Stuart Whitman
Encyclopedia
Stuart Maxwell Whitman is an American
actor
.
Stuart Whitman is arguably best-known for playing Marshal Jim Crown in the western television series Cimarron Strip
in 1967. Whitman also starred with John Wayne
in the Western movie, The Comancheros
, in 1961, and received top billing as the romantic lead in the extravagant aerial epic Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines
in 1965.
, the elder of two sons. His parents, Cecilia (née Gold) and Joseph Whitman, traveled frequently during his childhood, and as a result, he attended over twenty schools. He graduated from high school
and spent three years in the Army Corps of Engineers. After leaving the army, he enrolled in Los Angeles City College
and the Los Angeles Academy of Dramatic Art.
in When Worlds Collide
(1951), All American (1953), Brigadoon
(1954), Silver Lode
(1954), Ten North Frederick
(1958), The Decks Ran Red
(1958) starring Dorothy Dandridge
, on whose face Whitman planted Hollywood's first interrracial kiss, These Thousand Hills
(1959), and The Sound and the Fury
(1959).
When Charlton Heston
, who had originally been signed to play the lead in 1958's Darby's Rangers left the movie, James Garner
was given the lead and Whitman wound up with Garner's original role in the film.
His first leading man
role is in Murder, Inc.
in 1960. He was signed on as a contract star with 20th Century Fox
.
In 1961, Whitman was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor
for his role as a child molester
in The Mark
, a role many other better known actors turned down. He has since appeared in starring and supporting roles in many films, including Francis of Assisi
, The Fiercest Heart, The Longest Day
, The Comancheros
(sharing leading man status with John Wayne
), Convicts 4
, The Day and the Hour, Signpost to Murder, Shock Treatment, Rio Conchos
, Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines
, Sands of the Kalahari
, The City Beneath the Sea, An American Dream
, The Last Escape
, The Invincible Six
, Night of the Lepus
, Shatter, Captain Apache, Strange Shadows in an Empty Room, Guyana: Crime of the Century
, Treasure Seekers and The White Buffalo
.
, was seriously considered for the role of "Bart Maverick" in the smash hit television series Maverick
. The studio needed another Maverick to rotate as the series lead with James Garner
. Garner, who had filmed seven episodes, resembled Whitman at the time, but Jack Kelly
was chosen for the part.
A decade later, however, Whitman had a memorable foray into television for a single season in 1967, playing the heroic Marshal Jim Crown in the lavish western TV series Cimarron Strip
. The show, which ran 90 minutes per episode, was highly regarded for its thrilling theme music, top-notch production values, and Whitman's performance. His principal costar was Randy Boone
, who played the photographer Francis Wilder.
Later Whitman performed the role of Clark Kent
's father Jonathan Kent
on the popular TV series Superboy
.
Whitman made over two hundred appearances in various movies and television shows over a half-century span between 1951 and 2000. One of his early roles came in 1957 in the syndicated
military dramas, Harbor Command
, a drama about the United States Coast Guard
, and The Silent Service
, based on true stories of the submarine
service of the United States Navy
. Whitman's last credited role was in The President's Man, released in 2000 and starring Chuck Norris
. He had previously appeared with Norris in a two-part episode of Walker, Texas Ranger
.
Whitman appeared in an episode of the TV series Ghost Story ("The Concrete Captain," c. 1973), an example of his fine acting skill.
In "Blood Sweat and Cheers", Series 4, Episode 8 of the "A Team", Stuart Whitman played Jack Harman, a friend of Hannibal Smith.
Caroline Boubis (1966–1974). They divorced, and had one son together, Justin. His first marriage, to Patricia LaLonde (October 13, 1952–1966), ended in divorce. They had four children: Tony (b. 1953), Michael (b. 1954), Linda (b. 1956) and Scott (b. 1958).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
.
