Jean Peters
Jean Peters in A Blueprint for Murder (1953)
Born	Elizabeth Jean Peters (1926-10-15)October 15, 1926 Canton, Ohio, U.S.
Died	October 13, 2000(2000-10-13) (aged 73) Carlsbad, California, U.S.
Years active	1947–88
Spouse	Stuart W. Cramer III (1954-55) Howard Hughes (1957-71) Stanley Hough (1971-90) (his death)

Jean Peters (October 15, 1926 – October 13, 2000) was an American actress, known as a star of 20th Century Fox in the late 1940s and early 1950s and as the second (or possibly third) wife of Howard Hughes. Although possibly best remembered for her siren role in Pickup on South Street (1953), Peters was known for her resistance to being turned into a sex symbol, preferring to play unglamorous, down-to-earth women.^[1]

Early life[link]

Born Elizabeth Jean Peters in Canton, Ohio, she was the daughter of Elizabeth and Gerald Peters, a laundry manager. Raised on a small farm in Canton, Peters attended East Canton High School and the University of Michigan and later Ohio State University, where she studied to become a teacher and majored in literature. While studying for a teaching degree at Ohio State, she entered the Miss Ohio State Pageant in the fall of 1945. From the twelve finalists, Peters won. Sponsored by photographer Paul Robinson of the "House of Portraits", her grand prize was a screen test with 20th Century-Fox. As her agent, Robinson accompanied her to Hollywood, and helped her secure a seven-year contract with Fox. She dropped out of college to become an actress, a decision she later regretted.^[2] In the late 1940s, she returned to college, in between filming, to obtain a diploma.^[3]

It was announced that in her first film I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now (1947), she would ironically play an "ugly duckling", supported by "artificial freckles and hornrimmed glasses".^[4][5] She eventually withdrew from the film. Furthermore, she was tested in 1946 for a farm girl role in Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay! (1948), but it was eventually decided she was not suitable.^[6]

Breakthrough[link]

Following her rejection for Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay!, Peters was selected to replace Linda Darnell as the female lead in Captain from Castile (1947) opposite Tyrone Power, when Darnell was reassigned to save the production of Forever Amber. Peters, although she had not made her screen debut by this time, was highly publicized and received a star treatment while filming took place.^[7] Captain from Castile was a hit, and Leonard Maltin wrote that afterwards Peters spent the new decade playing "sexy spitfires, often in period dramas and Westerns." She was offered a similar role in the western Yellow Sky (1948), but she refused the part, explaining it was "too sexy".^[8] As a result, the studio, frustrated by her stubbornness, put her on her first suspension.^[8]

For her second film, Deep Waters (1948), which Peters filmed in late 1947, she was reunited with her director from Captain from Castile, Henry King. On this, she commented: "It's really a break for me, because he knows where he's going and what he wants, and I naturally have great confidence in him."^[2] The film was not nearly as successful as Captain from Castile, but Peters was again noticed. She was named among the best five 'finds' of the year, among Barbara Bel Geddes, Valli, Richard Widmark and Wanda Hendrix.^[9] She was next assigned to co-star next to Clifton Webb in Mr. Belvedere Goes to College (1949), but Shirley Temple later replaced her.^[10]

Instead, Peters signed on in early 1949 to play Ray Milland's love interest in It Happens Every Spring (1949). For the role, she offered to bleach her hair, but this was overruled by the studio.^[8] Although the film became a success, most of the publicity went to Milland. Afterwards, she starred alongside Paul Douglas in the period film Love That Brute (1950), for which she had to wear a dress in which she was unable to sit.^[11] The film was originally titled Turned Up Toes and Peters was cast in the film in June 1949, shortly after the release of It Happens Every Spring. To prepare for a singing and dancing scene, Peters took a few lessons with Betty Grable's dance instructor.^[12]

By 1950, Peters was almost forgotten by the public, even though she was playing several lead roles from 1947. In late 1950, she was even cast in a secondary role as a college girl in Take Care of My Little Girl (1951), a Jeanne Crain vehicle.^[13] According to a newspaper article, Peters was given the role by Jean Negulesco by impressing him with her sewing.^[14] She once became famous for being a small country girl, but as she grew up, the studio did not find her any more suitable roles.^[15]

Stardom[link]

Jean Peters in Viva Zapata! (1952)

In 1951, Peters, on her own insistence, was given the title role in Anne of the Indies, which, according to the press, was the film that finally brought her stardom.^[16] Before its release, she was cast in Viva Zapata! (1952) opposite Marlon Brando in a role which once belonged to Julie Harris, and she was set to play the title role in the drama film Wait Till the Sun Shines, Nellie (1952). It was the first time since the beginning of her career that Peters had received this much publicity.^[17] While shooting Wait Till the Sun Shines, Nellie (1952) in late 1951, on location in Hutchinson, Kansas, Peters was honored the title 'Miss Wheatheart of America'.^[18]

