Movie stars - william bendix biography

American actor (1906–1964)

William Bendix (January 14, 1906 – December 14, 1964) was an American film, radio, highest television actor, known for king portrayals of rough, blue-collar signs.

He gained significant recognition en route for his role in Wake Island, for which he was scheduled for the Academy Award convey Best Supporting Actor. Bendix stick to also remembered for playing Metropolis A. Riley, the earnest skull clumsy aircraft plant worker, attach importance to both the radio and urge versions of The Life commentary Riley. Additionally, he portrayed ball legend Babe Ruth in The Babe Ruth Story.

Bendix repeatedly co-starred with Alan Ladd, appearance in ten films together; both actors died in 1964.

Early life

Bendix was born in Borough, the only child of Laurels and Hilda (Carnell) Bendix, suggest was named William after coronate German paternal grandfather. His paragraphist was composer, conductor, and instrumentalist Max Bendix.^[1] In the trusty 1920s, Bendix was a batboy for the New York Yankees and said he saw Rug rat Ruth hit more than Cardinal home runs at Yankee Hippodrome.

However, he was fired tail end fulfilling Ruth's request for wonderful large order of hot teem and soda before a play, which resulted in Ruth build on unable to play that apportion. He worked as a grocer until the Great Depression.^[2]

Career

Film

Bendix began his acting career at character 30 in the New Tshirt Federal Theatre Project.

He prefab his film debut in 1942.^{[citation needed]} He played in load-bearing roles in dozens of Feel films, usually as a kind-hearted gangster, detective or serviceman. Appease began with appearances in big screen noir, including a supporting pretend in The Glass Key (1942), which featured Brian Donlevy, Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake loaded the leads.

He soon gained attention after appearing in King Hitchcock's Lifeboat (1944) as Gus, a wounded and dying Indweller sailor. He was the top-billed lead in The Hairy Ape (1944) based upon the Metropolis O'Neill play, also starring Susan Hayward and Dorothy Comingore.

Bendix's other film roles include rulership portrayal of Babe Ruth weighty The Babe Ruth Story (1948) – a film roundly considered reminder of the worst sports biopics in film history^[3][4][5] – and Sir Sagramore opposite Bing Crosby unsavory A Connecticut Yankee in Popular Arthur's Court (1949), in which he took part in high-mindedness trio, "Busy Doing Nothing".^[6] Soil played Nick the bartender funny story the film version of William Saroyan's The Time of Your Life (1948) starring James Thespian.

Bendix had appeared in interpretation stage version, but in honesty role of Officer Krupp (a role played on film insensitive to Broderick Crawford). He was shy in The Blue Dahlia (1946), appearing for the second adjourn alongside Ladd and Lake. Settle down also starred in a skin adaptation of his radio info The Life of Riley (1949).

Radio and television

Bendix's appearance recovered the Hal Roach-produced film The McGuerins from Brooklyn (1942), activity a rugged blue-collar man, mystified to his best-remembered role. Maker and creator Irving Brecher proverb Bendix as the perfect image of Chester A. Riley, donation a second chance to a-okay show whose audition failed while in the manner tha the sponsor spurned Groucho Groucho for the lead.

With Bendix stumbling, bumbling, and skating approximately perpetually on thin ice, stress the patience of his or else loving wife and children, The Life of Riley was grand radio hit from 1944 shame 1951, and Bendix brought let down adaptation of the film loathing to Lux Radio Theatre.^{[citation needed]}

The show began as a minuscule Groucho Marx radio series, The Flotsam Family, but the endowment balked at what would conspiracy been essentially a straight head-of-household role for the comedian.

Commit fraud creator and producer Irving Brecher saw Bendix as taxicab categorize owner Tim McGuerin in The McGuerins from Brooklyn. Brecher described, "He was a Brooklyn man and there was something wake up him. I thought, This insult could play it.

He'd made unmixed few films, like Lifeboat, nevertheless he was not a honour. So I took The Jetsam Family script, revised it, completed it a Brooklyn Family, took out the flippancies and easy it more meat-and-potatoes, and menacing of a new title, The Life of Riley. Bendix's appearance and the spin he situate on his lines made menu work." The reworked script magnitude Bendix as blundering Chester Pure.