Stuart Whitman is arguably best-known for playing Marshal Jim Crown in the western television series Cimarron Strip
Cimarron Strip
Cimarron Strip is an American Western television series that aired on CBS from September 1967 to March 1968. Starring Stuart Whitman as Marshal Jim Crown, the series was produced by the creators of Gunsmoke...
in 1967. Whitman also starred with John Wayne
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
in the Western movie, The Comancheros
The Comancheros
The Comancheros is a 1961 western Deluxe CinemaScope color film directed by Michael Curtiz and John Wayne based on a 1952 novel by Paul Wellman starring John Wayne and Stuart Whitman. When health troubles prevented Curtiz from finishing the film, Wayne directed the remainder of the movie, though...
, in 1961, and received top billing as the romantic lead in the extravagant aerial epic Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines
Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines
Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines, Or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 Hours 11 Minutes is a 1965 British comedy film starring Stuart Whitman and directed and co-written by Ken Annakin...
in 1965.
Early life
Whitman was born in San Francisco, CaliforniaSan Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, the elder of two sons. His parents, Cecilia (née Gold) and Joseph Whitman, traveled frequently during his childhood, and as a result, he attended over twenty schools. He graduated from high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
and spent three years in the Army Corps of Engineers. After leaving the army, he enrolled in Los Angeles City College
Los Angeles City College
Los Angeles City College, known as LACC, is a public community college in the East Hollywood section of Los Angeles, California. A part of the Los Angeles Community College District, it is located on Vermont Avenue south of Santa Monica Boulevard...
and the Los Angeles Academy of Dramatic Art.
Film career
Whitman was a supporting actorSupporting actor
A supporting actor is an actor who performs roles in a play or film other than that of the leads.These roles range from bit parts to secondary leads. They are sometimes but not necessarily character roles. A supporting actor must also use restraint not to upstage the main actor/actress in the...
in When Worlds Collide
When Worlds Collide (film)
When Worlds Collide is a 1951 science fiction film based on the 1933 novel co-written by Philip Gordon Wylie and Edwin Balmer. The film was shot in Technicolor, directed by Rudolph Maté and was the winner of the 1951 Academy Award for special effects....
(1951), All American (1953), Brigadoon
Brigadoon
Brigadoon is a musical with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. Songs from the musical, such as "Almost Like Being in Love" have become standards....
(1954), Silver Lode
Silver Lode (1954 film)
Silver Lode is a color 1954 western film directed by Allan Dwan.The film, with a similar plot to High Noon, tells the story of Dan Ballard and Rose Evans who are about to be married when Marshal Fred McCarty and his deputies ride into town looking for Ballard...
(1954), Ten North Frederick
Ten North Frederick (film)
Ten North Frederick is a 1958 American drama film starring Gary Cooper, written and directed by Philip Dunne. The screenplay is based on the 1955 novel of the same name by John O'Hara.-Plot:...
(1958), The Decks Ran Red
The Decks Ran Red
The Decks Ran Red is a 1958 M-G-M sea-going suspense drama based on the book Infamy at Sea, and directed by Andrew L. Stone. The feature starred, James Mason, Dorothy Dandridge, Broderick Crawford, and Stuart Whitman....
(1958) starring Dorothy Dandridge
Dorothy Dandridge
Dorothy Jean Dandridge was an American actress and popular singer, and was the first African-American to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress...
, on whose face Whitman planted Hollywood's first interrracial kiss, These Thousand Hills
These Thousand Hills
These Thousand Hills is a 1959 Western film starring Patricia Owens, Alfred Hayes and Richard Egan, and based on the novel of the same name by A. B. Guthrie Jr.....
(1959), and The Sound and the Fury
The Sound and the Fury
The Sound and the Fury is a novel written by the American author William Faulkner. It employs a number of narrative styles, including the technique known as stream of consciousness, pioneered by 20th century European novelists such as James Joyce and Virginia Woolf. Published in 1929, The Sound and...
(1959).
When Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston was an American actor of film, theatre and television. Heston is known for heroic roles in films such as The Ten Commandments, Ben-Hur for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor, El Cid, and Planet of the Apes...