Director Samuel Fuller chose Peters over Marilyn Monroe for the part of Candy in 1953's Pickup on South Street. He thought Peters had the right blend of sex appeal and the tough-talking, streetwise quality he was seeking, and that Monroe was too innocent looking for the role. Peters was offered the role in 1952, after Shelley Winters had already dropped out, and Betty Grable had turned it down. Because of the sex symbol status of her character, Peters was not thrilled at taking on this role.^[19] She preferred to choose her own roles, as she had done with Anne of the Indies (1951), Viva Zapata! (1952) and Lure of the Wilderness (1952), which were all unglamorous roles.^[20]

For Pickup on South Street, Peters was advised to bleach her hair for the role, but she refused, trying to avoid comparison with Winters and Grable.^[21] However, she did agree to adopt a "sexy shuffle" to do the role.^[21] To further understand the role of a siren, she was helped by Marilyn Monroe.^[15] Peters eventually admitted that she liked making the film, in which she plays a siren, but announced in an interview she was not willing to take on other siren roles. She was quoted saying: "[Pickup on South Street] was fine for my career. But that doesn't mean I'm going to put on a tight sweater and skirt and slither around. I'm just not the type. On Marilyn Monroe it looks good. On me it would look silly."^[22] In another interview, Peters explained that playing down-to-earth and sometimes unwashed women have the most to offer in the way of drama.^[20] She said:

Peters mending Joseph Cotten's hand in Niagara (1953)

Peters in the trailer for the film Broken Lance (1954)

Peters and Marilyn Monroe starred together in another 1953 film noir, Niagara. It was not their first collaboration. In 1951, they both had secondary roles in As Young as You Feel. In Niagara, Peters replaced Anne Baxter, with whom she co-starred in the anthology film O. Henry's Full House (1952). Shooting of Niagara took place in the summer of 1952.^[23] Peters' character was initially the leading role, but the film eventually became a vehicle for Monroe, who was by the time more successful.^[24] Her third film in 1953, A Blueprint for Murder, reunited her with Joseph Cotten, with whom she previously starred in Niagara. She was assigned to the film in December 1952 and told the press she liked playing in the film, because it allowed her to sing.^[25][26] Shortly after its premiere in July 1953, Peters' contract was renewed for another two years.^[27]

Another 1953 film starring Peters was the film noir Vicki. The story of the film, which is a remake of I Wake Up Screaming, was bought by writer Leo Townsend especially for Peters.^[28] Townsend told that he gave the role to Peters in December 1952, because she was "one of the greatest sirens he's ever seen."^[28] Next, Peters was assigned to replace Crain in the film Three Coins in the Fountain (1954), which was shot on location in late 1953 in Italy.^[8] Peters was unsatisfied with her role and said in a September 1953 interview: "When I heard Dorothy McGuire, Clifton Webb and Maggie McNamara were going to be in the picture, I thought I would finally have the kind of role that suited me. They sounded like smart, sophisticated company. But when I got to Italy and read the script, I discovered I was going to be an earthy kind of girl again. The script had me nearly being killed in a runaway truck."^[1]

Nevertheless, the film became a success and brought Peters again in the limelight.^[29] Other 1954 films co-starring Peters were the westerns Apache and Broken Lance. Although Broken Lance did not deliver her much attention, she was critically acclaimed for her performance in Apache, with one critic praising her for "giving an excellent account for herself", feeling she was "on her way to becoming one of the finest young actresses around Hollywood today."^[29]

Following her marriage to Howard Hughes, Peters retired from acting, her final film being A Man Called Peter (1955). After the release of A Man Called Peter, she refused several roles, for which she was put on suspension.^[8] Deciding she had had enough, she left Fox to focus on her private life.^[8] Producer Jerry Wald tried to persuade her not to leave Hollywood in early 1957, but had no luck.^[30] She was supposedly discouraged to be an actress by Hughes, and instead reported in late 1957 that she was planning on becoming a producer.^[31] In March 1959, it was announced that Peters was set to return to the screen for a supporting role in The Best of Everything.^[32] She never produced a film, nor did she appear in The Best of Everything.

Later career[link]

In 1970, there was again talks of a comeback, when it was reported that Peters was considering three film offers and a weekly TV series for the 1970-1971 season.^[33] Instead, she made her comeback in the television movie Winesburg, Ohio (1973). She was not positive about the film, saying: "I am not pleased with the show or my performance in it. I found it rather dull."^[34] The verdict was surprising, because when she took the role, she was enthusiastic on the project, saying: "I'm very fond of this script. It's the right age for me. I won't have to pretend I'm a glamour girl."^[35] Furthermore, her co-star William Windom was openly positive on his collaboration with Peters, saying she was "warm, friendly and charming on the set."^[35]

In 1976, Peters had a supporting role in the TV miniseries The Moneychangers. When asked why she took the role, she responded: "I'll be darned if I know. A moment of madness, I think. I ran into my old friend Ross Hunter, who was producing The Moneychangers for NBC-TV, and he asked me if I wanted to be in it. It seemed like fun. It's a nice part - not too big - and I greatly admire Christopher Plummer, whom I play opposite."^[36]

Afterwards, Peters appeared in the 1981 television film Peter and Paul, produced by her husband, and guest starred in Murder, She Wrote in 1988, which was her final acting performance.

