Victor Jory

Victor Jory (November 23, 1902 – February 12, 1982) was a Canadian-American actor of stage, film, and television. He initially played romantic leads, but later was mostly cast in villainous or sinister roles, such as Oberon in A Midsummer Night's Dream and carpetbagger Jonas Wilkerson in Gone with the Wind (1939). From 1959 to 1961, he had a lead role in the 78-episode television police drama Manhunt. He also recorded numerous stories for Peter Pan Records and was a guest star in dozens of television series as well as a supporting player in dozens of theatrical films, occasionally appearing as the leading man.

Biography Jory was born in Dawson City, Yukon, to American parents. He was the boxing and wrestling champion of the U.S. Coast Guard during his military service, and he kept his burly physique. He graduated from the Martha Oatman School of the Theater in Los Angeles.

Jory toured with theatre troupes, including a July 1929 appearance at Elitch Theatre in The Racket, by Bartlett Cormack. He appeared as a “guest star” in the role of the Assistant District Attorney. He went on to appear on Broadway, before making his Hollywood debut in 1930. He initially played romantic leads, but later was mostly cast as the villain, probably due to his distinctive, seemingly coal-black eyes that might be perceived as 'threatening'. He made over 150 films and dozens of TV episodes, as well as writing two plays. His long career in radio included starring in the series Dangerously Yours.

He is remembered for his roles as malevolent Injun Joe in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938), Jonas Wilkerson, the opportunistic overseer of the slaves at Tara in Gone with the Wind, He also portrayed Oberon in Max Reinhardt's film adaptation of Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935)

In 1946, he narrated "Tubby the Tuba" for children, which was inducted in 2005 in the National Recording Registry and also introduces the orchestra to young listeners. The disc sold over one million copies. The story tells of a tuba who does not fit in. He also narrated "Bumpo the Ballerina", whose title character is an elephant.

From 1959 to 1961, he appeared with Patrick McVey in the 78-episode syndicated television police drama Manhunt. Jory played the lead role of Detective Lieutenant Howard Finucane. McVey was cast as police reporter Ben Andrews.

In 1957, Jory was cast in the role of the Southern Baptist pastor George Washington Truett of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, in the episode "Lone Star Preacher" of the syndicated religion anthology series Crossroads. In 1960 he portrayed the aging, malevolent husband of Anna Magnani’s character in The Fugitive Kind, adapted from a play by Tennessee Williams.

In 1962, he was cast as Deacon Lee in the two-part episode "Policemen Die Alone" of Leslie Nielsen's ABC crime drama The New Breed. That same year, Jory guest-starred as Mike Dahlback in the episode "Ride to a Fall" in the NBC modern Western series Empire, which featured Richard Egan as rancher Jim Redigo. He also played Helen Keller's father in The Miracle Worker,

Jory was on the faculty of the University of Utah, teaching acting in the Department of Theater. He endowed a scholarship for junior/senior students in the department known as the Victor Jory Scholarship, which continues to the current day.

The High Chaparral television episode "The Peacemaker" in 1968 featured Jory as a peace envoy attempting to negotiate a treaty with Apache Native American chief Cochise.

In the private-eye series Mannix, which starred Mike Connors as the title character, Jory played the Armenian-American detective's widowed father, Stefan Mannix—a grape farmer in "Summer Grove", a fictitious town in California's Central Valley near Fresno (which continues to have a large Armenian population). He appeared in two episodes,"Return to Summer Grove" (1969) and "Wine from These Grapes" (1971).

In 1978, near the end of his career, Jory guest starred as an aging Federal Bureau of Investigation agent in James Garner's The Rockford Files episode "The Attractive Nuisance".

Jory died on February 12, 1982, at the age of 79, from a heart attack in Santa Monica, California.

Family Jory married actress Jean Inness in 1928. They had two children, Jon and Jean. Jon Jory headed the Actors Theater of Louisville, Kentucky, for 31 years, which he helped to build into one of America's most respected regional theater companies. He left the job in 2000 to become professor of drama at the University of Washington in Seattle. His daughter Jean Jory Anderson was a public-relations director of the theater department at Utah State University in Logan.

