David Wayne
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This article is about the actor. For the lead singer of the band Metal Church, see Metal Church.
David Wayne (January 30, 1914 - February 9, 1995) was a Tony Award-winning American actor with a career spanning nearly half a century.
Born Wayne James McMeekan in Traverse City, Michigan, Wayne's first major Broadway role was Og the leprechaun in Finian's Rainbow, for which he won the Theatre World Award and the first ever Tony for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. He was awarded a second Tony for Best Actor in Play for The Teahouse of the August Moon and was nominated as Best Actor in a Musical for The Happy Time. He originated the role of Ensign Pulver in the classic comedy, Mister Roberts and also appeared in Say, Darling, After the Fall, and Incident at Vichy.
In films Wayne most often was cast as a supporting player, such as the cad opposite Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn in Adam's Rib. He portrayed the child killer, originally played by Peter Lorre, in the 1951 remake of M, a chance to see him in a rare leading role, even rarer as an evil character.
Wayne was also noted for his portrayal of Dr. Charles Dutton in the 1971 film version of Michael Crichton's The Andromeda Strain. He also played the Mad Hatter, one of the recurring villains in the 1960s TV series Batman.
Wayne co-starred with Jim Hutton in the 1970s television series Ellery Queen (as Queen's widowed father), and portrayed curmudgeonly Dr. Amos Wetherby in House Calls with Lynn Redgrave and later Sharon Gless.
Wayne played Digger Barnes on the CBS hit drama Dallas from 1978 to 1979.
Wayne died in Santa Monica, California.
