1939)

''Invitation to Happiness'' (1939)

''Honeymoon in Bali'' (1939)

''Remember the Night'' (1940)

''Little Old New York'' (1940)

''Too Many Husbands'' (1940)

''Rangers of Fortune'' (1940)

''Virginia'' (1941)

''One Night in Lisbon'' (1941)

''Dive Bomber'' (1941)

''New York Town'' (1941)

''The Lady Is Willing'' (1942)

''Take a Letter, Darling'' (1942)

''The Forest Rangers'' (1942)

''Star Spangled Rhythm'' (1942)

''Flight for Freedom'' (1943)

''No Time for Love'' (1943)

''Above Suspicion'' (1943)

''Standing Room Only'' (1944)

''And the Angels Sing'' (1944)

''Double Indemnity'' (1944)

''Practically Yours'' (1944)

''Where We Go from Here?'' (1945) – Bill Morgan

''Captain Eddie'' (1945)

''Murder, He Says'' (1945)

''Pardon My Past'' (1945)

''Smoky'' (1946)

''Suddenly, It's Spring'' (1947)

''The Egg and I'' (1947)

''Singapore'' (1947)

''On Our Merry Way'' (1948)

''The Miracle of the Bells'' (1948)

''An Innocent Affair'' (1948)

''Family Honeymoon'' (1949)

''Father was a Fullback'' (1949)

''Borderline'' (1950)

''Never a Dull Moment'' (1950)

''A Millionaire for Christy'' (1951)

''Callaway Went Thataway'' (1951)

''Fair Wind to Java'' (1953)

''The Moonlighter'' (1953)

''The Caine Mutiny'' (1954)

''Pushover'' (1954)

''Woman's World'' (1954)

''The Far Horizons'' (1955)

''The Rains of Ranchipur'' (1955)

''At Gunpoint'' (1955)

''There's Always Tomorrow'' (1956)

''Gun for a Coward'' (1957)

''Quantez'' (1957)

''Day of the Bad Man'' (1958)

''Good Day for a Hanging'' (1959)

''The Shaggy Dog'' (1959)

''Face of a Fugitive'' (1959)

''The Oregon Trail'' (1959)

''The Apartment'' (1960)

''The Absent-Minded Professor'' (1961)

''Bon Voyage!'' (1962)

''Son of Flubber'' (1963)

''Kisses for My President'' (1964)

''Follow Me, Boys!'' (1966)

''The Happiest Millionaire'' (1967)

''Charley and the Angel'' (1973)

''The Swarm'' (1978)

Short subjects

''Screen Snapshots: Art and Artists'' (1940)

''Popular Science'' (1941)

''Hedda Hopper's Hollywood No. 1'' (1941)

''Show Business at War'' (1943)

''The Last Will and Testament of Tom Smith'' (1943) (narrator)

''Screen Snapshots: Motion Picture Mothers, Inc.'' (1949)

References

External links

Fred MacMurray's Caine Mutiny Costume, Wisconsin Historical Society

Fred MacMurray at Disney Legends

MacMurray Ranch timeline (documents MacMurray's involvement with the ranch)

Fred MacMurray Greyhound commercial

Literature on Fred MacMurray

Category:1908 births Category:1991 deaths Category:American film actors Category:American television actors Category:Burials at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City Category:Deaths from leukemia Category:Deaths from pneumonia Category:20th-century actors Category:Wisconsin Republicans Category:California Republicans Category:People from Kankakee, Illinois Category:People from Dodge County, Wisconsin Category:American people of Scottish descent Category:Vaudeville performers Category:People from Beaver Dam, Wisconsin

cy:Fred MacMurray de:Fred MacMurray es:Fred MacMurray fr:Fred MacMurray id:Fred MacMurray it:Fred MacMurray ja:フレッド・マクマレイ pl:Fred MacMurray pt:Fred MacMurray ro:Fred MacMurray ru:Макмюррей, Фред sh:Fred MacMurray fi:Fred MacMurray sv:Fred MacMurray

