Kerwin Mathews
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| Kerwin Mathews | |
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| Born | January 8, 1926 Seattle, Washington, USA |
| Died | July 5, 2007 (aged 81) San Francisco, California, USA |
| Years active | 1954 -1978 |
Kerwin Mathews (January 8, 1926 – July 5, 2007) was an American actor. He is best known for playing Sinbad in the 1958 Ray Harryhausen stop-motion animation feature The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad, where he engaged in a sword fight with animated skeletons.[1]
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[edit] Life and career
Mathews was born in Seattle, Washington, USA. He attended Janesville High School in Janesville, Wisconsin, where he had moved with his mother after his parents divorced. Mathews said that "a kind high school teacher put me in a play, and that changed my life."[2] According to a classmate, he was a "handsome rascal" even then.[3] After serving in the Army Air Forces, he attended and performed at nearby Milton College for two years before transferring to Beloit College on drama and music scholarships. Before acting, he was briefly a high school teacher in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.[2]
After moving to Los Angeles in 1954, Mathews acted at the Pasadena Playhouse, where he met the head of casting for Columbia Pictures, leading to a seven-year studio contract.[2]
Mathews was best known for his roles in fantasy movies in the 1950s and 1960s, particularly Jack the Giant Killer and The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad.[2] He also notably played Lemuel Gulliver in Harryhausen's 1960 The 3 Worlds of Gulliver.[1] He retired from acting in 1978.
Although he felt typecast, he "looked fondly" on his Hollywood career, with his favorite role Johann Strauss II in the Disney two-part telefilm The Waltz King.[3]
After retirement, he moved to San Francisco, where he ran a clothing and antiques shop.[3] He died in his sleep in San Francisco on July 5, 2007 at the age of 81. He leaves behind his partner of 46 years, Tom Nicoll.[2] The City of Janesville subsequently renamed a one-block street adjacent to the former Janesville High School "Kerwin Mathews Court". The renovated building now houses the Janesville Performing Arts Center.[4]
[edit] Filmography
[edit] Television
- Space Patrol, "The Escape of Mr Proteus" (1954)
- Ford Theatre
- Charlie C company (1954)
- The Lady in the Wind (1955)
- Catch at Straws (1956)
- Playhouse 90
- The Country Husband (1956)
- Matinee Theatre
- Show of Strength (1957)
- The Suicide Club (1958)
- Goodyear Television Playhouse
- The Obenauf Story (1959)†
- Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color
- The Waltz King (1963) (two parts)
- Ghostbreaker (1967)†
- Dead of Night: A Darkness at Blaisedon (1969)†
- Ironside (1972)
- "Hey, Buddy, Can You Spare a Life?"
- "Achilles' Heel"
- Death Takes a Holiday (1971)
† Pilots for unsold series
[edit] Film
- Five Against the House (1955)
- The Garment Jungle (1957)
- Tarawa Beachhead (1958)
- The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad (1958)
- The Last Blitzkrieg (1959)
- Saffo, venere di Lesbo aka The Warrior Princess (1960)
- Man on a String (1960)
- The Three Worlds of Gulliver (1960)
- The Devil at 4 O'Clock (1961)
- Pirates of Blood River (1962)
- Jack the Giant Killer (1962)
- OSS 117 (1963) ‡
- Maniac (1963)
- Panic in Bangkok (1964) ‡
- Shadow of Evil (1966) ‡
- Battle Beneath the Earth (1967)
- The Viscount (1967)
- The Killer Likes Candy (1968)
- A Boy...a Girl (1969)
- Barquero (1970)
- Octaman (1971)
- Achilles Heel (1972)
- The Boy Who Cried Werewolf (1973)
- Nightmare in Blood (1978)
‡ OSS 117 film
[edit] References
- ^ a b Dennis Hevesi. "Kerwin Mathews, 81, of ‘Sinbad’ Sword Fight, Dies", The New York Times, July 13, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-07-14.
- ^ a b c d e Kerwin Mathews, 81; fantasy film hero. Los Angeles Times (2007-07-10). Retrieved on 2007-07-13.
- ^ a b c Brian Reisinger. "Janesville residents remember famed actor", The Janesville Gazette, July 17, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-07-18.
- ^ Ann Fiore. "Street to be renamed to honor local actor", The Janesville Gazette, October 9, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-10-09.