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1930 Renegades Officer Belonge Uncredited 1932 The Pride of the Legion Jerry Brewster 1932 Handle with Care 1st Public Enemy 1933 Second Hand Wife Lotzi Vajda 1933 State Fair Hoop Toss Barker 1933 Sailor's Luck Baron Portola - aka Darrow 1933 Infernal Machine Alfred Doreen 1933 Trick for Trick La Tour 1933 I Loved You Wednesday Randall Williams 1933 The Devil's in Love Dr. Andre Morand / Paul Vernay 1933 My Woman John Bradley 1933 Smoky Clint Peters 1934 I Believed in You Jim Crowl 1934 Murder in Trinidad Howard Sutter 1934 He Was Her Man Nick Gardella 1934 Madame Du Barry Duc Armand d'Aiguillon 1934 Pursued Beauregard 1934 Mills of the Gods Jim Devlin 1934 White Lies Terry Condon 1935 Party Wire Matthew Putnam 1935 Streamline Express Jimmy Hart 1935 A Midsummer Night's Dream Oberon - King of the Fairies 1935 Escape from Devil's Island Dario 1935 Too Tough to Kill John O'Hara 1936 Hell-Ship Morgan Jim Allen 1936 The King Steps Out Captain Palfi 1936 Meet Nero Wolfe Claude Roberts 1936 Rangle River Dick Drake Filmed in Australia 1937 Bulldog Drummond at Bay Gregoroff 1937 Glamorous Night Baron Lyadeff 1937 First Lady Gordon Keane 1938 The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Injun Joe 1939 Blackwell's Island Commissioner Thomas MacNair 1939 Wings of the Navy Lieutenant Parsons 1939 Dodge City Yancey 1939 Women in the Wind Doc 1939 Man of Conquest William B. Travis 1939 Susannah of the Mounties Wolf Pelt 1939 Each Dawn I Die W. J. Grayce 1939 I Stole a Million Patian 1939 Call a Messenger Ed Hogan 1939 Gone with the Wind Jonas Wilkerson - Field Overseer 1940 The Shadow Lamont Cranston / The Shadow 1940 Knights of the Range Malcolm Lascalles 1940 The Light of Western Stars Gene Stewart 1940 The Lone Wolf Meets a Lady Clay Beaudine 1940 River's End Norman Talbot 1940 Girl from Havana Tex Moore 1940 Cherokee Strip Coy Barrett Alternative title: The Indian Nation 1940 The Green Archer Spike Holland 1940 Give Us Wings Mr. Arnold Carter 1940 Lady with Red Hair Mr. Clifton 1941 Border Vigilantes Henry Logan 1941 Hoola Boola Narrator Voice, Short 1941 Bad Men of Missouri William Merrick 1941 Wide Open Town Steve Fraser 1941 Charlie Chan in Rio Marana / Alfredo Cardozo 1941 The Gay Knighties Narrator Voice, Short 1941 Riders of the Timberline Baptiste Deschamp 1941 The Stork Pays Off Deak Foster 1941 Secrets of the Lone Wolf Dapper Dan Streever 1942 Shut My Big Mouth Buckskin Bill 1942 Jasper and the Watermelons Voice, Short 1942 Tombstone, the Town Too Tough to Die Ike Clanton 1942 Tulips Shall Grow Narrator Voice, Short 1943 Power of the Press Oscar Trent 1943 Hoppy Serves a Writ Tom Jordan 1943 Buckskin Frontier Champ Clanton 1943 The Leather Burners Dan Slack 1943 Colt Comrades Jeb Hardin 1943 The Kansan Jeff Barat 1943 Bar 20 Mark Jackson 1943 The Unknown Guest Charles 'Chuck' Williams 1944 Jasper's Paradise Voice, Short 1945 Hot Lips Jasper Voice, Short 1945 Jasper Tell Voice, Short 1947 Shoe Shine Jasper Voice, Short 1947 Tubby the Tuba Narrator Short 1948 The Loves of Carmen García 1948 The Gallant Blade Marshal of France Mordore 1949 A Woman's Secret Brook Matthews 1949 South of St. Louis Luke Cottrell 1949 Canadian Pacific Dirk Rourke 1949 Fighting Man of the Plains Dave Oldham 1950 The Capture Father Gomez 1950 The Cariboo Trail Frank Walsh 1951 The Highwayman Lord Douglas 1951 Cave of Outlaws Ben Cross 1952 Flaming Feather Lucky Lee / The Sidewinder 1952 Son of Ali Baba Caliph 1952 Toughest Man in Arizona Frank Girard 1953 The Man from the Alamo Jess Wade 1953 Cat-Women of the Moon Kip Reissner 1954 Valley of the Kings Tuareg Chief 1954 Sabaka Ashok 1956 Manfish 'Professor' Walter Fenton 1956 Blackjack Ketchum, Desperado Jared Tetlow 1956 Death of a Scoundrel Leonard Wilson 1957 The Man Who Turned to Stone Dr. Murdock 1957 The Last Stagecoach West Rand McCord 1958 Sierra Baron Closing narrator Uncredited 1960 The Fugitive Kind Jabe M. Torrance 1961 Operation Glen Canyon Narrator Documentary 1962 The Miracle Worker Captain Arthur Keller 1964 Cheyenne Autumn Tall Tree 1968 Jigsaw Edward Arkroyd 1969 Mackenna's Gold The Narrator 1969 A Time for Dying Judge Roy Bean 1970 Trail of the Hunter Himself Documentary 1970 Flap Wounded Bear Mr. Smith (Attorney at Law) Alternative title: The Last Warrior 1973 Frasier, the Sensuous Lion Frasier's Voice Voice 1973 Papillon Indian Chief 1975 The Boy Who Talks to Whales 1977 Mission to Glory: A True Story Father Zaya 1980 The Mountain Men Iron Belly (final film role) 1987 The Puppetoon Movie Voice