Coordinates	28°36′36″N77°13′48″N
birth name	Everett Eugene Grunz
birth date	June 18, 1914
birth place	Owatonna, MinnesotaUnited States
death date	August 24, 1998
death place	Bedford, New YorkUnited States
occupation	Actor
years active	1945–1998
spouse	Judith Coy (?-1998) Emy de Haze Winkelman Helen Wolf (1939-1953) }}

E. G. Marshall (June 18, 1914 – August 24, 1998) was an American actor, best known for his television roles as the lawyer Lawrence Preston on ''The Defenders'' in the 1960s, and as neurosurgeon David Craig on ''The Bold Ones: The New Doctors'' in the 1970s. Among his film roles, he is perhaps best known as the unflappable Juror #4 in Sidney Lumet's courtroom drama ''12 Angry Men'' (1957).

Early life and career

Marshall was born Everett Eugene Grunz in Owatonna, Minnesota, the son of Hazel Irene (née Cobb; 1892–1975) and Charles G. Grunz (1882–1959). Marshall attended both Carleton College and the University of Minnesota. During his life, he never divulged fully what 'E.G' stood for, telling most people it stood for "Everybody's Guess".

Although most familiar from his television and movie roles, E. G. Marshall came from a distinguished Broadway background, appearing in the original New York productions of ''The Skin of Our Teeth'', ''The Iceman Cometh'', and lead roles in ''The Crucible'' and ''Waiting for Godot''. Marshall was the original host of the popular nightly radio drama ''The CBS Radio Mystery Theater''.

Personal life and death

Marshall was married three times. He had seven children in all, whose names include Sam, Jed, Sarah, Jill, and Degen. He died of lung cancer in Bedford, New York, on August 24, 1998. His grave is in the Middle Patent Rural Cemetery, located in the hamlet of Banksville, a part of the town of North Castle, New York. As a member of the Committee for National Health Insurance, he was a long-time advocate for government provided health care in the United States. During the 1968 Presidential Campaign he filmed and narrated a political ad endorsing Democratic candidate Hubert Humphrey.

Filmography

''13 Rue Madeleine'' (1947)

''Call Northside 777'' (1948)

''The Caine Mutiny'' (1954)

''Broken Lance'' (1954)

''Justice'' (NBC, 1954)

''The Left Hand of God'' (1955)

''The Bachelor Party'' (1957)

''Man on Fire'' (1957)

''12 Angry Men'' (1957)

''The Buccaneer'' (1958)

''The Journey'' (1959)

''Compulsion'' (1959)

''Cash McCall'' (1960)

''Town Without Pity'' (1961)

''The Chase'' (1966)

''The Bridge at Remagen'' (1969)

''The Learning Tree'' (1969)

''Tora! Tora! Tora!'' (1970)

''The Incredible Machine'' (1975)

''Billy Jack Goes to Washington'' (1977)

''Interiors'' (1978)

''Vampire (TV movie)'' (1979)

''Superman II'' (1980)

''Creepshow'' (1982)

''Kennedy'' (1983)

''La Gran Fiesta'' (1984)

''My Chauffeur'' (1986)

''Power'' (1986)

''National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation'' (1989)

''Two Evil Eyes'' (1990)

''Consenting Adults'' (1992)

''Chicago Hope'' (1994–1995, 8 episodes)

''The Tommyknockers'' (1993)

''Nixon'' (1995)

''Absolute Power'' (1997)

''Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut'' (2006)

References

External links

E.G. Marshall Radio History

E.G. Marshall at Internet off-Broadway Database

Category:1914 births Category:1998 deaths Category:American film actors Category:American radio actors Category:American television actors Category:Actors from Minnesota Category:Deaths from lung cancer Category:People from Steele County, Minnesota Category:Cancer deaths in New York

de:E. G. Marshall es:E. G. Marshall fr:E.G. Marshall it:E.G. Marshall ja:E・G・マーシャル pl:E.G. Marshall pt:E. G. Marshall sh:E. G. Marshall fi:E. G. Marshall sv:E.G. Marshall