Melvyn Douglas

Melvyn Douglas (born Melvyn Edouard Hesselberg, April 5, 1901 – August 4, 1981) was an American actor, whose stage and screen careers spanned from the late 1920s until the early 1980s. He was one of 24 performers to win the Triple Crown of Acting – winning two Academy Awards (both in the Best Supporting Actor category), a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Tony Award.

Douglas came to prominence in 1929 as a suave leading man, perhaps best typified by his performance in the romantic comedy Ninotchka (1939) with Greta Garbo, and appeared in many films during the Golden Age of Hollywood. Douglas later played mature and fatherly characters, as in his Oscar-winning performances in Hud (1963) and Being There (1979) and his Oscar–nominated performance in I Never Sang for My Father (1970). He won a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for Gore Vidal's play The Best Man (1960).

Early life Douglas was born in Macon, Georgia, the son of Lena Priscilla (née Shackelford) and Edouard Gregory Hesselberg, a concert pianist and composer. His father was a Jewish emigrant from Riga, Latvia (at that time part of the Russian Empire). His mother, a native of Tennessee, was Protestant and a Mayflower descendant.

Douglas, in his autobiography See You at the Movies (1987), wrote that he was unaware of his Jewish background until later in his youth: "I did not learn about the non-Christian part of my heritage until my early teens." His parents preferred to hide his Jewish heritage. His aunts on his father's side told him "the truth" when he was 14. He wrote that he "admired them unstintingly"; they, in turn, treated him like a son. According to his granddaughter Illeana Douglas, Melvyn Douglas first met Peter Sellers (his future Being There co-star) while in Burma during the war, when Sellers was serving in the Royal Air Force. After the war, Douglas returned to films and more mature roles in The Sea of Grass (1947) and Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948).

From 1952 to 1961, Douglas made no film appearances, concentrating instead on stage and television work. During November 1952 to January 1953, Douglas starred in the DuMont detective show Steve Randall (Hollywood Off Beat) which then moved to CBS. In the summer of 1953, he briefly hosted the DuMont game show Blind Date. In the summer of 1959, Douglas hosted eleven original episodes of a CBS Western anthology television series titled Frontier Justice, a production of Dick Powell's Four Star Television.

Douglas returned to films in the 1960s. As he aged, he took on older-man and fatherly roles in movies such as Hud (1963, for which he won his first Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor), The Americanization of Emily, the American Civil War comedy Advance to the Rear (both 1964), an episode of The Fugitive (1966), I Never Sang for My Father (1970, for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor) and The Candidate (1972). He won his second Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the comedy-drama Being There (1979). However, Douglas confirmed in one of his final interviews that he refused to attend the 52nd Academy Awards ceremony because he could not bear having to compete against child actor Justin Henry for Kramer vs. Kramer.

In addition to his Academy Awards, Douglas won a Tony Award for his Broadway lead role in the 1960 The Best Man by Gore Vidal and an Emmy for his 1967 role in Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night.

Douglas's final complete screen appearance was in the 1981 horror film Ghost Story. He died before completing all of his scenes for the film The Hot Touch (1982); the film had to be edited to compensate for Douglas's incomplete role.

Douglas has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame; one for movies, located at 6423 Hollywood Boulevard, and another for television at 6601 Hollywood Boulevard.

Personal life Douglas, as Hesselberg, in 1926. Hesselberg, an artist, is the father of actress Illeana Douglas. Douglas was also an active New Deal Democrat, serving on the State Central Committee of the California Democratic Party in the 1930s and 40s.

Gahagan Douglas also entered politics (she began using her husband's name when she did), becoming a three-term congresswoman. She was Richard Nixon's unsuccessful opponent for the United States Senate seat from California in 1950.

Douglas was a member of the executive committee of the Writers and Artists for Peace in the Middle East, a pro-Israel group, during the 1970s.

The Douglases hired architect Roland Coate to design a home for them in 1938 on a lot they owned in Outpost Estates, Los Angeles. The result was a one-story, home.

