Trax Colton
Trax Colton | |
|---|---|
| Born | Louis A. Morelli May 26, 1929 Highland Park, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1960–1962 |
| Parent(s) | Catherine De Angelis Angelo Morell |
One afternoon last year, a young actor named Louis Morelli walked into an office in Hollywood. When he walked out, his name was Trax Colton. No one had ever heard of him before, and no one has heard of him since.
— Time magazine on 23 March 1962[1]
A lad billed as Trax Colton may be our next matinee idol.
— Dorothy Kilgallen on 22 March 1961[2]
Trax Colton (born Louis A. Morelli on May 26, 1929) is an American motion picture actor who was a contract player for 20th Century Fox from 1960 to 1962.[1]
Life and career
Colton was born on May 26, 1929 in Highland Park, New Jersey, to Catherine De Angelis and Angelo Morelli, both of Italy. He had a sister, Martha Morelli.[3] He was working as a used car salesman when he was discovered by Henry Willson, a Hollywood talent agent who had discovered Rock Hudson, Tab Hunter, Clint Walker, and Rory Calhoun.[4]
Colton signed an exclusive contract with 20th Century Fox in 1960 and was given a small part in the film adaptation of The Marriage-Go-Round (1961), starring Susan Hayward and James Mason. Soon thereafter, he was given a lead role in It Happened in Athens, a comedy plotting the adventures surrounding a winner at the first modern Olympic games in 1896. He played the character, Spiridon Loues, a Greek shepherd who enters the Olympics as a runner. It co-starred sex symbol Jayne Mansfield, whom Colton had a brief affair with during filming.[5][6] After the picture wrapped, Hollywood columnist Mike Connolly said in a 1961 column that Colton was Fox Studios' new "combination Rudolph Valentino–Ty Power".[7] In March 1961 Dorothy Kilgallen wrote that "his only other screen credit to date was a tiny role in "Marriage Go Round" but the female reaction around the nation was enough to give him a bigger chance" and speculated that Colton "may be our next matinee idol".[2]
In November of 1961 he screen tested for Fox Studios' Celebration for the part of a man who convinces Joanne Woodward to perform in a pornographic movie.[8] "Celebration" was the film's working title, it was eventually produced in 1963 as The Stripper without Colton.[9]
It Happened in Athens was released in 1962, but by that time, Colton had been released from his studio contract and stopped making movies.[1]
Filmography
- The Marriage-Go-Round (1961) as Crew Cut/Party Guest
- It Happened in Athens (1962) as Spiridon Loues
References
- ^ a b c "Egos: Melting the Pot". Time magazine. 23 March 1962.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|subscription=ignored (|url-access=suggested) (help) - ^ a b "Ginger Will Be TV Fashion Plate". Daily Reporter of Dover, Ohio. King Features. 22 March 1961 – via Newspapers.com.(subscription required)
- ^ "Louis Morelli in the 1930 US census living in Highland Park, New Jersey". 1930. Retrieved 2016-01-05.
- ^ "Old Hollywood's gay Pygmalion".
- ^ James Robert Parish. The Hollywood Book of Breakups. p. 259.
- ^ Jocelyn Faris (1994). Jayne Mansfield. p. 92.
- ^ Connolly, Mike (March 1, 1961). "In Hollywood". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
- ^ Mike Connolly (2 November 1961). "Notes From Hollywood". Pasadena Independent.
- ^ Sanders, Ed (2016). Sharon Tate: A Life. Da Capo Press. p. 15. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
External links
- Trax Colton at IMDb
- Trax Colton at the New York Times