Keenan Wynn
Keenan Wynn | |
---|---|
c.1950 | |
Born |
Francis Xavier Aloysius James Jeremiah Keenan Wynn July 27, 1916 New York City, New York, U.S. |
Died |
October 14, 1986 70) Brentwood, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | (aged
Cause of death | Pancreatic cancer |
Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1934–1986 |
Spouse(s) |
Eve Lynn Abbott (m. 1938–1947; divorced) Betty Jane Butler (m. 1949–1953; divorced) Sharley Hudson (m. 1954–1986; his death) |
Children | 5 |
Keenan Wynn (July 27, 1916 – October 14, 1986) was an American actor. His expressive face was his stock-in-trade; and, though he rarely carried the lead role, he had prominent billing in most of his film and television parts.
Early life and career
Wynn was born in New York City as Francis Xavier Aloysius James Jeremiah Keenan Wynn, the son of vaudeville comedian Ed Wynn and his wife, the former Hilda Keenan. He took his stage name from his maternal grandfather, Frank Keenan, one of the first Broadway actors to star in Hollywood. His father was Jewish and his mother was of Irish Catholic background.
Ed Wynn encouraged his son to become an actor, and they both appeared in the original Playhouse 90 television production of Rod Serling's Requiem for a Heavyweight. The son was returning the favor: according to radio historian Elizabeth McLeod, Keenan had helped his father overcome professional collapse, a harrowing divorce, and a nervous breakdown to return to work a decade earlier, and now helped convince Serling and producer Martin Manulis that the elder Wynn should play the wistful trainer. He also appeared in a subsequent TV drama called The Man in the Funny Suit, which detailed the problems they had experienced while working on that show. In it, the Wynns, Serling, and many of the cast and crew played themselves. Keenan also featured in another Rod Serling production, a The Twilight Zone episode entitled, "A World of His Own" (1960) as playwright Gregory West, who uniquely caused series creator Rod Serling to disappear.
Radio
Wynn starred in The Amazing Mr. Smith on Mutual April 7-June 30, 1941. He played the title role, "a carefree young man who runs into trouble galore and becomes an involuntary detective."[1]
Film and television
Wynn appeared in hundreds of films and television shows between 1934 and 1986. He was a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract player during the 1940s and 1950s. He had a brief but memorable role as a belligerent, unsympathetic drunk in the classic wartime romance The Clock (1945).
His early postwar credits include Annie Get Your Gun (1950), Royal Wedding (1951), Kiss Me, Kate (1953), Battle Circus (1953), The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit (1956), A Hole in the Head (1959), The Absent-Minded Professor (1961), Son of Flubber (1963) and Dr. Strangelove (1964). He had an uncredited role in Touch of Evil (1958).
In the 1959-1960 television season, Wynn co-starred with Bob Mathias in NBC's The Troubleshooters, an adventure program about unusual events surrounding an international construction company. Wynn played the role of Kodiak, the "troubleshooter", for Mathias's Frank Dugan.
He appeared in numerous television series, such as the ABC/Warner Brothers drama, The Roaring 20s, The Islanders, and the ABC western series, The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters.
Wynn took a dramatic turn as Yost in the crime drama Point Blank (1967) with Lee Marvin. He had a leading role in the third Beach Party movie, Bikini Beach (1964) as a scheming newspaper publisher who wants to banish the local young people. Later he played Hezakiah in the 1965 comedy film, The Great Race (1965). He was the voice of the Winter Warlock in Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (1970) and appeared in several Disney films, including Snowball Express (1972), Herbie Rides Again (1974) and The Shaggy D.A. (1976) (as a villain who learns Wilbur Daniels's secret, and uses it against him).
He appeared in Francis Coppola's musical Finian's Rainbow (1968), Sergio Leone's epic western Once Upon a Time in the West (also 1968), and Robert Altman's Nashville (1975). During this time his guest television roles included Alias Smith and Jones (1971-1972), Emergency! (1975), Movin' On (1975), and The Bionic Woman (1978).
Wynn appeared in ten episodes of TV's Dallas during the 1979-80 season, playing the part of former Ewing family partner-turned-enemy Digger Barnes. David Wayne, a friend of Wynn's, had played Digger Barnes in 1978, but was unable to continue with the part because of Wayne's co-starring role in the CBS series, House Calls, starring Wayne Rogers.