Television Year Title Role Notes 1950 The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre Publisher Episode: "Oropalo" 1950 The Philco Television Playhouse Episode: "The Second Oldest Profession" 1950 Armstrong Circle Theatre Episode: "The First Formal" 1950 Sure as Fate Episode: "Child's Play" 1951 The Bigelow Theatre College Professor Episode: "The Sum of Seven" 1952 Tales of Tomorrow Dr. Alden / Dr. Kramer 2 episodes 1952 Studio One Dr. Kane / Interrogator / Gangster 3 episodes 1952–1953 Broadway Television Theatre Manningham 2 episodes 1953 Medallion Theatre Jean Valjean Episode: "The Bishop's Candlesticks" 1953–1956 Schlitz Playhouse of Stars Ferdie Shiff / Andrew Duquette 3 episodes 1954 Moby Dick Captain Ahab Television film 1954 General Electric Theater Andrew Perry Episode: "Exit for Margo" 1954 Pond's Theater Merlin Episode: "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" 1955 Producers' Showcase Aristides Argamonte Episode: "Yellow Jack" 1955 Warner Bros. Presents Dr. Tower Episode: "King's Row" 1955–1956 Kings Row Dr. Tower 1955–1957 Climax! John Coulter / Sam Bellows / Robert 3 episodes 1956 TV Reader's Digest Antonio Rosas / Movie Producer Stanley 2 episodes 1956 Science Fiction Theatre Detective Lieutenant William Kiel Episode: "The Flicker" 1956 Telephone Time Stypulkowski Episode: "I Am Not Alone" 1956 The Alcoa Hour D'Alcala Episode: "Key Largo" 1956–1957 Omnibus Captain Kidd 2 episodes 1956–1957 Kraft Television Theatre Joe Carpenter / Frankie Sorrano / Rancher / Everett 6 episodes 1956–1957 Matinee Theatre Edward Hicks / Molara 4 episodes 1956–1959 Playhouse 90 George Bavister / Himself - Host / Captain Hume / Reverend Mr. Powell / Rear Admiral Batt 5 episodes 1957 Crossroads Reverend George Truett Episode: "Lone Star Preacher" 1957 The 20th Century Fox Hour Major Kenniston Episode: "The Still Trumpet" 1957 Ford Television Theatre Harry Bond Episode: "Moment of Decision" 1958 Studio 57 Jeweler Episode: "The Queen's Bracelet" 1958 Johnny Belinda Black McDonald TV movie 1958 Target Episode: "Counterfeit Coin" 1958 Pursuit Cop Episode: "The Silent Night" 1959 Wanted Dead or Alive Sam McGarrett Episode: "The Legend" 1959 The United States Steel Hour Fernand Episode: "Night of Betrayal" 1959–1961 Manhunt Police Lieutenant Howard Finucane / Detective Lieutenant Howard Finucane 78 episodes 1959–1962 Rawhide Hosea Brewer / Jess Hode 2 episodes 1962 Dr. Kildare Dr. Oscar Whalen Episode: "Oh, My Daughter" 1962 The New Breed Deacon Lee 2 episodes 1962 Insight Episode: "IOU, My Brother" 1962 The Untouchables Arnold Stegler Episode: "Element of Danger" 1962 87th Precinct Mike Power Episode: "The Last Stop" 1962 Empire Mike Dahlback Episode: "Ride to a Fall" 1963 Wide Country Johnny Prewitt Episode: "Step Over the Sky" 1963 The Alfred Hitchcock Hour Detective Paul Reardon Season 1 Episode 32: "Death of a Cop" 1963 Temple Houston Claude Boley Episode: "The Twisted Rope" 1964 The Great Adventure Andrew Jackson Episode: "The Testing of Sam Houston" 1964 Suspense Sheriff Episode: "I, Bradford Charles" 1964 Burke's Law Jim Clover Episode: "Who Killed Lenore Wingfield?" 