David Wayne
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- This article is about the actor. For the singer, see David Wayne (singer).
| David Wayne | |
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 from the trailer for the film Adam's Rib (1949) |
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| Born | Wayne James McMeekan January 30, 1914 Traverse City, Michigan, USA |
| Died | February 9, 1995, age 81 Santa Monica, California, USA |
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 and growing up in Bloomingdale, 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 charming cad opposite Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn in Adam's Rib (1949). He portrayed the child killer, originally played by Peter Lorre, in the remake of M (1951), a chance to see him in a rare leading role, even rarer as an evil character. He costarred in The Tender Trap (1955) with Frank Sinatra, Debbie Reynolds, and Celeste Holm.
Wayne also appeared in four films with Marilyn Monroe (more than any other actor): As Young as You Feel (1951), We're Not Married (1952), O. Henry's Full House (1952) (although he was not in the same scene as Marilyn), and How To Marry A Millionaire (1953).
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. He also played "Big Daddy" - Blanche's father on The Golden Girls. Wayne died in Santa Monica, California.
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