David Wayne

David Wayne
from the trailer for Adam's Rib (1949)
Born Wayne James McMeekan
(1914-01-30)January 30, 1914
Traverse City, Michigan, U.S.
Died February 9, 1995(1995-02-09) (aged 81)
Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Nationality American
Alma mater Western Michigan University
Occupation Actor, singer
Years active 1938–1994
Home town Bloomingdale, Michigan
Spouse(s) Jane Gordon (1941–1993; her death)
Children 3
Awards Theatre World Award (1947)
Tony Award (1947, 1954)

David Wayne (born Wayne James McMeekan, January 30, 1914[1] – February 9, 1995) was an American stage and screen actor with a career spanning over 50 years.

Early life and career

Wayne was born in Traverse City, Michigan, the son of Helen Matilda (née Mason) and John David McMeekan. His mother died when he was 4.[1] He grew up in Bloomingdale, Michigan.

When World War II began Wayne volunteered as an ambulance driver with the British Army in North Africa. When the United States entered the war he joined the United States Army.[note 1][2]

Wayne attended Western Michigan University for two years and then went to work as a statistician in Cleveland. He began acting with Cleveland's Shakesperean repertory theatre in 1936.[2]

Wayne's first major Broadway role was Og the leprechaun in Finian's Rainbow, for which he won the Theatre World Award[3] and the first ever Tony for Actor, Supporting or Featured (Musical).[4] While appearing in the play, he and co-star Albert Sharpe were recruited by producer David O. Selznick to play Irish characters in the film Portrait of Jennie (1948).

In 1948, Wayne was one of 50 applicants (out of approximately 700) granted membership in New York's newly formed Actors Studio.[5] He was awarded a second Tony for Best Actor (Dramatic) for The Teahouse of the August Moon and was nominated as Best Actor (Musical) for The Happy Time.[4] He originated the role of Ensign Pulver in the classic stage comedy Mister Roberts and also appeared in Say, Darling, After the Fall, and Incident at Vichy.

Later career

In films, Wayne most often was cast as a supporting player, such as the charming cad and singer/songwriter/neighbor opposite Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn in Adam's Rib (1949). He portrayed the child killer, originally played by Peter Lorre, in the remake of M (1951), a chance to see him in a rare leading role, even rarer as an evil character. He costarred in The Tender Trap (1955) with Frank Sinatra, Debbie Reynolds, and Celeste Holm.

Wayne also appeared in four films with Marilyn Monroe (more than any other actor): As Young as You Feel (1951), We're Not Married (1952), O. Henry's Full House (1952) (although he shared no scenes with Monroe), and How to Marry a Millionaire (1953).

In 1955, Wayne starred in the NBC comedy Norby.[6]:771 Wayne appeared in the late 1950s on ABC's The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom and the Twilight Zone episode "Escape Clause". He starred as Darius Woodley in two 1961 episodes of NBC's The Outlaws television series with Barton MacLane. Also in 1961, Wayne appeared in the Bell Telephone Company-produced driver safety film Anatomy Of an Accident, about a family outing tragically cut short after a car accident.

Wayne was known for his role as Dr. Charles Dutton in Michael Crichton's The Andromeda Strain (1971). He played the Mad Hatter, one of the recurring villains in the 1960s television series Batman. In 1964, he guest-starred in the series finale, "Pay Now, Die Later", of CBS's drama, Mr. Broadway, starring Craig Stevens as public relations specialist Mike Bell. In the storyline, Wayne's character, the wealthy John Zeck, hires Bell to prepare Zeck's obituary before his death.

Wayne and Jean Peters in the As Young as You Feel trailer, 1951

In the 1960s, Wayne was a radio host on NBC's magazine program Monitor.

Wayne appeared as Uncle Timothy Jamison in the NBC sitcom, The Brian Keith Show and played Charles Dutton in The Good Life.[6]:404–405 He co-starred with Jim Hutton in the 1976 television series Ellery Queen (as Inspector Richard Queen).[6]:305

In 1978, Wayne played Digger Barnes in 4 episodes of the CBS soap opera Dallas.[6] He played James Lawrence in the ABC drama Family.[6]:324

Wayne left that show to co-star in the 1979–82 television series House Calls with Lynn Redgrave and later Sharon Gless in the role of Dr. Amos Weatherby.[6]:480 Wayne's friend, Keenan Wynn, replaced Wayne in the role of Digger Barnes. Wayne made a guest appearance in a 1975 episode of Gunsmoke titled "I Have Promises to Keep". His leading role in this episode is considered one of his best performances.

Personal life

Wayne was married to Jane Gordon in 1941 and had two daughters, Susan Wayne Kearney and Melinda Wayne, and a son, Timothy. Timothy disappeared and was presumed drowned during a rafting trip in August 1970.[7] Wayne's wife, daughter of opera vocalist Jeanne Gordon, died in 1993.

Death

On February 9, 1995, Wayne died in his Santa Monica, California home from complications of lung cancer at the age of 81.[1] His remains were cremated and given to his family.

Awards

Wayne won two Tony Awards, one in 1947 for Finian's Rainbow and one in 1954 for The Teahouse of the August Moon.[1]

Filmography

Features:

Short Subjects:

  • Screen Snapshots: Hollywood Awards (1951) as Himself
  • Screen Snapshots: Hollywood Night Life (1952) as Himself
  • Anatomy of an Accident (1961) as John Avery
  • John F. Kennedy: 1917-1963 (1979) as Narrator

Television work

Stage appearances

Radio appearances

YearProgramEpisode/source
1952Stars in the AirGood Sam[8]
1953Lux Radio TheatreWait 'Till the Sun Shines, Nellie[9]

Notes

  1. ↑ Wayne's obituary in the Los Angeles Times says, "When World War II began he was rejected by the Army, but volunteered to serve as an ambulance driver in North Africa with the American Field Service."

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Lueck, Thomas J. (February 13, 1995). "David Wayne, Sprightly and Versatile Actor, Is Dead at 81". New York Times. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
  2. 1 2 Lueck, Thomas J. (February 13, 1995). "David Wayne, Sprightly and Versatile Actor, Is Dead at 81". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 30 June 2013. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  3. ↑ "Theatre World Award Recipients". Theatre World Awards. Archived from the original on 25 July 2017. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  4. 1 2 "("David Wayne" search results)". Tony Awards. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  5. ↑ Dick Kleiner: "The Actors Studio: Making Stars Out of the Unknown," The Sarasota Journal (Friday, December 21, 1956), p. 26. "That first year, they interviewed around 700 actors and picked 50. In that first group were people like Marlon Brando, Montgomery Clift, Tom Ewell, John Forsythe, Julie Harris, Kim Hunter, Karl Malden, E.G. Marshall, Margaret Phillips, Maureen Stapleton, Kim Stanley, Jo Van Fleet, Eli Wallach, Ray Walston and David Wayne."
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 229. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
  7. ↑ https://www.nytimes.com/1970/08/24/archives/david-waynes-son-missing-with-a-friend-in-canada.html
  8. ↑ Kirby, Walter (March 9, 1952). "Better Radio Programs for the Week". The Decatur Daily Review. p. 42. Retrieved May 23, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ Kirby, Walter (May 3, 1953). "Better Radio Programs for the Week". The Decatur Daily Review. p. 52. Retrieved June 26, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.