Wesley Addy
Encyclopedia
Wesley Addy was an American
actor
.
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 TV up to that time.
Also on television he played roles on The Edge of Night
in the 1950s. 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
. 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. Cdr. Alvin Kramer, who unsuccessfully tries to warn American officials of the impending attack on Pearl Harbor
in Tora! Tora! Tora!
.
Addy was born as Robert Wesley Addy in Omaha, Nebraska
and died in Danbury, Connecticut
. He was married to actress Celeste Holm
from 1961 until his death.
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...
.
He played many roles on the Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
stage, including several Shakespearean ones, usually opposite actor Maurice Evans
Maurice Evans (actor)
Maurice Herbert Evans was an English actor noted for his interpretations of Shakespearean characters. In terms of his screen roles, he is probably best known as Dr...
. After playing two roles in one of Evans's productions of Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
, he played Horatio
Horatio (character)
Horatio is a character from William Shakespeare's play Hamlet. A friend of Prince Hamlet from Wittenberg University, Horatio's origins are unknown, though he is evidently poor and was present on the battlefield when Hamlet's father defeated 'the ambitious Norway'...
opposite Evans's Hamlet in a 1953 Hallmark Hall of Fame
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Hallmark Hall of Fame is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City based greeting card company. The second longest-running television program in the history of television, it has a historically long run, beginning in 1951 and continuing into 2011...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
production of the work, the most prestigious American production of the play seen on TV up to that time.
Also on television he played roles on The Edge of Night
The Edge of Night
The Edge of Night is an American television mystery series/soap opera produced by Procter & Gamble. It debuted on CBS on April 2, 1956, and ran as a live broadcast on that network until November 28, 1975; the series then moved to ABC, where it aired from December 1, 1975, until December 28, 1984...
in the 1950s. Later, during the 1970s-1980s, he played publisher Bill Woodard on Ryan's Hope
Ryan's Hope
Ryan's Hope is an American soap opera, revolving around 13 years of trials and tribulations within a large Irish American family in the Riverside district of New York City. It aired from July 7, 1975 to January 13, 1989 on ABC...
and patriarch Cabot Alden on the Agnes Nixon
Agnes Nixon
Agnes Nixon is an American writer and producer. She attended Northwestern University where she was a member of Alpha Chi Omega sorority, and is best known as the creator of soap operas such as One Life to Live and All My Children...
-Douglas Marland
Douglas Marland
Douglas Marland was an American actor and writer of soap operas.-Career:He began his soap opera career as an actor, appearing on the Irna Phillips series The Brighter Day and As the World Turns. He also did odd jobs on the side as a director for small theatre groups...
serial Loving
Loving (TV series)
Caden Grant Carlton loves Mika Ayako Ryan more.Loving is an American television soap opera which aired on ABC's daytime lineup from June 26, 1983 to November 10, 1995 for 3,169 episodes...
. In motion pictures, Addy's career spanned four decades. Robert Aldrich
Robert Aldrich
Robert Aldrich was an American film director, writer and producer, notable for such films as Kiss Me Deadly , The Big Knife , What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? , Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte , The Flight of the Phoenix , The Dirty Dozen , and The Longest Yard .-Biography:Robert...
used him as supporting actor in several pictures, such as Kiss Me Deadly
Kiss Me Deadly
Kiss Me Deadly is a 1955 film noir drama produced and directed by Robert Aldrich starring Ralph Meeker. The screenplay was written by A.I. Bezzerides, based on the Mickey Spillane Mike Hammer mystery novel Kiss Me, Deadly. Kiss Me Deadly is often considered a classic of the noir genre. The film...
, The Big Knife
The Big Knife
The Big Knife is a film noir directed and produced by Robert Aldrich from a screenplay by James Poe based on the play by Clifford Odets. The film stars Jack Palance, Ida Lupino, Wendell Corey, Jean Hagen, Rod Steiger, Shelley Winters, Ilka Chase, and Everett Sloane.-Plot:Charlie Castle, a very...
