Guy Madison
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| Guy Madison | |
|---|---|
| Born | Robert Ozell Moseley January 19, 1922 Pumpkin Center, California, United States |
| Died | February 6, 1996 (aged 74) Palm Springs, California, United States |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1944-1988 |
| Spouse | Gail Russell (1949-1954) (divorced) Sheila Connolly (1954-1964) (divorced) 4 children |
| Website | |
| http://www.guymadison.com/ | |
Guy Madison (January 19, 1922 – February 6, 1996) was an American film and television actor.
Contents |
[edit] Early life
Born Robert Ozell Moseley in Pumpkin Center, California, Madison attended Bakersfield College, a junior college, for two years and then worked briefly as a telephone lineman before joining the United States Coast Guard in 1942.
[edit] Career
In 1944, while visiting Hollywood on leave from the U.S. Coast Guard, Madison's boyish good looks and physique caught the eye of Henry Willson, the head of talent at David O. Selznick's newly formed Vanguard Pictures. Willson was widely known for his stable of good-looking, marginally talented actors with unusual names he bestowed upon them, and he immediately cast the rechristened Madison in a bit part in Selznick's Since You Went Away. Following the film's release in 1944, the studio received thousands of letters from fans wanting to know more about him.
Madison was signed by RKO Pictures in 1946 and began appearing in romantic comedies and dramas, but his wooden acting style hurt his chances of advancing in films. In 1951, television came to the rescue of his faltering career when he was cast in The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok, which ran for seven years. Following his television series, he appeared in several more films before leaving for Europe, where he found greater success in spaghetti westerns.
[edit] Personal life and death
Madison was married to actresses Gail Russell (1949–1954) and Sheila Connolly (1954–1964). Both marriages ended in divorce. He had three daughters, Bridget Catherine (born April 26, 1955), Erin Patricia (born July 21, 1956), and Dolly Ann (born September 10, 1957).
Madison died from emphysema at the age of 74 and was buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Cathedral City, California. For his contribution to the television industry, Guy Madison has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6331 Hollywood Boulevard.
[edit] Selected filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1944 | Since You Went Away | Sailor Harold E. Smith | |
| 1946 | Till the End of Time | Cliff W. Harper | |
| 1947 | Honeymoon | Corporal Phil Vaughn | Alternative title: Two Men and a Girl |
| 1948 | Texas, Brooklyn and Heaven | Eddie Tayloe | Alternative title: The Girl from Texas |
| 1949 | Massacre River | Lieutenant Larry Knight | |
| 1951 | Drums in the Deep South | Major Will Denning | |
| 1952 | Red Snow | Lieutenant Phil Johnson | |
| 1953 | The Charge at Feather River | Miles Archer | |
| 1954 | The Command | Captain Robert MacClaw | |
| 1955 | 5 Against the House | Al Mercer | |
| 1955 | The Last Frontier | Capt. Glenn Riordan | |
| 1956 | The Beast of Hollow Mountain | Jimmy Ryan | |
| 1956 | On the Threshold of Space | Captain Jim Hollenbeck | |
| 1957 | The Hard Man | Steve Burden | |
| 1958 | Bullwhip | Steve Daley | |
| 1959 | Jet Over the Atlantic | Brett Murphy | |
| 1960 | La Schiava di Roma | Marco Valerio | Alternative title: Slave of Rome |
| 1962 | Rosmunda e Alboino | Amalchi | Alternative title: Sword of the Conqueror |
| 1963 | Il Boia di Venezia | Rodrigo Zeno | Alternative titles: The Executioner of Venice Blood of the Executioner |
| 1964 | Old Shatterhand | Capt. Bradley | Alt. titles: Shatterhand (US 1968) Apaches' Last Battle |
| 1964 | Il Vendicatore mascherato | Massimo | Alternative title: Gentlemen of the Night |
| 1965 | Das Vermächtnis des Inka | Jaguar/Karl Hansen | Alternative titles: Legacy of the Incas Viva Gringo |
| 1967 | Bang Bang Kid | Bear Bullock | Alternative titles: The Bang-Bang Kid Bang, Bang |
| 1971 | Reverendo Colt | Reverend Miller | Alternative title: Reverend's Colt |
| 1975 | The Pacific Connection | The Old Man | Alternative titles: South Pacific Connection South Pacific Connection |
| 1976 | Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood | Star at screening | Alternative title: Won Ton Ton |
| 1978 | Where's Willie? | Tony Flore | Alternative titles: Computer Kid Computer Wizard |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1951–1958 | The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok | U.S. Marshal James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok | 112 episodes |
| 1955–1956 | The Ford Television Theatre | John Phil Quade |
2 episodes |
| 1955–1957 | Climax! | 2 episodes | |
| 1957 | Wagon Train | Riley Gratton | 1 episode |
| 1958 | General Electric Theater | Adam Tenney | 1 episode |
| 1959 | The Red Skelton Show | Prospector | 1 episode |
| 1960 | Death Valley Days | Luke Short | 1 episode |
| 1961 | Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater | Jericho | 1 episode |
| 1979 | Fantasy Island | Brick Howard | 1 episode |
| 1987–1988 | Crossbow | Gerrish | 2 episodes |
[edit] Awards
| Year | Award | Result | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | Golden Globe Award | Won | Special Award (Best Western star) |
| 1986 | Golden Boot Awards | Golden Boot |
[edit] External links
- Guy Madison Official Website (hosted by daughter Bridget Madison)
- Guy Madison at the Internet Movie Database
- Guy Madison at Brian's Drive-in Theater
- Donald Greyfield (July 19, 1998). "Guy Madison". Actor, movies, television, radio. Find a Grave. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=3223. Retrieved June 30, 2011.