Personal life and death[link]

After landing a contract in Hollywood, Peters moved there, where she initially lived with her aunt, Melba Diesel.^[2] From the beginning of her career, Peters openly admitted she did not like the fame, explaining her sheltered life had made her develop antipathy to crowds.^[2] Co-actors at Fox recalled that she was very serious about her career. Jeanne Crain said Peters was "anything but a party girl".^[37] Despite her clashes with the studio, Peters was well liked by other contract players.^[8] One biographer recalled: "In all the research and planning that went into this book, no one ever had an unkind word to say of Miss Peters, and that is unusual."^[8] Peters was close friends with Marilyn Monroe, who also worked for Fox.^[21] Other actors she befriended during her career were Joseph Cotten, David Niven, Ray Milland, Marie McDonald, and especially Jeanne Crain.^[8]

Actor and soldier Audie Murphy claimed that he had a relationship with Peters in 1946, before she met Howard Hughes.^[38] In 1954, Peters married Texas oilman Stuart Cramer. By the time they married, they had known each other for only a few weeks, and they separated a few months later.^[33] There was much talk of Peters possibly retiring from the screen, but the actress insisted that after her eight-week leave from Fox, she was to return to Hollywood.^[39]

In 1957, after her divorce from Cramer, Peters married Howard Hughes, shortly before he faded from public view and became an eccentric recluse.^{[citation needed]} The couple met in the 1940s, before Peters became a film actress.^[40] They had a highly publicized romance in 1947 and even then there was talk of marriage, but she said she could not combine it with her career.^[2] It was later claimed that Peters was "the only woman [Hughes] ever loved",^[41] and he reportedly had his security officers follow her everywhere even when they were not in a relationship. This was confirmed by actor Max Showalter, who became a close friend of Peters during shooting of Niagara (1953).^[42] Showalter told in a 2004 interview that because he frequently met with Peters, Hughes' men threatened to ruin his career if he did not leave her alone.^[42]

Peters retired from acting during the marriage between 1957 and 1971, and did not attend any social events in Hollywood. According to a 1969 article, she went through life unrecognizable, despite being protected by Hughes' security officers all day.^[43] Living in anonymity was easy, according to the actress, because she "didn't act like an actress."^[44] It was later reported that during the marriage, Peters was frequently involved in numerous activities, such as charitable work, arts and crafts, and university studies including psychology and anthropology at UCLA.^[44]

In 1971, Peters and Hughes divorced. She agreed to a lifetime alimony payment of $70,000 annually, adjusted for inflation, and she waived all claims to Hughes' estate. In the media, she refused to speak about the marriage, claiming she rather focused on the present and future.^[44] She furthermore admitted that she hoped avoiding being known as 'Mrs. Howard Hughes' for the rest of her life, although realizing it would be otherwise: "I'm a realist. I know what the score is, and I know who the superstar is."^[44] Later in 1971, Peters married Stan Hough, an executive with 20th Century Fox. She was his wife until Hough's death in 1990.

Peters died of leukemia in 2000 in Carlsbad, California, two days before her 74th birthday.

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jean Peters

• Jean Peters at the Internet Movie Database
• Jean Peters: Biography of a forgotten leading lady at Jackal’s film corner, October 16, 2007
• Jean Peters biography at Guardian Unlimited Film
• Reviews of Jean Peters movies at Channel 4 Film
• Jean Peters at Allmovie
• Jean Peters at Find a Grave

Jeffrey Hunter
Jeffrey Hunter
Born	Henry Herman McKinnies Jr. (1926-11-25)November 25, 1926 New Orleans Louisiana, United States
Died	May 27, 1969(1969-05-27) (aged 42) Los Angeles California, United States
Cause of death	cerebral hemorrhage
Resting place	Glen Haven Memorial Park in Sylmar, California
Alma mater	Whitefish Bay High School Northwestern University University of California, Los Angeles
Occupation	Actor
Spouse	Emily McLaughlin (1969) (until his death) Joan Bartlett (1957–67; 3 children) Barbara Rush (1950–55; 1 child)

Jeffrey Hunter (born Henry Herman “Hank” McKinnies, November 25, 1926 – May 27, 1969) was an American film and television actor. His most famous roles are as John Wayne's character's sidekick in The Searchers, as Jesus Christ in the biblical film King of Kings, and as Capt. Christopher Pike in the original pilot episode of Star Trek.

