David Wayne

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David Wayne
DAVIDWayne.jpg
Wayne in 1955
Born
Wayne James McMeekan

(1914-01-30)January 30, 1914 [1]
Traverse City, Michigan, U.S. [1]
DiedFebruary 9, 1995(1995-02-09) (aged 81) [1]
Santa Monica, California, U.S. [1]
Alma mater Western Michigan University
Occupations
  • Actor
  • singer
Years active1936–1994
Spouse
Jane Gordon
​
​
(m. 1941;died 1993)​
Children3

David Wayne (born Wayne James McMeekan; January 30, 1914 [1] – February 9, 1995) was an American actor and singer, with a stage and screen career spanning over 50 years. [2] He was a recipient of two Tony Awards, Best Featured Actor in a Musical for Finian's Rainbow and Best Actor in a Play for The Teahouse of the August Moon, with a third nomination for The Happy Time. [1] [2]

Contents

Early life and career

Wayne was born in Traverse City, Michigan, the son of Helen Matilda (née Mason) and John David McMeekan. His mother died when he was four. [1]

Wayne attended Western Michigan University for two years before working as a statistician in Cleveland. He began acting with Cleveland's Shakesperean repertory theatre in 1936. [3]

When World War II began, Wayne volunteered as an ambulance driver with the British Army in North Africa. When the United States entered the war he joined the United States Army. [3]

Wayne's first major Broadway role was Og the leprechaun in Finian's Rainbow , for which he won the Theatre World Award [4] and the first ever Tony for Actor, Supporting or Featured (Musical). [5] While appearing in the play, he and co-stars Albert Sharpe and Maude Simmons were recruited by producer David O. Selznick for roles in the film Portrait of Jennie (1948). [6]

In 1948, Wayne was one of 50 applicants (out of approximately 700) granted membership in New York's newly formed Actors Studio. [7]

He was awarded a second Tony for Best Actor (Dramatic) for The Teahouse of the August Moon and was nominated as Best Actor (Musical) for The Happy Time . [5] He originated the role of Ensign Pulver in the classic stage comedy Mister Roberts and also appeared in Say, Darling ; After the Fall ; and Incident at Vichy .

Film and television career

In films, Wayne was most often cast as a supporting player, such as the piano-playing neighbor of Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn's characters in Adam's Rib (1949). He portrayed the child killer, originally played by Peter Lorre, in the remake of M (1951), in a rare title and villainous role. Wayne 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 shared no scenes with Monroe), and How to Marry a Millionaire (1953) where he had scenes with Monroe. He starred in The Tender Trap (1955) with Frank Sinatra, Debbie Reynolds, and Celeste Holm.

In 1955, Wayne starred in the NBC comedy Norby . [8] : 771  Wayne appeared in the late 1950s on ABC's The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom and the Twilight Zone episode "Escape Clause". In 1959 he starred in the role of Major General Henning von Tresckow in the Alcoa-Goodyear Theatre production "Operation Spark", depicting the plot to assassinate Adolph Hitler. He starred as Darius Woodley in two 1961 episodes of NBC's The Outlaws starring Barton MacLane. Also in 1961, Wayne appeared in the Bell Telephone Company-produced driver safety film Anatomy of an Accident, about a family outing tragically cut short by a car accident.

He played the Mad Hatter, one of the recurring villains in the 1960s television series Batman . In 1964, he guest-starred in the series finale, "Pay Now, Die Later", of CBS's drama Mr. Broadway . Also in the 1960s, Wayne was a radio host on NBC's magazine program Monitor .[ citation needed ]

Wayne and Jean Peters in trailer for As Young as You Feel (1951) As Young as You Feel trailer 1.jpg
Wayne and Jean Peters in trailer for As Young as You Feel (1951)