, who had originally been signed to play the lead in 1958's Darby's Rangers left the movie, James Garner
James Garner
James Garner is an American film and television actor, one of the first Hollywood actors to excel in both media. He has starred in several television series spanning a career of more than five decades...
was given the lead and Whitman wound up with Garner's original role in the film.
His first leading man
Leading man
Leading man or leading gentleman is an informal term for the actor who plays a love interest to the leading actress in a film or play. A leading man is usually an all rounder; capable of singing, dancing, and acting at a professional level, but never outshining his female co-star...
role is in Murder, Inc.
Murder, Inc. (1960 film)
Murder, Inc. is a 1960 American gangster film starring Stuart Whitman, May Britt, Henry Morgan, Peter Falk, and Simon Oakland. The Cinemascope movie was directed by Burt Balaban and Stuart Rosenberg. The screenplay was based on the true story of Murder Inc., a Brooklyn gang that operated in the...
in 1960. He was signed on as a contract star with 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
.
In 1961, Whitman was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor
Academy Award for Best Actor
Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry...
for his role as a child molester
Pedophilia
As a medical diagnosis, pedophilia is defined as a psychiatric disorder in adults or late adolescents typically characterized by a primary or exclusive sexual interest in prepubescent children...
in The Mark
The Mark
The Mark is a 1961 film which tells the story of a convicted child molester, now out of prison, who is suspected in the molestation and beating of another child. It stars Maria Schell, Stuart Whitman, Rod Steiger and Brenda De Banzie....
, a role many other better known actors turned down. He has since appeared in starring and supporting roles in many films, including Francis of Assisi
Francis of Assisi (film)
Francis of Assisi is a Delux color 1961 Cinemascope film directed by Michael Curtiz, based on the novel The Joyful Beggar by Louis de Wohl.-Plot:...
, The Fiercest Heart, The Longest Day
The Longest Day (film)
The Longest Day is a 1962 war film based on the 1959 history book The Longest Day by Cornelius Ryan, about "D-Day", the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944, during World War II....
, The Comancheros
The Comancheros
The Comancheros is a 1961 western Deluxe CinemaScope color film directed by Michael Curtiz and John Wayne based on a 1952 novel by Paul Wellman starring John Wayne and Stuart Whitman. When health troubles prevented Curtiz from finishing the film, Wayne directed the remainder of the movie, though...
(sharing leading man status with John Wayne
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
), Convicts 4
Convicts 4
Convicts 4 is a 1962 prison film drama starring Ben Gazzara and directed by Millard Kaufman. A true story, it is based on the autobiography of John Resko, Reprieve.- Plot summary :...
, The Day and the Hour, Signpost to Murder, Shock Treatment, Rio Conchos
Rio Conchos (1964 film)
Rio Conchos is a 1964 Cinemascope Western starring Stuart Whitman, Richard Boone, Tony Franciosa, Edmund O'Brien, and in his motion picture debut, Jim Brown....
, Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines
Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines
Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines, Or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 Hours 11 Minutes is a 1965 British comedy film starring Stuart Whitman and directed and co-written by Ken Annakin...
, Sands of the Kalahari
Sands of the Kalahari
Sands of the Kalahari is a 1965 film British drama film starring Stuart Whitman, Stanley Baker, Susannah York, Harry Andrews and Theodore Bikel, based on the 1960 novel by William Mulvihill. The movie was written by Cy Endfield and William Mulvihill and directed by Cy Endfield...
, The City Beneath the Sea, An American Dream
An American Dream
An American Dream is Norman Mailer's fourth novel, published by Dial Press. Mailer wrote it in serialized form for Esquire, consciously attempting to resurrect the methodology used by Charles Dickens and other earlier novelists, with Mailer writing each chapter against monthly deadlines...