Early life[link]

Hunter was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and after 1930 reared in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he graduated from Whitefish Bay High School. He began acting in local theater and radio in his early teens. He served stateside in the United States Navy, in World War II, then from 1946 to 1949 studied theatre at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois alongside Charlton Heston.

Acting career[link]

Jeffrey Hunter as Martin Pawley in The Searchers.

In 1950, while a graduate student in radio at the University of California, Los Angeles and appearing in a college play, he was spotted by talent scouts and offered a two-year motion picture contract by 20th Century-Fox that was eventually extended to 1959. He made his Hollywood debut in Fourteen Hours, had star billing by Red Skies of Montana (1952), and first billing in Sailor of the King (1953).^[1]

A loan-out to co-star with John Wayne in the title roles of the now-classic western The Searchers began the first of three pictures he made with director John Ford; the other two being The Last Hurrah (1958) starring Spencer Tracy and Sergeant Rutledge (1960). The same year as The Searchers, Hunter also co-starred with top-billed Fess Parker in Walt Disney's The Great Locomotive Chase, based on an actual 1862 historical event during the American Civil War. Ironically, according to Parker's Archive of American Television interview, Ford had originally wanted to cast Parker in Hunter's role in The Searchers but Disney refused to loan him out and Parker didn't hear about until years later; Parker referred to his loss of that part to Jeffrey Hunter as his single biggest career setback.^[2]

Ford also recommended Hunter to director Nicholas Ray for the role of Jesus Christ in the biblical film King of Kings (1961), a difficult part met by critical reaction that ranged from praise to ridicule (Hunter's youthful matinee idol looks resulted in the film being derided as "I Was a Teenage Jesus" despite his being 34 years old during shooting). Among an all-star cast in the World War II battle epic The Longest Day, he provided a climactic heroic act of leading an ultimately successful attempt to breach the defense wall atop Omaha Beach in Normandy but dying in the process.

Having guest-starred on television dramas since the mid-1950s, Hunter was now offered a two-year contract by Warner Brothers that included starring as circuit-riding Texas lawyer Temple Lea Houston, the youngest son of Sam Houston, in the NBC series Temple Houston (1963–64), which Hunter's production company co-produced. Jack Elam was his co-star.

Jeffrey Hunter as Jesus in King of Kings.

Although Temple Houston did not survive its first season, Hunter accepted the lead role of Captain Christopher Pike in "The Cage," the first pilot episode of Star Trek. Hunter declined to film a second Star Trek pilot requested by NBC in 1965, and decided to concentrate on motion pictures such as Brainstorm.^[3][4][5] The footage from the original pilot was subsequently adapted into the later series in a two-part episode entitled "The Menagerie," despite continuity differences in the way Leonard Nimoy portrayed Mr. Spock due to alterations in the character's appearance and personality between filming the first pilot and the eventual series. Later that year, Hunter filmed the pilot for another NBC series, the espionage thriller Journey Into Fear, which the network did not pick up.^[6]

With the demise of the studio contract system in the early 1960s and the outsourcing of much feature production, Hunter, like many other leading men of the 1950s, had to find work in B movies produced in Europe, Hong Kong, and Mexico, with the occasional television guest part in Hollywood.

Personal life[link]

Hunter's first marriage from 1950 to 1955 to actress Barbara Rush produced a son, Christopher (born 1952). From 1957 to 1967, Hunter was married to model Dusty Bartlett. He adopted her son, Steele, and the couple had two other children, Todd and Scott. In February 1969, he married actress Emily McLaughlin.

Death[link]

Hunter suffered a stroke while flying back to the U.S. from Spain after filming Viva America! While recovering at his home, Hunter suffered another stroke, causing him to fall down a flight of stairs and sustain a skull fracture. He died from a cerebral hemorrhage on May 27, 1969 at the age of only 42.

Hunter was interred at Glen Haven Memorial Park, in Sylmar, California.^[7]

Selective filmography[link]

• Julius Caesar (1950)
• Fourteen Hours (1951)
• Call Me Mister (1951)
• Take Care of My Little Girl (1951)
• The Frogmen (1951)
• Red Skies of Montana (1952)
• Lure of the Wilderness (1952)
• Belles on Their Toes (1952)
• Sailor of the King (1953)
• Three Young Texans (1954)
• Princess of the Nile (1954)
• White Feather (1955)
• Seven Angry Men (1955)
• Seven Cities of Gold (1955)
• The Searchers (1956)
• A Kiss Before Dying (1956)
• The Great Locomotive Chase (1956)
• The Proud Ones (1956)
• Gun for a Coward (1957)
• The Way to the Gold (1957)
• No Down Payment (1957)
• The True Story of Jesse James (1957)
• In Love and War (1958)
• The Last Hurrah (1958)
• Count Five and Die (1958)
• Key Witness (1960)
• Sergeant Rutledge (1960)
• Hell to Eternity (1960)
• King of Kings (1961)
• No Man Is an Island (1962)
• The Longest Day (1962)
• Brainstorm (1965)
• Star Trek: The Original Series Episodes: The Cage (first pilot episode, 1965), The Menagerie (1966)
• The Green Hornet (1967)
• Custer of the West (1967)
• The Christmas Kid (1967)
• The Private Navy of Sgt. O'Farrell (1968)
• Find a Place to Die (1968)
• Super Colt 38 (1969)
• Viva America! (1969)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Jeffrey Hunter at the Internet Movie Database
• Jeffrey Hunter at the Internet Broadway Database
• Jeffrey Hunter at Memory Alpha (a Star Trek wiki)
• A Tribute to Jeffrey Hunter
• White Feather Page

