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Nicholas Hammond

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For other people named Nicholas Hammond, see Nicholas Hammond (disambiguation).
Nicholas Hammond
Hammond as Peter Parker, 1977
Born (1950-05-15) May 15, 1950 (age 74)
Washington, D.C., US
Years active1962–2012
Spouse
Laura Soli
​
(m. 1980⁠–⁠1984)​
PartnerRobyn Nevin

Nicholas Hammond (born May 15, 1950)[1] is an American actor and writer who is perhaps best known for his roles as Friedrich von Trapp in the film The Sound of Music, and as Peter Parker/Spider-Man on the CBS television series The Amazing Spider-Man.

Early life

Hammond was born in Washington, D.C.,[1] the son of Col. Thomas West Hammond, Jr.[2] by his wife Eileen Hammond, née Bennett. While Hammond's father was a US citizen and an officer in the US Army, his mother was an Englishwoman who had played a role in a theatre play, namely Much Too Shy, in 1942. Hammond has one elder brother, David (b. 1946). Hammond's parents had met and married in London during the War, when his father had been posted there. After the war, the couple had moved to the US permanently, and since the Colonel had a transferrable army job, the family moved numerous times to various army stations across the country during Hammond's childhood. The Colonel, who Hammond adored, died in 1970.

Career

Hammond was less than 10 years old when he made his acting debut in in the Broadway play The Complaisant Lover in 1961. At the same time, he began to shoot for the 1963 film Lord of the Flies, which marked his film debut. After this, Hammond made what was to be his most visible screen role for many years, as Friedrich von Trapp (the elder of the two boys) in the 1965 hit The Sound of Music.

Hammond's next acting role came in 1970, when he appeared in his second Broadway play, Conduct Unbecoming. This was his first role as an adult. In 1972, Hammond appeared as Peter Linder in Skyjacked. In 1973, he made a guest appearance on The Brady Bunch, in the fourth-season episode #090 "The Subject Was Noses", as the high school hunk Doug Simpson who loses interest in Marcia after her tragic football accident. That year he also appeared in an episode of The Waltons, called "The Townie" as Theodore Claypool, Jr. After making the transition from juvenile to young leading man, he spent several seasons in daytime soaps such as General Hospital. He also appeared on many television shows of the 1970s including Hawaii Five-O.

In the late 1970s, Hammond re-joined fellow The Sound of Music alumna Heather Menzies (who played Louisa von Trapp) for one episode of the TV adaptation of Logan's Run. He contributed to the book The Sound of Music Family Scrapbook.[3]

Spider-Man

Hammond as Spider-Man.

From 1977 to 1979, Hammond essayed the role for which he is perhaps best known, as Peter Parker/Spiderman in the television series The Amazing Spider-Man.[4] Hammond described his approach to the character: "I liked the idea of taking a fantasy hero and making him believable as a person. I made it clear going into it that I wasn't interested in doing something that was just a camp joke."[5] The series aired sporadically on CBS, with 13 episodes airing over two seasons. A pilot movie appeared in the fall of 1977, with the series returning as a mid-season replacement for five episodes in the spring of 1978. While the show did well in the ratings, CBS was unwilling to commit to a regular timeslot due to its relatively weak showing in the lucrative adult demographic.[5] The second season aired six episodes, each an hour long, in the fall of 1978 and winter of 1979, with a final two-hour episode in the summer of that year. Although Hammond played Peter Parker in the television series, in all of the scenes in which Spider-Man is seen performing stunts or without dialogue, a stunt double was filmed by a second camera unit.[5]

Later career

After the Spider-Man series ended, Hammond guest-starred on a number of top-rated TV shows of the early 1980s, including The Love Boat, Magnum, P.I., Murder, She Wrote and recurring roles on Falcon Crest and Dallas. After being cast as yachtsman Dennis Conner in an Australian TV miniseries in the mid-1980s, Hammond liked the country so much that he decided to stay. He later became an Australian citizen. Since then, he has appeared in several television miniseries that have been filmed in Australia. This included an important role as an American WW-II officer based in Far North Queensland in the major mini-series Fields of Fire, series I and II, set in the cane-fields of tropical Australia. His character represented the gentler side of the culture-clash between Australians and Americans. He had a starring role, as "Sir Ivor Creevy-Thorne", in Mirror, Mirror, an Australia/New Zealand extended miniseries (a complete story of 20 serialised episodes, with cliffhangers between each of the episodes). Hammond also guest-starred in various Australian television series, including satirical television programs such as BackBerner and CNNNN, and the science fiction program Farscape, and also dramatic series such as The Flying Doctors, MDA and the Australian/USA co-production Mission: Impossible (which was filmed in Australia).

