Leon Ames (actor)
| Leon Ames | |
|---|---|
 from the trailer for the film The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946) |
|
| Born | Harry Wycoff January 20, 1902 Portland, Indiana, U.S. |
| Died | October 12, 1993 (aged 91) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1931–1986 |
| Spouse | Christine Gossett (1938-1993; his death; 2 children) |
Leon Ames (January 20, 1902 – October 12, 1993) was an American film and television actor. He is best remembered for playing fatherly figures in such films as Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), as Judy Garland's father, and in Little Women (1949).
Contents |
[edit] Life and career
Leon Ames was born Harry Wycoff[1][2] on January 20, 1902 in Portland, Indiana, the son of Cora A. (née De Moss) and Charles Elmer Wycoff.[3]
He made his film debut in Quick Millions (1931). During the 1940s he was under contract to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
He appeared in a featured role in The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946) as district attorney Kyle Sackett. Leon Ames also appeared in the Doris Day-Gordon MacRae film On Moonlight Bay (1951); its sequel, By the Light of the Silvery Moon (1953); and Peyton Place (1957). He played the role of Samuel Eaton, Alfred Eaton (Paul Newman)'s father, in From the Terrace (1960). In 1970, he played Secretary of Navy Frank Knox in the action war film Tora! Tora! Tora!. His last film role was in Peggy Sue Got Married (1986), as Kathleen Turner's character's grandfather Barney Alvorg.
His television roles included leads in the adaptations of Life With Father (1953–55) and Father of the Bride (1961–62). He was Mr. Ed's neighbor, Gordon "The Colonel" Kirkwood (1963–66). He also appeared in the NBC anthology series, The Barbara Stanwyck Show.
He was one of the founders of the Screen Actors Guild in 1933.[2] He served as its president in 1957.
In 1980, after 50 years in show business, Leon Ames was presented with the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award.
[edit] Filmography
- Quick Millions (1931)
- Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932)
- That's My Boy (1932)
- Uptown New York (1932)
- Death in the Air (1936)
- International Settlement (1938)
- Island in the Sky (1938)
- Cipher Bureau (1938)
- Suez (1938)
- Mysterious Mr. Moto (1938)
- Man of Conquest (1939)
- Thunder Afloat (1939)
- East Side Kids (1940)
- Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
- Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944)
- The Thin Man Goes Home (1945)
- Son of Lassie (1945)
- Anchors Aweigh (1945)
- Week-End at the Waldorf (1945)
- Yolanda and the Thief (1945)
- They Were Expendable (1945)
- The Cockeyed Miracle (1946)
- Lady in the Lake (1947)
- Song of the Thin Man (1947)
- Alias a Gentleman (1948)
- On an Island with You (1948)
- The Velvet Touch (1948)
- A Date with Judy (1948)
- Little Women (1949)
- Any Number Can Play (1949)
- Battleground (1949)
- Ambush (1950)
- Dial 1119 (1950)
- On Moonlight Bay (1951)
- Cattle Drive (1951)
- Angel Face (1952)
- Let's Do It Again (1953)
- Peyton Place (1957)
- From the Terrace (1960)
- The Misadventures of Merlin Jones (1964)
- The Monkey's Uncle (1965)
- Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970)
- Hammersmith Is Out (1972)
- Brother of the Wind (1973)
- Just You and Me, Kid (1979)
- Testament (1983)
- Jake Speed (1986)
- Peggy Sue Got Married (1986)
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.costumedesignersguild.com/aw-archive/aw-recipient.asp?AwardID=3&awardtype=4
- ^ a b Cameron-Wilson, James; Speed, F. Maurice (1994), Film Review 1994-5, Great Britain: Virgin Books, p. 162, ISBN 0-86369-842-5
- ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=nxcNAAAAIAAJ&dq=Cora+Demoss++Charles+Wycoff&q=Wycoff
[edit] External links
- Leon Ames at the Internet Movie Database
- Leon Ames at AllRovi
- Leon Ames at the TCM Movie Database
- Leon Ames at the Internet Broadway Database
- Leon Ames at Find a Grave
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Katharine Hepburn |
Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award 1980 |
Succeeded by Danny Kaye |
|
|||||