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2012)

Walter Brennan
Brennan in Meet John Doe (1941)
Born	Walter Andrew Brennan (1894-07-25)July 25, 1894 Lynn, Massachusetts, US
Died	September 21, 1974(1974-09-21) (aged 80) Oxnard, California, US
Cause of death	Emphysema
Resting place	San Fernando Mission Cemetery
Nationality	American
Alma mater	Rindge Technical High School
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1925–1974
Spouse	Ruth Wells (m. 1920–1974; his death)
Children	Andrew Brennan, Ruth Brennan, Arthur Brennan
Awards	3 Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor

Walter Brennan (July 25, 1894 – September 21, 1974) was an American actor.^[1] Brennan won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor on three separate occasions, which is currently the record for most Oscar wins by a male actor, tied with Jack Nicholson.

Early life[link]

Born in Lynn, Massachusetts, less than two miles from his family's home in Swampscott,^[2] Walter Andrew Brennan was the second of three children born to Irish immigrants William John Brennan and Margaret Elizabeth Flanagan. The elder Brennan was an engineer and inventor, and young Walter studied engineering at Rindge Technical High School in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

While in school, Brennan became interested in acting, and began to perform in vaudeville. While working as a bank clerk, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and served as a private with the 101st Field Artillery Regiment in France during World War I.^[2][3] Following the war, he moved to Guatemala and raised pineapples, before settling in Los Angeles. During the 1920s, he became involved in the real estate market, where he made a fortune. Unfortunately, he lost most of his money when the market took a sudden downturn due to the Great Depression.^{[citation needed]}

Career[link]

Finding himself broke, he began taking extra parts in 1929 and then bit parts in as many films as he could, including The Invisible Man (1933), the Three Stooges short Woman Haters (1934), and Bride of Frankenstein (1935), and also worked as a stunt man. In the 1930s, he began appearing in higher-quality films and received more substantial roles as his talent was recognized. This culminated with his receiving the very first Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Swan Bostrom in the period film Come and Get It (1936). Two years later he portrayed town drunk and accused murderer Muff Potter in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

Throughout his career, Brennan was frequently called upon to play characters considerably older than he was in real life. The loss of many teeth in a 1932 accident, rapidly thinning hair, thin build, and gravelly voice all made him seem older than he really was. He used these physical features to great effect. In many of his film roles, Brennan wore dentures; in Northwest Passage—a film set in the late 18th century, when most people had bad teeth—he wore a special dental prosthesis which made him appear to have rotting and broken teeth.

Director Jean Renoir gave the character actor a leading role in 1941: Brennan played the top-billed lead in Swamp Water, a drama directed by Renoir and featuring Walter Huston.

Brennan in Affairs of Cappy Ricks

In the 1941 Sergeant York, he played a sympathetic preacher and dry goods store owner who advised the title character played by Gary Cooper. He was particularly skilled in playing the hero's sidekick or as the "grumpy old man" as in To Have or Have Not, mostly a Humphrey Bogart/Lauren Bacall performance, but with several scenes with Brennan. Though he was hardly ever cast as the villain, notable exceptions were his roles as 'Old Man Clanton' in the 1946 film My Darling Clementine opposite Henry Fonda, the 1962 Cinerama production How the West Was Won as the murderous Colonel Jeb Hawkins, and as Judge Roy Bean in The Westerner, for which he won his third best supporting actor Academy Award, in 1940.

From 1957-1963, he starred in the ABC television series The Real McCoys. The comedy about a poor West Virginia family that relocated to a farm in southern California ran on ABC from 1957 to 1962 before switching to CBS for a final season as simply The McCoys. Brennan joined with the series creator, Irving Pincus, to form Brennan-Westgate-Marterto Productions.