In 2005, Hammond portrayed television producer Aaron Spelling in Dynasty: The Making of a Guilty Pleasure, a fictionalized television movie based on the creation and behind the scenes production of Dynasty.[6][7]

Hammond is a writer for Australian television, having written both the mini-series A Difficult Woman and the TV movie Secret Men's Business. In 2009 he made his directing debut with Lying Cheating Bastard, a play he co-wrote with magician James Galea.[8]

Personal life

Hammond married Laura Soli in 1980 and the couple were divorced four years later in 1984.[1] He moved to Australia in the mid-1980s, and currently lives in Sydney with his partner, Australian actress Robyn Nevin.[9]

He has remained close friends with all six of his Sound of Music siblings; during their reunion on the 40th anniversary DVD, he said, "You're my best friends in the world".

Filmography

Film performances
Year Title Role Notes
1963 Lord of the Flies Robert
1965 The Sound of Music Friedrich von Trapp Released as Rodgers and Hammerstein's The Sound of Music in both the United States and the United Kingdom.
1971 Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up to Me Agneau
1972 Skyjacked Peter Lindner Released as Sky Terror in the United States.
1972 Cherry Blossoms
1973 Superdad Roger Rhinehurst
1977 Spider-Man Spider-Man/Peter Parker
1977 Spider-Man Strikes Back Spider-Man/Peter Parker
1980 Spider-Man: The Dragon's Challenge Spider-Man/Peter Parker
1988 Emerald City Ian Wall
1990 Beyond My Reach Steven Schaffer
1990 Black Cobra 2 Lieutenant Kevin McCall
1993 Frauds Detective Simms
1997 Paradise Road Marty Merritt
2001 Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles Curator
2003 The Rage in Placid Lake Bill Taylor
2005 The Saviour Pastor
2005 Stealth Executive Officer
2014 Turkey Shoot General Charles Thatcher II
Television appearances
Year Title Role Notes
1962 The Defenders Bobby Braden 1 episode of television series:
  • "The Last Six Months"
1967 Soldier in Love Young John Anthology series
1971 Mr. and Mrs. Bo Jo Jones Evan Clark
1973 The Brady Bunch Doug Simpson 1 episode of television series:
  • "The Subject Was Noses"
1973 The Waltons Theodore Albert Claypool Jr. 1 episode of television series:
  • "The Townie"
1973 Outrage Ron Werner
1974 Double Solitaire Peter
1974 Sorority Kill
1974 Dirty Sally John 1 episode of television series:
  • Season 1, Episode 14
1974 Lucas Tanner Andy 1 episode of television series:
  • "Thirteen Going on Twenty"
1973-1974 Gunsmoke Britt / Doak 3 episodes of television series:
  • "Women for Sale: Part 1" (1973)
  • "Women for Sale: Part 2" (1973)
  • "Thirty a Month and Found" (1974)
1976 Rich Man, Poor Man Walters 1 episode of television series:
  • "Part I: Chapters 1 and 2"
1976 Petrocelli Whitey 1 episode of television series:
  • "Blood Money"
1976 Law of the Land Brad Jensen
1976 Family John Crosswell 1 episode of television series:
  • "The Cradle Will Fall"
1974-1977 Hawaii Five-O Roger / Calvin 2 episodes of television series:
  • "The Banzai Pipeline" (1974)
  • "Requiem for a Saddle Bronc Rider" (1977)
1977 The Fantastic Journey Tye 1 episode of television series:
  • "The Innocent Prey"
1977 The Oregon Trail [Extra] 1 episode of television series:
  • "The Army Deserter"
1977 Eight Is Enough Harold 2 episodes of television series:
  • "Yes Nicholas, There Is a Santa Claus: Part 1"
  • "Yes Nicholas, There Is a Santa Claus: Part 2"
1977 Logan's Run Hal 14 1 episode of television series:
  • "The Judas Goat"
1978 The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries Lieutenant Douglas Burke 1 episode of television series:
  • "The Lady on Thursday at Ten"
1979 Supertrain David 1 episode of television series:
  • "Where Have You Been Billy Boy?"
1977-1979 The Amazing Spider-Man Peter Parker / Spider-Man Starring role in all 13 episodes
1980 The Martian Chronicles Commander Arthur Black 3 episodes of television series:
  • "The Expeditions"
  • "The Settlers"
  • "The Martians"
1980 The Love Boat Paul Stockwood 1 episode of television series:
  • "Not So Fast, Gopher/Haven't We Met Before?/Foreign Exchange"
1981 The Manions of America Padric O'Manion / Sean O'Manion 2 episodes of television series:
  • "Part I"