The Douglases had two children: Peter Gahagan Douglas (1933) and Mary Helen Douglas (1938).

Death The couple remained married until Helen Gahagan Douglas's death in 1980 from cancer. Melvyn Douglas died a year later, in 1981, aged 80, from pneumonia and cardiac complications in New York City at Sloan Kettering Hospital.

Broadway roles Sources: Internet Broadway Database and Playbill

A Free Soul (1928) as Ace Wilfong Back Here (1928) as Sergeant "Terry" O'Brien Now-a-Days (1929) as Boyd Butler Recapture (1930) as Henry C. Martin Tonight or Never (1931) as the Unknown Gentleman No More Ladies (1934) as Sheridan Warren Mother Lode (1934) as Carey Ried (also staged) De Luxe (1935) as Pat Dantry Tapestry In Gray (1935) as Erik Nordgren Two Blind Mice (1949) as Tommy Thurston The Bird Cage (1950) as Wally Williams The Little Blue Light (1951) as Frank Glad Tidings (1951) as Steve Whitney Time Out for Ginger (1952) as Howard Carol Inherit the Wind (1955) as Henry Drummond (replacement) The Waltz of the Toreadors (1958) as General St. Pé Juno (1959) as "Captain" Jack Boyle The Gang's All Here (1959) as Griffith P. Hastings The Best Man (1960) as William Russell Spofford (1967) as Spofford

Douglas also staged Moor Born (1934), Mother Lode (1934) and Within the Gates (1934-1935) and produced Call Me Mister (1946-1948).

Filmography Year Title Role Notes 1931 Tonight or Never Jim Fletcher Prestige Captain Andre Verlaine 1932The Wiser Sex David Rolfe The Broken Wing Philip 'Phil' Marvin As You Desire Me Count Bruno Varelli The Old Dark House Mr. Penderel 1933 The Vampire Bat Karl Brettschneider Counsellor at Law Roy Darwin 1933Nagana Dr. Walter Tradnor 1934 Dangerous Corner Charles Stanton Woman in the Dark Tony Robson 1935 The People's Enemy George R. "Traps" Stuart She Married Her Boss Richard Barclay Mary Burns, Fugitive Barton Powell Annie Oakley Jeff Hogarth The Lone Wolf Returns Michael Lanyard 1936 And So They Were Married Stephen Blake The Gorgeous Hussy John Randolph Theodora Goes Wild Michael Grant 1937 Women of Glamour Richard "Dick" Stark Captains Courageous Frank Burton Cheyne I Met Him in Paris George Potter Angel Anthony "Tony" Halton I'll Take Romance James Guthrie 1938 Arsène Lupin Returns Arsène Lupin There's Always a Woman William Reardon The Toy Wife George Sartoris Fast Company Joel Sloane That Certain Age Vincent Bullitt The Shining Hour Henry Linden There's That Woman Again William Reardon 1939 Tell No Tales Michael Cassidy Good Girls Go to Paris Ronald Brooke Ninotchka Count Léon d'Algout The Amazing Mr. Williams Police Lieutenant Kenny Williams 1940 Too Many Husbands Henry Lowndes He Stayed for Breakfast Paul Boliet Third Finger, Left Hand Jeff Thompson This Thing Called Love Tice Collins 1941 That Uncertain Feeling Larry Baker A Woman's Face Dr. Gustaf Segert Our Wife Jerome "Jerry" Marvin Two-Faced Woman Larry Blake 1942 We Were Dancing Nicholas Eugen August Wolfgang "Nikki" Prax They All Kissed the Bride Michael "Mike" Holmes 1943 Three Hearts for Julia Jeff Seabrook 1947 The Sea of Grass Brice Chamberlain The Guilt of Janet Ames Smithfield "Smitty" Cobb 1948 Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House Bill Cole My Own True Love Clive Heath 1949 A Woman's Secret Luke Jordan The Great Sinner Armand de Glasse1951 My Forbidden Past Paul Beaurevel On the Loose Frank Bradley 1962 Billy Budd The Dansker 1963 Hud Homer Bannon Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Laurel Award for Top Male Supporting Performance National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture1964 Advance to the Rear Col. Claude Brackenbury The Americanization of Emily Adm. William Jessup Nominated—Laurel Award for Best Male Supporting Performance 1965 Rapture Frederick Larbaud Once Upon a Tractor Martin Short 1967 Hotel Warren Trent 1970 I Never Sang for My Father Tom Garrison New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor Nominated—Academy Award for Best Actor Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama Nominated—Laurel Award for Best Male Dramatic Performance 1972 One Is a Lonely Number Joseph Provo The Candidate John J. McKay 1976 The Tenant Monsieur Zy 1977 Twilight's Last Gleaming Zachariah Guthrie Intimate Strangers Donald's father 1979 The Seduction of Joe Tynan Senator Birney Being There Benjamin Rand Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor 1980 The Changeling Senator Joe Carmichael Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor Tell Me a Riddle David 1981 Ghost Story Dr. John Jaffrey Released posthumously 1982 The Hot Touch Max Reich Final film role; released posthumously