Brennan appeared in several other movies and television programs, usually, as an eccentric "old timer" or "prospector". Prior to the launching of The Real McCoys, Brennan appeared as himself as a musical judge in the 1953-1954 ABC series Jukebox Jury. On May 30, 1957, he guest starred on NBC's The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford.^[4] He also made a few recordings, the most popular being "Old Rivers" about an eccentric but much-beloved farmer; it was released as a single in 1962 by Liberty Records with "The Epic Ride Of John H. Glenn" on the flip side, and peaked at number 5 in the U.S. Billboard charts. In his music, Brennan sometimes worked with Allen "Puddler" Harris, a Louisiana native who was a member of the original Ricky Nelson Band. He also co-starred with James Garner in the 1969 Support Your Local Sheriff!, playing the head of the Danby Family.

Brennan in the trailer of Rio Bravo

Brennan starred as wealthy executive Walter Andrews in the short-lived 1964-1965 series The Tycoon, with Van Williams. In 1967, he starred in another series, The Guns of Will Sonnett, in which he played a man in search of his gunfighter son, James, with his grandson, Jeff, played by Dack Rambo. After the series went off the air in 1969, Brennan continued working in both television and feature films. He received top billing over Pat O'Brien in the TV-movie The Over-the-Hill Gang in 1969 and Fred Astaire in The Over-the-Hill Gang Rides Again the following year. From 1970 to 1971, he was a regular on the show To Rome With Love, which was his last TV show as a member of the permanent cast.

Legacy[link]

Film historians and critics have long regarded Brennan as one of the finest character actors in motion picture history. While the roles he was adept at playing were extremely diverse, he is probably best remembered for his portrayals in movie Westerns, such as trail hand Nadine Groot in Red River and Deputy Stumpy in Rio Bravo both directed by Howard Hawks. He was the first actor to win three Academy Awards. He remains the only person to have won three Best Supporting Actor awards. However, even he remained somewhat embarrassed as to how he won the awards. In the early years of the Academy Awards, extras were given the right to vote. Brennan was extremely popular with the Union of Film Extras and since their numbers were overwhelming, each time he was nominated, he won. Though never described as undeserving of the awards he won, his third win was one of the catalysts leading to the disenfranchisement of the Extras Union from Oscar voting.

Unlike many actors, Brennan's career never really went into decline. As the years went on, he was able to find work in dozens of high quality films, and later television appearances throughout the 1950s and 60s. As he grew older, he simply became a more familiar, almost comforting film figure whose performances continued to endear him to new generations of fans. In all, he would appear in more than 230 film and television roles in a career spanning nearly five decades.

For his contribution to the television industry, Walter Brennan has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6501 Hollywood Blvd. In 1970, he was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, where his photograph adorns a wall.

Private life[link]

Brennan was politically conservative. In 1963 and 1964, Brennan joined fellow actors William Lundigan, Chill Wills, and Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., in making appearances on behalf of U.S. Senator Barry M. Goldwater, the Republican nominee in the campaign against U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson.^[5] Brennan thereafter supported American Independent Party candidate (and former governor of Alabama) George C. Wallace, Jr., over GOP nominee and former Vice President Richard M. Nixon in the 1968 presidential campaign because he felt Nixon was too liberal. He also supported Ronald W. Reagan for governor of California in 1966.

In one of his films, The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band (1968), Brennan portrayed a Democratic supporter of U.S. President Grover Cleveland. Buddy Ebsen, who played Brennan's son in the film, was depicted as a supporter of Cleveland's 1888 rival, Benjamin Harrison. In the comedy film, Brennan disparaged Ebsen's character as "never too bright for he was a gol-dern Republican". Both Brennan and Ebsen were outspoken Hollywood Republicans.

Death[link]

Upon his death from emphysema at the age of eighty in Oxnard in Ventura County, Brennan's remains were interred at San Fernando Mission Cemetery in Los Angeles. Brennan was married to the former Ruth Wells (December 8, 1897 – January 12, 1997),^[6] whom he married in 1920. The Brennans had a daughter and two sons.

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

Singles[link]

Academy Awards[link]

Partial filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Biography portal

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Walter Brennan

• Walter Brennan at the Internet Movie Database
• Walter Brennan at the TCM Movie Database
• Walter Brennan at AllRovi
• Walter Brennan at Find a Grave
• The Golden Years

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2010)

Andy Gibb (5 March 1958 – 10 March 1988) was an English singer and teen idol, and the younger brother of Bee Gees Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb.

The early years[link]

Andrew Roy Gibb was born in Manchester, England, to Barbara (née Pass) and Hugh Gibb (d. 1992). At the age of six months, Gibb emigrated with his family to Queensland, Australia, settling on Cribb Island just north of Brisbane. He was the youngest of five children and had one older sister, Lesley (b. 1945), and three older brothers, Barry (b. 1946) and fraternal twins Robin (1949-2012) and Maurice (1949-2003). After moving several times around Brisbane and Sydney, Gibb returned to the United Kingdom in January 1967 as his three older brothers began to gain international fame as the Bee Gees.