Wayne was known for his role as Dr. Charles Dutton in Michael Crichton's The Andromeda Strain (1971). He also appeared as Uncle Timothy Jamison in the NBC sitcom The Brian Keith Show and played Charles Dutton in The Good Life , also on NBC. [8] : 404–405  Wayne made a guest appearance in a leading role for a 1975 episode of Gunsmoke titled "I Have Promises to Keep". He co-starred with Jim Hutton in the 1976 television series Ellery Queen (as Inspector Richard Queen). [8] : 305 

In 1978, Wayne played James Lawrence in the ABC drama Family [8] : 324 , and he played Digger Barnes in four episodes of the CBS soap opera Dallas . [8] Wayne's friend Keenan Wynn later replaced Wayne in this role. From 1979 to 1982, Wayne starred as Dr. Amos Weatherby in the television series House Calls . [8] : 480 

Personal life

Wayne was married to Jane Gordon in 1941 and had two daughters and a son. In August 1970, their son disappeared and was presumed drowned during a camping and fishing trip. [9] [10] Wayne's wife, daughter of opera vocalist Jeanne Gordon, died in 1993.[ citation needed ]

Death

On February 9, 1995, Wayne died in his Santa Monica, California, home from complications of lung cancer at age 81. [1]

Awards

Wayne won two Tony Awards, one in 1947 for Finian's Rainbow and one in 1954 for The Teahouse of the August Moon . [1]

Filmography

Features:

Short subjects:

Television work

Stage appearances

Radio appearances

YearProgramEpisode/source
1952Stars in the Air Good Sam [12]
1953 Lux Radio Theatre Wait 'Till the Sun Shines, Nellie [13]

Notes

    References

    1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Lueck, Thomas J. (February 13, 1995). "David Wayne, Sprightly and Versatile Actor, Is Dead at 81". The New York Times . Archived from the original on June 30, 2013. Retrieved June 27, 2015. When World War II began he was rejected by the Army, but volunteered to serve as an ambulance driver in North Africa with the American Field Service.
    2. 1 2 "David Wayne". The Official Masterworks Broadway Site. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
    3. 1 2 Folkart, Burt A. (February 13, 1995). "David Wayne, 81; Versatile Actor Won 2 Tony Awards". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 2, 2019. In the early days of the war he drove an ambulance in Africa for the British. After the United States joined the war he served with the U.S. Army.
    4. ↑ "Theatre World Award Recipients". Theatre World Awards. Archived from the original on July 25, 2017. Retrieved July 25, 2017.
    5. 1 2 "Search Results: David Wayne". Tony Awards. Archived from the original on August 31, 2016. Retrieved July 25, 2017.
    6. ↑ Krasker, Tommy (November 11, 2024). "That's alls I know: Dissecting William Dieterle". That's alls I know. Retrieved May 15, 2025.
    7. ↑ Kleiner, Dick. "The Actors Studio: Making Stars Out of the Unknown," The Sarasota Journal. December 21, 1956, p. 26. "That first year, they interviewed around 700 actors and picked 50. In that first group were people like Marlon Brando, Montgomery Clift, Tom Ewell, John Forsythe, Julie Harris, Kim Hunter, Karl Malden, E.G. Marshall, Margaret Phillips, Maureen Stapleton, Kim Stanley, Jo Van Fleet, Eli Wallach, Ray Walston and David Wayne."
    8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Terrace, Vincent (January 10, 2014). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland. p. 229. ISBN   978-0-7864-8641-0 . Retrieved December 2, 2019.
    9. ↑ "David Wayne's Son Missing With a Friend in Canada". The New York Times. August 24, 1970.
    10. ↑ "Actor's Son Believed Dead". The New York Times. August 29, 1970. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
    11. ↑ "Barney Miller (TV series) "Bureaucrat" (1975)". IMDb. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
    12. ↑ Kirby, Walter (March 9, 1952). "Better Radio Programs for the Week". The Decatur Daily Review. p. 42. Retrieved May 23, 2015– via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
    13. ↑ Kirby, Walter (May 3, 1953). "Better Radio Programs for the Week". The Decatur Daily Review. p. 52. Retrieved June 26, 2015– via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
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