Partial television credits Year Title Role Notes 1949 The Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse Richard Gordon Episodes: "The Five Lives of Richard Gordon" and "The Strange Christmas Dinner" 1950 Lux Video Theatre James Strickland Episode: "To Thine Own Self" Pulitzer Prize Playhouse Eugene Morgan Martin Luther Cooper Episode: "The Magnificent Ambersons" Episode: "Mrs. January and Mr. Ex" 1952 Celanese Theatre Archduke Rudolph von Habsburg Episode: "Reunion in Vienna" Steve Randall Steve Randall 12 episodes 1955 The Ford Television Theatre George Manners Episode: "Letters Marked Personal" 1955–1956 The Alcoa Hour Charles Turner Jim Conway Episode: "Man on a Tiger" Episode: "Thunder in Washington" 1957–1958 The United States Steel Hour Census Taker Dr. Victor Payson/Narrator Episode: "Second Chance" Episode: "The Hill Wife" 1957–1959 Playhouse 90 General Parker Ansel Gibbs Stalin Howard Hoagland Episode: "Judgment at Nuremberg" Episode: "The Return of Ansel Gibbs" Episode: "The Plot to Kill Stalin" Episode: "The Greer Case" 1959 Frontier Justice Host 11 episodes 1960 Sunday Showcase Mark Twain Episode: "Our American Heritage: Shadow of a Soldier" 1963 Ben Casey Burton Strang Episode: "Rage Against the Dying Light" Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre Pat Konke Episode: "A Killing at Sundial" 1964 A Very Close Family Father TV movie 1965 Inherit the Wind Henry Drummond Hallmark Hall of Fame TV movie Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Single Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Drama 1966 The Fugitive Mark Ryder Episode: "The 2130" Lamp at Midnight Galileo Galilei TV movie1967 CBS Playhouse Peter Schermann Episode: "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night" Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Single Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Drama The Crucible Governor Danforth TV movie 1968 Companions in Nightmare Dr. Lawrence Strelson TV movie 1970The Choice TV movie Hunters Are for Killing Keller Floran TV movie 1971 Death Takes a Holiday Judge Earl Chapman TV movie 1972 Circle of Fear Grandpa Episode: "House of Evil" 1973 The Going Up of David Lev Grandfather TV movie 1974 The Death Squad Police Captain Earl Kreski TV movie Murder or Mercy Dr. Paul Harelson TV movie 1975 Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin Miniseries 1977 ABC Weekend Special Grandpa Doc Episode: "Portrait of Grandpa Doc"

Source: Internet Movie Database

Radio appearances Year Program Episode/source 1942 Philip Morris Playhouse No Time for Comedy Take a Letter, Darling