As a young teenager, Andy began playing at tourist clubs around Spain's coastal Island of Ibiza, and later on the Isle of Man, the birth place of his older brothers, where his parents were living at the time. Andy formed his first group, Melody Fayre (named after a Bee Gees song) which included local island musicians John Alderson (guitar) and John Stringer (drums). The group was managed by Gibb's mother Barbara. The group had regular bookings on the small island's hotel circuit. His first recording (in early 1974) was a Maurice Gibb composition called "My Father Was a Reb" on which Maurice also produced and played. It was not released.

At the urging of his brother Barry, Andy returned to Australia in 1974. Barry's prompting was based on his belief that Australia had been a good training ground for the Bee Gees and would also help his youngest brother. The Gibb brothers' eldest sister Lesley had remained in Australia and had raised a family there with her husband. Both Alderson and Stringer followed Gibb to Australia with hope of forming a band in Australia. With Col Joye producing, Gibb, Alderson and Stringer recorded a number of Andy Gibb's own compositions. What may have separated "the training ground" aspect of Australia for Andy Gibb compared to his brothers was that Gibb was relatively financially independent, mainly because of his brothers' support and largesse, hence the group's sporadic work rate. Andy Gibb would disappear for periods of time, leaving Alderson and Stringer not working and consequently out of money. Despondent, Alderson and Stringer returned to the UK.

Andy Gibb's first single was the ballad "Words and Music" on the ATA label, owned by Joye. The single, backed by another Andy Gibb composition "Westfield Mansions", would eventually reach Top Twenty on the Sydney music charts in 1976. Then Gibb joined the band Zenta (including renowned drummer Trevor Norton) and supported international artists Sweet and the Bay City Rollers on the Sydney leg of their Australian tours. The planned follow-up single "Can't Stop Dancing" (a Ray Stevens song, later a US hit for The Captain and Tennille in May 1977) was not released, although Andy did perform it on television at least once on the revitalised Bandstand show hosted by Daryl Somers.

Robert Stigwood who, at the time, was also the Bee Gees' manager, signed Gibb to his label, RSO Records in early 1976, after he had heard some of Andy's demo tapes. Andy soon moved to Miami Beach, Florida, to begin working on songs with his brother Barry and co-producers Albhy Galuten and Karl Richardson.

Before leaving Australia, Gibb had married his girlfriend, Kim Reeder. They had one child, a daughter named Peta Jaye who was born 25 January 1978. The couple were already separated when Reeder found out she was pregnant and they would divorce later that year.

Number one hits[link]

In late 1976 in Miami, Andy Gibb, with older brother Barry producing and recording in the famed Criteria Studios, set about making his first album. The first release from the sibling combination, and Andy’s first single released outside Australia, was "I Just Want to Be Your Everything" which was written by Barry, who also provided backup vocals. That single reached number one in the United States and Australia and ended up being the most played record of the year. In Britain it was a lesser hit, just scraping into the Top 40. Of the ten tracks on the album, the other eight were Andy Gibb compositions, mostly songs written during his time in Australia. Amongst the eight songs was a re-recording of "Words and Music".

In September 1977, his album Flowing Rivers, with another number one single "(Love Is) Thicker Than Water" (co-written by Andy and Barry Gibb) to support it, quickly became a million selling album. That single broke in early 1978 during the time that the Bee Gees' contributions to the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack were dominating the world charts. In the US it replaced "Stayin' Alive" at the top of the charts, and then was surpassed by "Night Fever" when it reached number one in mid-March.

Andy then began work with the Gibb-Galuten-Richardson production team on his second album Shadow Dancing, which was released in April 1978. The title track, written by all four Gibb brothers, was released as a single in the US in April 1978, and in mid-June began a seven week run at number one, achieving platinum status. In the United States, Gibb became the first male solo artist to chart three consecutive number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100. Two further Top Ten singles, "An Everlasting Love" (which reached number five) and "(Our Love) Don't Throw It All Away" (which reached number nine), were released from the album, which became another million seller.

In 1979, Andy performed along with Bee Gees, ABBA, and Olivia Newton-John (duet with "Rest Your Love On Me"), at the Music for UNICEF Concert at the United Nations General Assembly which was broadcast worldwide.

He returned to the studio to begin recording sessions for his final full studio album, After Dark. In March 1980, the last of Gibb's Top Ten singles charted just ahead of the album's release. "Desire" (written by all four Gibb brothers), was recorded for Bee Gees' 1979 album Spirits Having Flown, and featured their original track complete with Andy's original "guest vocal" track. A second single, "I Can't Help It", a duet with family friend and fellow British and Australian expat Olivia Newton-John, reached the top 20.

Later in the year, Andy Gibb's Greatest Hits was released as a finale to his contract with RSO Records, with two new songs: "Time Is Time" (number 15 in January 1981) and "Me (Without You)" (Gibb's last top 40 chart entry) shipped as singles. "After Dark" and "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" were non-single songs added to the album, the latter of which was a duet with PP Arnold, who had previously worked with Barry Gibb, including singing uncredited backups on "Bury Me Down by the River" from Cucumber Castle.