Wynn was initially cast in Superman (1978) to play Perry White[2] (the boss of Clark Kent and Lois Lane at the Daily Planet) in April 1977. However, by June (production had moved to Pinewood Studios in England), Wynn collapsed from exhaustion and was rushed to a hospital. He was replaced by Jackie Cooper. In 1983, he guest-starred in one of the last episodes of Taxi and Quincy M.E. In 1984, he starred in the television film Call to Glory, which later became a weekly television series.
Personal life and last years
Wynn was married to former stage actress Eve Lynn Abbott (1914–2004) until their divorce in 1947, whereupon Abbott married actor Van Johnson, one of the couple's closest friends.[3] Abbott contended her marriage to Wynn was a happy one, but that her divorce and remarriage was engineered by MGM studio-boss Louis B. Mayer, who refused to renew Wynn's contract unless Abbott divorced him and married Johnson, who was the subject of many rumors concerning his homosexuality.[4]
One son, actor and writer Ned Wynn (born Edmond Keenan Wynn), wrote the autobiographical memoir We Will Always Live In Beverly Hills. His other son, Tracy Keenan Wynn, is a screenwriter whose credits include The Longest Yard and The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (both 1974). His daughter Hilda was married to Paul Williams. He was an uncle by marriage to the Hudson Brothers.
In his later years, Wynn undertook a number of philanthropic endeavors and supported several charity groups. He was a long-standing active member of the Westwood Sertoma service club, in West Los Angeles.
During his last few years, Wynn suffered from pancreatic cancer, which caused his death in 1986. His ashes are interred in Glendale's Forest Lawn Memorial Park in The Great Mausoleum, Daffodil Corridor, Columbarium of the Dawn, in a niche alongside his father, Ed Wynn, his daughter, Emily (February 13, 1960 – November 27, 1980) who died from lupus and his aunt, Blanche Leopold (May 18, 1880 – December 26, 1973).
Partial filmography
- Somewhere I'll Find You (1942) as Sergeant Tom Purdy (uncredited)
- For Me and My Gal (1942) as Eddie Milton (uncredited)
- Northwest Rangers (1942) as 'Slip' O'Mara
- Lost Angel (1943) as Packy Roost
- See Here, Private Hargrove (1944) as Pvt. Mulvehill
- Since You Went Away (1944) as Lt. Solomon
- Marriage Is a Private Affair (1944) as Maj. Bob Wilton
- Without Love (1945) as Quentin Ladd
- The Clock (1945) as The Drunk
- Between Two Women (1945) as Tobey
- Ziegfeld Follies (1945) as Caller ('Number Please')
- Week-End at the Waldorf (1945) as Oliver Webson
- What Next, Corporal Hargrove? (1945) as Pvt. Thomas Mulvehill
- Easy to Wed (1946) as Warren Haggerty
- The Thrill of Brazil (1946) as Steve Farraugh
- No Leave, No Love (1946) as Slinky
- The Cockeyed Miracle (1946) as Ben Griggs
- The Hucksters (1947) as Buddy Hare
- Song of the Thin Man (1947) as Clarence 'Clinker' Krause
- B.F.'s Daughter (1948) as Martin Delwyn Ainsley
- The Three Musketeers (1948) as Planchet
- My Dear Secretary (1948) as Ronnie Hastings
- Neptune's Daughter (1949) as Joe Backett
- That Midnight Kiss (1949) as Artie Geoffrey Glenson
- Annie Get Your Gun (1950) as Charlie Davenport
- Love That Brute (1950) as Bugsy Welch
- Three Little Words (1950) as Charlie Kope
- Royal Wedding (1951) as Irving Klinger / Edgar Klinger
- Kind Lady (1951) as Edwards
- Angels in the Outfield (1951) as Fred Bayles
- Texas Carnival (1951) as Dan Sabinas
- It's a Big Country (1951) as Michael Fisher
- Phone Call from a Stranger (1952) as Eddie Hoke
- The Belle of New York (1952) as Max Ferris
- Skirts Ahoy! (1952) as Keenan Wynn (uncredited)
- Holiday for Sinners (1952) as Joe Piavi
- Fearless Fagan (1952) as Sgt. Kellwi - Company J
- Desperate Search (1952) as Brandy
- Sky Full of Moon (1952) as Al
- Battle Circus (1953) as Sgt. Orvil Statt
- Code Two (1953) as Police Sgt. Jumbo Culdane
