Wesley Addy
 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (March 2012) |
Wesley Addy | |
|---|---|
| File:Wesley Addy.jpg | |
| Born | Robert Wesley Addy August 4, 1913 |
| Died | December 31, 1996 (aged 83) Danbury, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Other names | Wes Addy |
| Education | UCLA |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1935–1996 |
| Spouse(s) | |
Robert Wesley Addy (August 4, 1913 – December 31, 1996) was an American actor of stage, television, and film.
Early years
Addy was born in Omaha, Nebraska, the son of Maren S. and John R. Addy.[1] He was an economics major at the University of California, Los Angeles, and he served in the United States Army during World War II.[2]
Career
Addy's debut in acting came at Martha's Vineyard when he performed in summer theater.[2] He played many roles on the Broadway stage, including several Shakespearean ones, usually opposite actor Maurice Evans. After playing two roles in one of Evans's productions of Hamlet, he played Horatio opposite Evans's Hamlet in a 1953 Hallmark Hall of Fame television production of the work, the most prestigious American production of the play seen on television up to that time.
Also on television he played roles on The Edge of Night in the 1950s. He made two guest appearances on Perry Mason: Alton Brent in the 1962 episode, "The Case of the Weary Watchdog", and murderer Joachim DeVry in the 1966 episode, "The Case of the Tsarina's Tiara." Later, during the 1970s-1980s, he played publisher Bill Woodard on Ryan's Hope and patriarch Cabot Alden on the Agnes Nixon-Douglas Marland serial Loving. His television career also includes guest appearances on The Defenders, The Outer Limits, The Fugitive, Ironside, and The Rockford Files.
In motion pictures, Addy's career spanned four decades. Robert Aldrich used him as supporting actor in several pictures, such as Kiss Me Deadly, The Big Knife (both 1955), What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962), Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964) and The Grissom Gang (1971). In 1976, Addy appeared in Paddy Chayefsky's Network, directed by Sidney Lumet. They would work together again in The Verdict, in which Addy played a doctor who nearly derails Paul Newman's case against a hospital for malpractice. Another of Addy's best-remembered roles was that of Lt. Commander Alvin Kramer, who unsuccessfully tries to warn American officials of the impending attack on Pearl Harbor in Tora! Tora! Tora!.
Death
Addy died at Danbury Hospital[2] in Danbury, Connecticut. He was married to actress Celeste Holm from 1966 until his death. The couple lived in Washington Township, Morris County, New Jersey.[3]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | The First Legion | Father John Fulton | |
| 1952 | My Six Convicts | Bit Role | Uncredited |
| 1955 | Kiss Me Deadly | Lt. Pat Murphy | |
| 1955 | The Big Knife | Horatio "Hank" Teagle | |
| 1956 | Time Table | Dr. Paul Brucker | |
| 1957 | The Garment Jungle | Mr. Paul | |
| 1959 | Ten Seconds to Hell | Wolfgang Sulke | |
| 1962 | What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? | Marty McDonald | |
| 1963 | 4 for Texas | Winthrop Trowbridge | |
| 1964 | Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte | Sheriff Luke Standish | |
| 1966 | Seconds | John | |
| 1966 | Mister Buddwing | Dice Player #1 | |
| 1966 | The Rat Patrol | Col. Ulrich Leske | |
| 1970 | Tora! Tora! Tora! | Lt. Cmdr. Alvin D. Kramer | |
| 1971 | The Grissom Gang | John P. Blandish | |
| 1976 | Network | Nelson Chaney | |
| 1976 | The Europeans | Mr. Wentworth | |
| 1982 | The Verdict | Dr. Towler | |
| 1984 | The Bostonians | Dr. Tarrant | |
| 1995 | A Modern Affair | Ed Rhodes | |
| 1996 | Before and After | Judge Grady | |
| 1996 | Harvest of Fire | Bishop Levi Lapp | (final film role) |
References
- ^ "Wesley Addy Biography (1913-1996)". www.filmreference.com.
- ^ a b c Gussow, Mel (January 3, 1997). "Wesley Addy, Actor on Broadway, Dies at 83". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 4 August 2017. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
- ^ via Associated Press. "Celeste Holm, Oscar-winning actress, dies at 95", The Express-Times, July 15, 2012. Accessed October 22, 2015. "Celeste Holm married her fourth husband, actor Robert Wesley Addy, in 1966. The couple lived in Washington Township., Morris County, N.J."