Career decline[link]

During his relationship with actress Victoria Principal, Gibb worked on several projects outside the recording studio including performances in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat on Broadway and Gilbert & Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance in Los Angeles, California. He also co-hosted the television music show, Solid Gold, from 1980 to 1982. Gibb was ultimately fired from both Dreamcoat and Solid Gold because of absenteeism caused by cocaine binges.^[1][2]

Broadway producer Zev Bufman who financed Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat said this of Gibb, "When Andy was at the theater, he was a joy. But he wasn't there enough", adding that of the five people to play Joseph up to that point, Gibb was the best actor.^[1] He also said after Gibb's death, "We'd lose him over long weekends. He'd come back on Tuesday, and he'd look beat. He was like a little puppy – so ashamed when he did something wrong. He was all heart, but he didn't have enough muscle to carry through."^[2] An unnamed co-star in Dreamcoat was quoted as saying, "I hear he spent most of his time in his hotel room in front of the TV. I guess he was frightened and insecure. That's what happens when you're the baby brother of the Bee Gees."^[1] Commenting after Gibb's death, Solid Gold producer Brad Lachman stated, "...[Andy] was a very charming, vulnerable and charismatic performer. He clearly meant well. He wasn't being difficult. He was going through [drug] problems he couldn't deal with. He wanted everyone to love him. He had so much going for him, and he just couldn't believe it."^[2]

His romance with Principal also ended shortly thereafter when she gave him an ultimatum to choose between her or drugs, but not before they recorded and released a duet of the Everly Brothers' "All I Have to Do Is Dream" in the summer of 1981. He reportedly heard her singing in the shower and convinced her to go into the studio with him.^[3] This would be Gibb's last official single, and his last US chart entry, peaking at number 51.

His family convinced him to seek treatment for his drug addiction which included a stay at the Betty Ford Clinic in the mid-1980s. It was during this time that Gibb began touring small venues with a stage show featuring his hits as well as covers. He also appeared in guest-starring roles on several television sitcoms including Gimme a Break! and Punky Brewster. Following an expansive tour of East Asia, he regularly performed shows in Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe. In 1984, he was the headline performer at the Viña del Mar Festival in Chile, performing two nights in a row. He also held a two-week engagement at San Francisco's historic Fairmont Hotel in March 1986.

Andy returned to work alongside his brothers Barry and Maurice. Their demo recordings with engineer, Scott Glasel, was heard by Clive Banks from the UK branch of Island Records. Gibb never formally signed a contract but the record label planned to release a single in Europe that Spring, followed by another single that summer with the album to follow.^[4]

One of the demo tracks, "Man on Fire", was released posthumously in 1991 on a Polydor Records anthology. Another track, "Arrow Through the Heart", was the final song Andy would ever record and was featured on an episode of VH1's series, Behind the Music, and released on Bee Gees Mythology 4-disc box set in November 2010.

Death[link]

In early February 1988, Robin Gibb in an interview said Andy was healthy and ready to begin recording again. ^[5] Three weeks before Andy died, Robin said "he just went downhill so fast", saying "he was in a terrible state of depression". He got over the drugs but the depression remained. ^[5] On 5 March 1988, Andy Gibb celebrated his 30th birthday in London, England, while working on the new album. Soon after, he entered John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford complaining of chest pains and died five days later on 10 March 1988, as a result of myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle caused by a recent viral infection which was exacerbated by his years of cocaine abuse.^[6] Robin Gibb said "he was also not eating properly and the lack of nutrition also damaged his heart." Robin said the paranoia associated with cocaine abuse "shattered his confidence and he became scared of people." ^[5]

The Gibb family would also maintain it was not an overdose which killed Andy - as some papers have suggested - but natural causes after years of drug and alcohol abuse.^[5]

Gibb's body was returned to the United States where he was interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) in Los Angeles.

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

Compilations[link]

Singles[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Biography portal

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Andy Gibb

• Andy Gibb at Allmusic
• The Brothers Gibb
• Andy Gibb at the Internet Movie Database
• Andy Gibb at the Internet Broadway Database
• Andy Gibb at Find a Grave

Constance Smith (22 January 1928 – 30 June 2003) was an Irish film actress, known as a contract player of 20th Century Fox in the 1950s.

Biography[link]

Smith was born into a poor family as the first of eleven children.^[1] Her father was a foot soldier, working for the Irish Army, and he died when Constance was eleven years old.^[1] Her mother was not able to support all her children and Constance was sent to a convent.^[1] When Smith won a Dublin beauty contest at age 16, her mother sent the photo to a film studio.^[1] As a result, Smith won a screen test, and although reluctant to seize the opportunity, she was pushed into the film industry by her mother, according to the actress.^[1]