- Kiss Me Kate (1953) as Lippy
- All the Brothers Were Valiant (1953) as Silva
- The Long, Long Trailer (1953) as Policeman
- Tennessee Champ (1954) as Willy Wurble
- Men of the Fighting Lady (1954) as Lt. Comdr. Ted Dodson
- The Glass Slipper (1955) as Kovin
- The Marauders (1955) as Hook
- Running Wild (1955) as Ken Osanger
- Shack Out on 101 (1955) as George
- The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit (1956) as Sgt. Caesar Gardella
- The Naked Hills (1956) as Sam Wilkins
- Johnny Concho (1956) as Barney Clark
- The Great Man (1956) as Sid Moore
- Joe Butterfly (1957) as Harold Hathaway
- The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown (1957) as Dandy
- Don't Go Near the Water (1957) as Gordon Ripwell
- The Deep Six (1958) as Lt. Comm. Mike Edge
- Touch of Evil (1958) as Bartender (uncredited)
- A Time to Love and a Time to Die (1958) as Reuter
- The Perfect Furlough (1958) as Harvey Franklin
- That Kind of Woman (1959) as Harry Corwin
- A Hole in the Head (1959) as Jerry Marks
- The Crowded Sky (1960) as Nick Hyland
- The Absent-Minded Professor (1961) as Alonzo P. Hawk
- The Big Bankroll (1961) as Tom Fowler
- Black City (1961) as Di Gennaro
- Son of Flubber (1963) as Alonzo P. Hawk
- The Bay of St. Michel (1963) as Nick Rawlings
- Man in the Middle (1964) as Lt. Charles Winston
- Dr. Strangelove (1964) as Colonel Bat Guano
- Honeymoon Hotel (1964) as Mr. Sampson
- Stage to Thunder Rock (1964) as Ross Sawyer
- Bikini Beach (1964) as Harvey Huntington Honeywagon
- The Patsy (1964) as Harry Silver
- The Americanization of Emily (1964) as Old Sailor
- Nightmare in the Sun (1965) as Junk dealer
- The Great Race (1965) as Hezekiah Sturdy
- Promise Her Anything (1966) as Angelo Carelli
- The Night of the Grizzly (1966) as Jed Curry
- Stagecoach (1966) as Luke Plummer
- Around the World Under the Sea (1966) as Hank Stahl
- Warning Shot (1967) as Sgt. Ed Musso
- Welcome to Hard Times (1967) as Zar
- The War Wagon (1967) as Wes Fletcher
- Point Blank (1967) as Yost
- Run Like a Thief (1967) as Willy Gore
- Frame Up (1968) as Inspector Donald
- The Longest Hunt (1968) as Major Charlie Doneghan
- Finian's Rainbow (1968) as Senator Billboard Rawkins
- Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) as Sheriff - Auctioneer
- Mackenna's Gold (1969) as Sanchez
- Smith! (1969) as Vince Heber
- The Monitors (1969) as The General
- Viva Max! (1969) as General Lacomber
- 80 Steps to Jonah (1969) as Barney Glover
- Loving (1970) as Edward
- Five Savage Men (1970) as Pudge Elliott
- Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (1970) as The Winter Warlock (voice)
- Pretty Maids All in a Row (1971) as Poldaski
- The Man with Icy Eyes (1971) as Harry Davis
- Terror in the Sky (1971 TV movie) as Milton
- The Manipulator (1971) as Old Charlie
- Panhandle 38 (1972) as Billy Bronson / Kile Richards
- Wild in the Sky (1972) as Gen. Harry Gobohare
- Assignment: Munich (1972 TV movie) as George
- Cancel My Reservation (1972) as Sheriff 'Houndtooth' Riley
- The Mechanic (1972) as Harry McKenna ['Big Harry']
- Snowball Express (1972) as Martin Ridgeway
- Hijack! (1973) as Donny McDonald
- Herbie Rides Again (1974) as Alonzo P. Hawk
- The Internecine Project (1974) as E.J. Farnsworth
- The Legend of Earl Durand (1974) as Col. Nightingale
- Hit Lady (1974) as Buddy McCormack
- He Is My Brother (1975) as Brother Dalton
- The Man Who Would Not Die (1975) as Victor Slidell
- Nashville (1975) as Mr. Green
- The Devil's Rain (1975) as Sheriff Owens
- A Woman for All Men (1975) as Walter McCoy
- High Velocity (1976) as Mr. Andersen
- The Killer Inside Me (1976) as Chester Conway
- The Shaggy D.A. (1976) as John Slade
- Mission to Glory: A True Story (1977)
- Orca (1977) as Novak
- The Lucifer Complex (1978)
- Laserblast (1978) as Colonel Farley
- Coach (1978) as Fenton 'F.R.' Granger
- The Bastard (1978) as Johnny Malcolm
- Piranha (1978) as Jack