, The Last Escape
The Last Escape
The Last Escape also known as O.S.S. is a 1970 American/German international co-production war film directed by Walter Grauman and starring Stuart Whitman, John Collin and Martin Jarvis...
, The Invincible Six
The Invincible Six
The Invincible Six is a 1970 American-Iranian adventure film directed by Jean Negulesco and starring Stuart Whitman, Elke Sommer, Curd Jürgens and Ian Ogilvy...
, Night of the Lepus
Night of the Lepus
Night of the Lepus, also known as Rabbits, is a 1972 American science fiction horror film based on the 1964 science fiction novel The Year of the Angry Rabbit. Released theatrically on October 4, 1972, it focuses on members of a small Arizona town who battle thousands of mutated, carnivorous killer...
, Shatter, Captain Apache, Strange Shadows in an Empty Room, Guyana: Crime of the Century
Guyana: Crime of the Century
Guyana: Crime of the Century is a 1979 exploitation horror film written and directed by René Cardona Jr.. The film, which was shot in Mexico is very loosely based on the Jonestown Massacre. It stars a number of American actors such as Stuart Whitman and Gene Barry...
, Treasure Seekers and The White Buffalo
The White Buffalo
The White Buffalo is a 1977 western film starring Charles Bronson, Kim Novak, Jack Warden, Slim Pickens, and Will Sampson. The movie is rated PG in the USA. The film is directed by J. Lee Thompson, who frequently teamed with Bronson. It was also the final film Bronson made for United...
.
Television
In 1957, Whitman, who frequently appeared as a police officer Sgt. Walters on the television series Highway PatrolHighway Patrol (TV series)
Highway Patrol is a syndicated action crime drama series produced 1955-1959.-Overview:Highway Patrol stars Broderick Crawford as Dan Mathews, the gruff and dedicated head of a police force in an unidentified Western state...
, was seriously considered for the role of "Bart Maverick" in the smash hit television series Maverick
Maverick (TV series)
Maverick is a western television series with comedic overtones created by Roy Huggins. The show ran from September 22, 1957 to July 8, 1962 on ABC and stars James Garner as Bret Maverick, a cagey, articulate cardsharp. Eight episodes into the first season, he was joined by Jack Kelly as his brother...
. The studio needed another Maverick to rotate as the series lead with James Garner
James Garner
James Garner is an American film and television actor, one of the first Hollywood actors to excel in both media. He has starred in several television series spanning a career of more than five decades...
. Garner, who had filmed seven episodes, resembled Whitman at the time, but Jack Kelly
Jack Kelly (actor)
Jack Kelly was an American film and television actor most noted for the role of "Bart Maverick" in the TV series Maverick, which ran on ABC from 1957 to 1962...
was chosen for the part.
A decade later, however, Whitman had a memorable foray into television for a single season in 1967, playing the heroic Marshal Jim Crown in the lavish western TV series Cimarron Strip
Cimarron Strip
Cimarron Strip is an American Western television series that aired on CBS from September 1967 to March 1968. Starring Stuart Whitman as Marshal Jim Crown, the series was produced by the creators of Gunsmoke...
. The show, which ran 90 minutes per episode, was highly regarded for its thrilling theme music, top-notch production values, and Whitman's performance. His principal costar was Randy Boone
Randy Boone
Clyde Wilson Randall Boone, Jr., known as Randy Boone , is a former actor who co-starred in two of the three 90-minute westerns telecast during the 1960s on the national television networks, NBC's The Virginian and CBS's Cimarron Strip...
, who played the photographer Francis Wilder.
Later Whitman performed the role of Clark Kent
Clark Kent
Clark Kent is a fictional character created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Appearing regularly in stories published by DC Comics, he debuted in Action Comics #1 and serves as the civilian and secret identity of the superhero Superman....