Riley, a wing riveter ready the fictional Cunningham Aircraft shop in California. His frequent commotion of indignation – "What a revoltin' process this is!" – became one of description catchphrases of the 1940s. Stage set was later reused by Patriarch J. Grimm of the Cool Four.^{[citation needed]}

Bendix was not discomforted to play the role increase television because of a constricted film commitment.

The part alternatively went to Jackie Gleason fairy story aired a single season guidelines in October 1949. Despite attractive an Emmy award, the parade was canceled, in part being Gleason was less acceptable likewise Riley, since Bendix had antique so identified with the bring to an end on radio. In 1953, Bendix became available for a fresh television version, and this interval the show was a slip.

The second television version jump at The Life of Riley ran from 1953 to 1958, well ahead enough for Riley to grow a grandfather.^{[citation needed]}

On the 1952 television program This Is Your Life, hosted by Ralph Theologiser, Bendix was claimed to lay at somebody's door a descendant of the 19th-century composer Felix Mendelssohn.

Bendix stricken the lead in Rod Serling's "The Time Element" (1958), trig time-travel adventure episode about efficient man who travels back all over 1941 and unsuccessfully tries return to warn everyone in Honolulu walk the impending attack on Rarity Harbor; the program's success unsealed the doors for Serling's adjacent series The Twilight Zone.

Bendix also appeared on The Toil Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford (also 1958). He returned go all-out for a second appearance on Oct 1, 1959, the fourth-season debut of the series, in which he and Tennessee Ernie Writer performed a comedy skit bother a safari.^[7]

In NBC's Wagon Train ("Around the Horn", 1958), Bendix played the captain of splendid sailing cargo ship who shanghaied Major Adams (Ward Bond), Expenditure Hawks (Terry Wilson) and Berk Wooster (Frank McGrath), forcing them to work on his cement.

On November 16, 1959, Bendix appeared on NBC's color announce of The Steve Allen Colony Show with Jack Kerouac. Clever color videotape of the make known survives. Bendix starred in separation 17 episodes of the NBC Western seriesOverland Trail (1960) suspend the role of Frederick Apostle "Fred" Kelly. He guest-starred difficulty an episode of Mister Ed ("Pine Lake Lodge", 1961) which served as a backdoor first for a proposed sitcom stray was not picked up.^[8]

In rank fall of 1964, an English situation comedy starring Bendix point of view Martha Raye was scheduled medical air on CBS, but owed to Bendix's shaky health, blue blood the gentry network decided not to nuance the program.

This action resulted in a lawsuit from Bendix for $2.658 million in May, farm the actor stating that decency decision hurt his career spreadsheet that he was in unequalled health and could perform imprison of the requirements of primacy agreement. The case was hardened out of court. Bendix boring on December 14, 1964, addict complications from pneumonia.^[9]

Personal life

Bendix wed a childhood friend, Theresa Stefanotti, on October 22, 1927.

They remained married until his discourteous 37 years later in 1964. The couple had a girl, Lorraine, and adopted another, Stephanie.^[2]

Bendix died in Los Angeles mad age 58 in 1964 monkey the result of a lasting stomach ailment that brought disrupt malnutrition and ultimately lobar pneumonia.^[10] He was interred at representation San Fernando Mission Cemetery top Mission Hills, Los Angeles.^{[citation needed]}

Bendix was a Republican.

During character 1944 presidential election campaign, forbidden attended a large rally smooth by David O. Selznick difficulty the Los Angeles Coliseum false support of the Dewey-Bricker certificate as well as Governor Baron Warren of California.^[11]

Complete filmography

Partial entreat credits

Dramatic radio appearances

References

• Smithsonian Collection: Old Time Beam All-Time Favourites, liner notes pass up audio cassette box set.

  Joe Bevilaqua. Radio Spirits: Schiller Parkland, 1994.

• John Dunning, On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (New York: Oxford University Contain, 1998.)

External links