  • "Part III"
1982 Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color Reverend Tull 1 episode of television series:
  • "The Adventures of Pollyanna"
1982 The Adventures of Pollyanna Reverend Tull
1982 Falcon Crest D.A. Martin Deering / Michael Deering 2 episodes of television series:
  • "Penultimate Questions"
    * "Ultimate Answers"
1982 Magnum, P.I. Clarke Troubshaw 1 episode of television series:
  • "Foiled Again"
1982 Dallas Bill Johnson 3 episodes of television series:
  • "Hit and Run"
  • "The Ewing Touch"
  • "Post Nuptial"
1985 Crazy Like a Fox [Extra] 1 episode of television series:
  • "Till Death Do Us Part"
1985 Murder, She Wrote Todd Worthy 1 episode of television series:
  • "Murder in the Afternoon"
1985 General Hospital Algernon Durban
1986 The Challenge Dennis Conner Miniseries
1986 Cyclone Tracy Harry Miniseries
1989 The Flying Doctors Richard Hull 1 episode of television series:
  • "No Tears"
1989 Mission: Impossible Woodward 1 episode of television series:
  • "The Greek"
1989 Trouble in Paradise Arthur
1992 Frankie's House Major Frey
1990-1992 Embassy Ed Benson 2 episodes of television series:
  • "Pilot" (1990)
  • "Nice Guys Finish Last" (1992)
1993 The Feds: Terror Milton Morehouse
1993 Irresistible Force Lieutenant Nash
1994 The Damnation of Harvey McHugh Corky 1 episode of television series:
  • "Hey St. Jude"
1995 Mirror, Mirror Sir Ivor Creevey-Thorne
1996 Mercury Jack Koper
1996 Flipper F.C.C. Agent Smiley / Quarantine Doctor 2 episodes of television series:
  • "Monkey Island"
  • "Radio Free Flipper"
1997 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Saxon
1998 13 Gantry Row Russell
2000 Tales of the South Seas [Extra] 1 episode of television series:
  • "The Rabblercrouser"
2000 On The Beach United States President
2000 The Lost World Phil Dillon 1 episode of television series:
  • "Tourist Season"
2001 Child Star: The Shirley Temple Story Adolphe Menjou
2000-2002 BackBerner [Various] 6 episodes of television series.
2003 Future Tense
2003 Farscape Doctor Adrian Walker 2 episodes of television series:
  • "Terra Firma"
  • "A Constellation of Doubt"
2003 Always Greener Nigel Milne 2 episodes of television series:
  • "More Things in Heaven and Earth, Elizabeth"
  • "A Tangled Web"
2003 CNNNN: Chaser Non-Stop News Network Commander Oscar F. Hepple 2 episodes of television series:
  • Season 2, Episode 3
  • Season 2, Episode 8
2005 Dynasty: The Making of a Guilty Pleasure Aaron Spelling
2005 MDA Doctor Nick Standish 4 episodes of television series:
  • "Second Chance: Part 1"
  • "Second Chance: Part 2"
  • "Second Chance: Part 3"
  • "Second Chance: Part 4"
2009-2011 The Jesters Agent Smith 2 episodes of television series:
  • "All Nighter" (2009)
  • "Staged" (2011)
2012 Climb Every Mountain Himself Documentary by Sue Perkins and the BBC about the secret behind the film "The Sound of Music" and how the original Von-Trapp family made a living as the Von-Trapp Family Singers.
2015 Gallipoli Henry Nevinson Minor character appearing in several episodes.

References

  1. ^ a b c "Nicholas Hammond Biography profile". FilmReference.com. Retrieved 2014-04-20.
  2. ^ Eileen Bennett profile, georgeformby.co.uk; accessed June 25, 2015.
  3. ^ "The Sound of Music Family Scrapbook". Retrieved June 25, 2015.
  4. ^ Edlitz, Mark. "'Spider-Man' flashback: Nicholas Hammond, reeling in the years". www.herocomplex.latimes.com. LA Times. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
  5. ^ a b c Mangels, Andy (October 2010). "Spinning the Story of the Amazing Spider-Man". Back Issue! (44). TwoMorrows Publishing: 44–48.
  6. ^ Heffernan, Virginia (January 1, 2005). "Dynasty: The Making of a Guilty Pleasure: If You've Got It, Flaunt It: ABC Trumpets an 80's Hit". The New York Times. NYTimes.com. Retrieved February 26, 2009.
  7. ^ "Dynasty: The Making of a Guilty Pleasure: Credits". Der-denver-clan.de. Retrieved February 27, 2009.
  8. ^ "James Galea: Breaking Magic". www.discovery.com. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
  9. ^ Bond, Nick. "Australia's Own Von Trapp Child". www.starobserver.com. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
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