(both 1955), What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (film)
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? is a 1962 American psychological thriller film produced and directed by Robert Aldrich, starring Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. The screenplay by Lukas Heller is based on the novel of the same name by Henry Farrell...
(1962), Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964) and The Grissom Gang
The Grissom Gang
The Grissom Gang is a 1971 American period gangster film directed and produced by Robert Aldrich. The screenplay was by Leon Griffiths, based on the novel No Orchids for Miss Blandish by James Hadley Chase. The cinematographer was Joseph Biroc...
(1971). In 1976, Addy appeared in Paddy Chayefsky
Paddy Chayefsky
Sidney Aaron "Paddy" Chayefsky , was an American playwright, screenwriter, and novelist. He is the only person to have won three solo Academy Awards for Best Screenplay....
's Network
Network (film)
Network is a 1976 American satirical film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer about a fictional television network, Union Broadcasting System , and its struggle with poor ratings. The film was written by Paddy Chayefsky and directed by Sidney Lumet...
, directed by Sidney Lumet
Sidney Lumet
Sidney Lumet was an American director, producer and screenwriter with over 50 films to his credit. He was nominated for the Academy Award as Best Director for 12 Angry Men , Dog Day Afternoon , Network and The Verdict...
. They would work together again in The Verdict
The Verdict
The Verdict is a 1982 courtroom drama film which tells the story of a down-on-his-luck alcoholic lawyer who pushes a medical malpractice case in order to improve his own situation, but discovers along the way that he is doing the right thing. Since the lawsuit involves a woman in a persistent...
., in which Addy played a doctor who nearly derails Paul Newman
Paul Newman
Paul Leonard Newman was an American actor, film director, entrepreneur, humanitarian, professional racing driver and auto racing enthusiast...
's case against a hospital for malpractice. Another of Addy's best-remembered roles was that of Lt. Cdr. Alvin Kramer, who unsuccessfully tries to warn American officials of the impending attack on Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
in Tora! Tora! Tora!
Tora! Tora! Tora!
is a 1970 American-Japanese war film that dramatizes the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, to the extent these facts were known at the time of production. The film was directed by Richard Fleischer and stars an all-star cast, including So Yamamura, E.G...
.
Addy was born as Robert Wesley Addy in Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
and died in Danbury, Connecticut
Danbury, Connecticut
Danbury is a city in northern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It had population at the 2010 census of 80,893. Danbury is the fourth largest city in Fairfield County and is the seventh largest city in Connecticut....
. He was married to actress Celeste Holm
Celeste Holm
Celeste Holm is an American stage, film, and television actress, known for her Academy Award-winning performance in Gentleman's Agreement , as well as for her Oscar-nominated performances in Come to the Stable and All About Eve...
from 1961 until his death.
Filmography
- The First Legion (1951) - Father John Fulton
- My Six ConvictsMy Six ConvictsMy Six Convicts is an American 1952 comedy-drama film adapted from the autobiographical book written by Donald Powell Wilson. The film was adapted for the screen by screenwriter Michael Blankfort and directed by Hugo Fregonese who was nominated for the Directors Guild of America Award for...
(1952) - Actor - Mickey Spillane's Kiss Me DeadlyKiss Me DeadlyKiss Me Deadly is a 1955 film noir drama produced and directed by Robert Aldrich starring Ralph Meeker. The screenplay was written by A.I. Bezzerides, based on the Mickey Spillane Mike Hammer mystery novel Kiss Me, Deadly. Kiss Me Deadly is often considered a classic of the noir genre. The film...
(1955) - Lt. Pat Murphy - The Big KnifeThe Big KnifeThe Big Knife is a film noir directed and produced by Robert Aldrich from a screenplay by James Poe based on the play by Clifford Odets. The film stars Jack Palance, Ida Lupino, Wendell Corey, Jean Hagen, Rod Steiger, Shelley Winters, Ilka Chase, and Everett Sloane.-Plot:Charlie Castle, a very...
