Leon Ames
Leon Ames | |
---|---|
as Kyle Sackett from the trailer for the film The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946) | |
Born |
Harry Wycoff January 20, 1902 Portland, Indiana, U.S. |
Died |
October 12, 1993 91) Los Angeles, California, U.S. | (aged
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1931–1986 |
Spouse(s) | Christine Gossett (1938-1993; his death; 2 children) |
Leon Ames (January 20, 1902 – October 12, 1993) was an American film and television actor. He is best remembered for playing father figures in such films as Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) with Judy Garland as one of his daughters, Little Women (1949), On Moonlight Bay (1951) and By the Light of the Silvery Moon (1953). The fathers whom Ames portrayed were often somewhat stuffy and exasperated by the younger generation, but ultimately kind and understanding. His most famous role came as DA Kyle Sackett from the film The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946).
Life and career
Leon Ames was born Harry Wycoff[1][2] on January 20, 1902 in Portland, Indiana, the son of Cora A. (née De Moss) and Charles Elmer Wycoff.[3] Some sources list his original last name as "Wykoff" or "Waycoff," and in his early films he acted under the name Leon Waycoff.
He made his film debut in Quick Millions (1931). During the 1940s he was under contract to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
He appeared in a featured role in 'The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946) as district attorney Kyle Sackett. Leon Ames also appeared in the Doris Day-Gordon MacRae film On Moonlight Bay and in its sequel, By the Light of the Silvery Moon; and Peyton Place (1957). He played the role of Samuel Eaton, Alfred Eaton (Paul Newman)'s father, in From the Terrace (1960). In 1970, he played Secretary of Navy Frank Knox in the action war film Tora! Tora! Tora!. His last film role was in Peggy Sue Got Married (1986), as Kathleen Turner's character's grandfather Barney Alvorg.
His television roles included leads in the adaptations of Life With Father (1953–55) and Father of the Bride (1961–62). He co-starred on Mister Ed (1963–66) as Wilbur Post's neighbor, Gordon "The Colonel" Kirkwood, after Larry Keating's death. He also appeared in the NBC anthology series, The Barbara Stanwyck Show and on the short-live CBS legal drama, Storefront Lawyers.
He was one of the founders of the Screen Actors Guild in 1933.[2] He served as its president in 1957.
In 1980, after 50 years in show business, Leon Ames was presented with the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award.
Filmography
- Quick Millions (1931)
- Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932)
- That's My Boy (1932)
- Uptown New York (1932)
- Forgotten (1933) (as Leon Wycoff)
- Death in the Air (1936)
- Charlie Chan on Broadway (1937)
- International Settlement (1938)
- Island in the Sky (1938)
- Cipher Bureau (1938)
- Suez (1938)
- Mysterious Mr. Moto (1938)
- Man of Conquest (1939)
- Thunder Afloat (1939)
- East Side Kids (1940)
- Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
- Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944)
- The Thin Man Goes Home (1945)
- Son of Lassie (1945)
- Anchors Aweigh (1945)
- Week-End at the Waldorf (1945)
- Yolanda and the Thief (1945)
- They Were Expendable (1945)
- The Cockeyed Miracle (1946)
- The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)
- Lady in the Lake (1947)
- Song of the Thin Man (1947)
- Alias a Gentleman (1948)
- On an Island with You (1948)
- The Velvet Touch (1948)
- A Date with Judy (1948)
- Little Women (1949)
- Any Number Can Play (1949)
- Battleground (1949)
- Ambush (1950)
- The Happy Years (1950)
- Dial 1119 (1950)
- The Big Hangover (1950)
- On Moonlight Bay (1951)
- Cattle Drive (1951)
- Angel Face (1952)
- By the Light of the Silvery Moon (1953)
- Let's Do It Again (1953)
- Peyton Place (1957)
- From the Terrace (1960)
- The Absent-Minded Professor (1961)
- Son of Flubber (1963)
- The Misadventures of Merlin Jones (1964)
- The Monkey's Uncle (1965)
- Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970)
- Toklat (1971)
- Hammersmith Is Out (1972)
- Brother of the Wind (1973)
- Just You and Me, Kid (1979)
- Testament (1983)
- Jake Speed (1986)
- Peggy Sue Got Married (1986)
References
- ↑ http://www.costumedesignersguild.com/aw-archive/aw-recipient.asp?AwardID=3&awardtype=4
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Cameron-Wilson, James; Speed, F. Maurice (1994), Film Review 1994-5, Great Britain: Virgin Books, p. 162, ISBN 0-86369-842-5
- ↑ http://books.google.com/books?id=nxcNAAAAIAAJ&dq=Cora+Demoss++Charles+Wycoff&q=Wycoff
External links
- Leon Ames at the Internet Movie Database
- Leon Ames at AllRovi
- Leon Ames at the TCM Movie Database
- Leon Ames at the Internet Broadway Database
Awards and achievements | ||
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Preceded by Katharine Hepburn |
Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award 1980 |
Succeeded by Danny Kaye |
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