1964 Profiles in Courage Charles Carlin Episode: "Oscar W. Underwood" 1964 The Farmer's Daughter Sultan Episode: "Big Sultan, Little Sultan" 1964–1969 The Virginian Luke Nichols / Jim Kohler / Tom Brant / Carl Hendricks 5 episodes 1965 Gunsmoke Chief Joseph Episode: "Chief Joseph" 1965 Kraft Suspense Theatre Conrad Easter Episode: "That Time in Havana" 1965 Who Has Seen the Wind? Peraltor TV movie 1966 The Virginian Tom Brant Season 4, Episode 25: "Return of Golden Tom" 1966 Bonanza Charles Ludlow Episode: "Ride the Wind: Part 1" 1966 Hazel Mr. Woods Episode: "How to Find Work Without Really Trying" 1966 I Spy Rafael Ortiz Episode: "Return to Glory" 1966 The Loner Old Man Ridley Episode: "The Burden of the Badge" 1966 The Legend of Jesse James Judge Parker Episode: "Things Don't Just Happen" 1966 F Troop Chief Mean Buffalo Episode: "Indian Fever" 1966 The Green Hornet Charles Delaclaire Episode: "The Frog Is a Deadly Weapon" 1966 Iron Horse Captain Anderson Episode: "The Pride of the Bottom of the Barrel" 1967 The Road West Collier Episode: "Beyond the Hill" 1967 The Time Tunnel Captain Beal Episode: "Pirates of Deadman's Island" 1967 Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea Dr. Turner Episode: "Fires of Death" 1967 Ironside Wally Stowe Episode: "The Past Is Prologue" 1968 The High Chaparral Mr. Kelly Episode: "The Peacemaker" 1968 The Name of the Game Victor Foss Episode: "Witness" 1969–1971 Mannix Stefan Mannix 2 episodes 1971 Longstreet Fred Hornbeck Episode: "So, Who's Fred Hornbeck?" 1972 Banacek Paul Andros Episode: "No Sign of the Cross" 1973 Circle of Fear Old Man Episode: "The Phantom of Herald Square" 1974 Nakia Ben Redearth 3 episodes 1974 Kung Fu Fred Episode: "Cry of the Night Beast" 1974 McCloud Joseph Rhigas Episode: "The Concrete Jungle Caper" 1974 Kolchak: The Night Stalker Charles Rolling Thunder Episode: "Bad Medicine" 1976 Perilous Voyage Dr. Henry Merrill TV movie 1977 Quinn Martin's Tales of the Unexpected Leon Davidian Episode: "The Mask of Adonis" 1977 Alice Billy 'The Scam' Williams Episode: "The Indian Taker" 1978 The Rockford Files Eddie LaSalle Episode: "The Attractive Nuisance" 1978 Devil Dog: The Hound of Hell Shaman TV movie 1978–1979 Greatest Heroes of the Bible Narrator / Horaz 15 episodes 1979 Grandpa Goes to Washington Meyer Brockman Episode: "The Union Boys" 1980 Young Maverick Pony That Waits Episode: "Makin' Tracks" 1980 Power Hillman TV movie

Radio appearances Year Program Episode/source 1953 Grand Central Station Lost Year (with daughter Jean) 1957SuspenseAn Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge 1959 Suspense Death Notice