(1955) - Horatio "Hank" Teagle - Time Table (1956) - Dr. Paul Brucker
- The Garment JungleThe Garment JungleThe Garment Jungle is a 1957 American crime film noir directed by Vincent Sherman and Robert Aldrich and written by Lester Velie and Harry Kleiner. The drama features Gia Scala, Lee J. Cobb, Kerwin Matthews and Richard Boone, among others.-Plot:...
(1957) - Mr. Paul - Ten Seconds to HellTen Seconds to HellTen Seconds To Hell is a 1959 British, American and German film directed by Robert Aldrich and based upon Lawrence P. Bachmann's novel, The Phoenix...
(1959) - Wolfgang Sulke - What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (film)What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? is a 1962 American psychological thriller film produced and directed by Robert Aldrich, starring Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. The screenplay by Lukas Heller is based on the novel of the same name by Henry Farrell...
(1962) - Marty Mc Donald - 4 for Texas4 for Texas4 for Texas is a 1963 American western comedy starring Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Anita Ekberg, Ursula Andress, and featuring screen thugs Charles Bronson and Mike Mazurki, with a cameo appearance by the Three Stooges...
(1963) - Winthrop Trowbridge - Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964) - Sheriff Luke Standish
- Seconds (1966) - John
- Mister BuddwingMister BuddwingMister Buddwing is a 1966 American film drama starring James Garner, directed by Delbert Mann.It is the story of a well-dressed man who finds himself on a bench in Central Park with no idea of who he is...
(1966) - Dice Player - Tora! Tora! Tora!Tora! Tora! Tora!is a 1970 American-Japanese war film that dramatizes the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, to the extent these facts were known at the time of production. The film was directed by Richard Fleischer and stars an all-star cast, including So Yamamura, E.G...
(1970) - Lt. Cmdr. Alvin D. Kramer - The Grissom GangThe Grissom GangThe Grissom Gang is a 1971 American period gangster film directed and produced by Robert Aldrich. The screenplay was by Leon Griffiths, based on the novel No Orchids for Miss Blandish by James Hadley Chase. The cinematographer was Joseph Biroc...
(1971) - John P. Blandish - NetworkNetwork (film)Network is a 1976 American satirical film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer about a fictional television network, Union Broadcasting System , and its struggle with poor ratings. The film was written by Paddy Chayefsky and directed by Sidney Lumet...
(1976) - Nelson Chaney - The EuropeansThe Europeans (film)The Europeans is a 1979 Merchant Ivory Film, directed by James Ivory, produced by Ismail Merchant, and with an adapted screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. It is based upon the novel, The Europeans, by Henry James. It was entered into the 1979 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:*Lee Remick - Eugenia...
(1979) - Mr. Wentworth - The VerdictThe VerdictThe Verdict is a 1982 courtroom drama film which tells the story of a down-on-his-luck alcoholic lawyer who pushes a medical malpractice case in order to improve his own situation, but discovers along the way that he is doing the right thing. Since the lawsuit involves a woman in a persistent...
(1982) - Dr. Towler - The BostoniansThe Bostonians (film)The Bostonians is a 1984 Merchant Ivory film based on Henry James's novel of the same name. The film stars Vanessa Redgrave, Christopher Reeve, Madeleine Potter and Jessica Tandy. The movie received respectable reviews and showings at arthouse theaters in New York, London and other cities...
(1984) - Dr. Tarrant - A Modern AffairA Modern AffairA Modern Affair is an independent feature directed by Vern Oakley and produced by Tribe Pictures. Starring Stanley Tucci and Lisa Eichhorn, the film's plot reverses the conventions of romantic comedies: instead of man meet woman - fall in love, marry and have baby, in this film the woman gets...
(1995) - Ed Rhodes - Harvest of Fire (1996) - Bishop Levi Lapp
- Before and After (1996) - Judge Grady