- The Treasure Seekers (1979) as Meat Cleaver Stewart
- Hollywood Knight (1979) as Jed
- The Dark (1979) as Sherman 'Sherm' Moss
- Parts: The Clonus Horror (1979) as Jake Noble
- Sunburn (1979) as Mark Elmes
- The Glove (1979) as Bill Schwartz
- A Touch of the Sun (1979) as General Spelvin
- Just Tell Me What You Want (1980) as Seymour Berger
- A Piano for Mrs. Cimino (1982) as Barney Fellman
- The Last Unicorn (1982) as Captain Cully / Harpy (voice)
- Best Friends (1982) as Tom Babson
- Hysterical (1983) as Fisherman
- Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1983 TV movie) as Piers Castillian
- Wavelength (1983) as Dan
- Prime Risk (1985) as Dr. Lasser
- Code of Vengeance (1985 TV movie) as Willis
- Zoo Ship (1985) (voice)
- Black Moon Rising (1986) as Iron John
- Hyper Sapien: People from Another Star (1986) as Grandpa (Last appearance)
Television
- Wagon Train - episode - The Luke O'Malley Story (1958) as Luke O'Malley
- The Untouchables (1959-1961) as Augie 'The Banker' Ciamino / Joe Fuselli
- The Twilight Zone - episode (1960) as A World of His Own
- Rawhide - episode - Incident at Cactus Wells (1962) as Simon Royce
- Combat (1962-1966) as Brannigan / Col. Clyde
- Ben Casey - episode - Behold a Pale Horse (1962) as O. J. Stanley
- Death Valley Days - episode - Grass Man (1962) as Josh Tavers
- Bonanaza - episode - Alias Joe Cartwright (1964) as Sergeant O'Rourke
- The Wild Wild West - episode - The Night of the Freebooters (1966) as Thorwald Wolfe
- Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. - episode - Show Me the Way to Go Home (1966) as Harry Purcell
- Then Came Bronson (1969 ?) as motorcycle enthusiast / older man (befriends Bronson)
- Lancer - episode - Blue Skies for Willie Sharpe (1970) as Kansas Bill Sharpe
- Alias Smith and Jones (1971) as Artie Gorman / Horace Wingate / Charlie Utley
- Mod Squad - episode - And a Little Child Shall Bleed Them (1971) as Luther
- Hawaii Five-O - episode - Journey Out of Limbo (1972) as Hummel
- Cannon - episode - The Island Caper (1972) as Matt Dixon
- Alias Smith and Jones - episode - What Happened at the XST? (1972) as Artie Gorman
- McMillan & Wife - episode - The Devil You Say (1973) as Professor Zagmeyer
- Hec Ramsey - episode - A Hard Road to Vengeance (1973) as Bullard
- The New Perry Mason - episode - The Case of the Telltale Trunk (1973) as Victor Harding
- Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1974-1975) as Captain Joe 'Mad Dog' Siska
- Movin' On - episode - The Elephant Story (1975) as Barnaby
- Emergency! - episode - Back-Up (1975) as Wild Bill
- The Bob Newhart Show - episode - What's It All About, Albert? (1975) as Dr. Albert
- The Bionic Woman - episode - Rancho Outcast (1978) as Gustave
- Dallas - 10 episodes (1979-1980) as Digger Barnes
- Fantasy Island - episode - Mr. Nobody/La Liberatora (1981) as Willie the promoter
- The Greatest American Hero - episode - Good Samaritan (1982) as Ira Hagert
- Hardcastle and McCormick - episode - Just Another Round of That Old Song (1983) as Henry Willard
- Quincy M.E. - episode - Whatever Happened to Morris Perlmutter? (1983) as Morris Perlmutter
- Taxi - episode - Tony's Baby (1983) as Leo
- Highway to Heaven - episode - Popcorn, Peanuts and CrackerJacks (1985) as Doc Brisby
- Call to Glory - (1984–1985) as Carl Sarnac
References
Notes
- ↑ Dunning, John. (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3. P. 24.
- ↑ Supermanii.Com - Christopher Reeve
- ↑ Vallance, Tom (27 August 2004). "Evie Wynn Johnson: Actress and ambitious Hollywood wife". The Independent. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
- ↑ Heymann, C. David (2011). Liz: An Intimate Biography of Elizabeth Taylor. New York: Simon and Schuster. p. 81. ISBN 1559722673. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Keenan Wynn. |
- Keenan Wynn at the Internet Movie Database
- Keenan Wynn at the Internet Broadway Database
- Keenan Wynn at Find a Grave