's father Jonathan Kent
Jonathan Kent (comics)
Jonathan Kent and Martha Kent, often referred to as "Ma" and "Pa" Kent, are fictional characters published by DC Comics. The Kents are the adoptive parents of Superman. They live in the rural town of Smallville, Kansas...
on the popular TV series Superboy
Superboy (TV series)
Superboy is a half-hour live-action television series based on the fictional DC Comics comic book character Kal-El's early years as Superboy. The show ran from 1988–1992 in syndication...
.
Whitman made over two hundred appearances in various movies and television shows over a half-century span between 1951 and 2000. One of his early roles came in 1957 in the syndicated
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
military dramas, Harbor Command
Harbor Command
Harbor Command is a syndicated adventure/drama television series starring Wendell Corey as Captain Ralph Baxter, a fictitious officer of the United States Coast Guard. The 39-episode Ziv program aired in black and white from October 11, 1957, to July 4, 1958. Casey Walters appeared in all episodes...
, a drama about the United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
, and The Silent Service
The Silent Service (TV series)
The Silent Service was a 1957–1958 syndicated anthology television series based on actual events in the submarine section of the United States Navy. The Silent Service was narrated by Rear Admiral Thomas M. Dykers, who retired from the Navy in 1949 after twenty-two years of service...
, based on true stories of the submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
service of the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
. Whitman's last credited role was in The President's Man, released in 2000 and starring Chuck Norris
Chuck Norris
Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris is an American martial artist and actor. After serving in the United States Air Force, he began his rise to fame as a martial artist and has since founded his own school, Chun Kuk Do...
. He had previously appeared with Norris in a two-part episode of Walker, Texas Ranger
Walker, Texas Ranger
Walker, Texas Ranger is an American television action crime drama series created by Leslie Greif and Paul Haggis, and starring Chuck Norris as a member of the Texas Ranger Division. The show aired on CBS in the spring of 1993, with the first season consisting of three pilot episodes. Eight full...
.
Whitman appeared in an episode of the TV series Ghost Story ("The Concrete Captain," c. 1973), an example of his fine acting skill.
In "Blood Sweat and Cheers", Series 4, Episode 8 of the "A Team", Stuart Whitman played Jack Harman, a friend of Hannibal Smith.
Personal life
Stuart was married to the French-bornFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Caroline Boubis (1966–1974). They divorced, and had one son together, Justin. His first marriage, to Patricia LaLonde (October 13, 1952–1966), ended in divorce. They had four children: Tony (b. 1953), Michael (b. 1954), Linda (b. 1956) and Scott (b. 1958).
Selected filmography
- The ComancherosThe ComancherosThe Comancheros is a 1961 western Deluxe CinemaScope color film directed by Michael Curtiz and John Wayne based on a 1952 novel by Paul Wellman starring John Wayne and Stuart Whitman. When health troubles prevented Curtiz from finishing the film, Wayne directed the remainder of the movie, though...
(1961) - The MarkThe MarkThe Mark is a 1961 film which tells the story of a convicted child molester, now out of prison, who is suspected in the molestation and beating of another child. It stars Maria Schell, Stuart Whitman, Rod Steiger and Brenda De Banzie....
(1961) - The Longest DayThe Longest DayThe Longest Day could refer to:*D day*The Longest Day , published in 1959 by Cornelius Ryan*The Longest Day , a 1962 war film based on Ryan's book*The Longest Day , a 1980 wargame by Avalon Hill...
(1962) - Shock Treatment (1964)
- Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying MachinesThose Magnificent Men in Their Flying MachinesThose Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines, Or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 Hours 11 Minutes is a 1965 British comedy film starring Stuart Whitman and directed and co-written by Ken Annakin...
(1965) - Eaten AliveEaten AliveEaten Alive is a 1977 horror film directed by Tobe Hooper...
(1977) - The Treasure SeekersThe Treasure Seekers (1979 film)The Treasure Seekers is a 1979 British-American action film directed by Henry Levin and starring Rod Taylor, Stuart Whitman and Elke Sommer. Two former Second World War comrades re-unite to search for the lost treasures of the Seventeenth century pirate Henry Morgan...
(1979)