 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(October 2010) |
John Beal | |
|---|---|
 Beal in 1960 | |
| Born | James Alexander Bliedung August 13, 1909 Joplin, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | April 26, 1997 (aged 87) Santa Cruz, California, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Film, stage and television actor |
| Years active | 1931–1993 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
John Beal (born James Alexander Bliedung, August 13, 1909 – April 26, 1997) was an American actor.
Beal was born James Alexander Bliedung [1] in Joplin, Missouri. His father had a department store and Beal went to the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania "mapped for a commercial career." [2] While at Wharton, Beal (who enrolled under his real name, James Alexander Bliedung) spent time drawing cartoons for the school's humor magazine and singing in productions of the Mask and Wig club. [2]
Soon after graduating from college in 1930, Beal began acting with the Hedgerow Theatre. Beal originally went to New York to study at the Art Students League of New York. [3] A chance to understudy in a play made him change his mind. He went on to appear in Russet Mantle and She Loves Me. [2] Beal's Broadway credits include Three Men on a Horse (1993), The Seagull (1992), The Master Builder (1992), A Little Hotel on the Side (1992), The Crucible (1991), The Changing Room (1973), The Candyapple (1970), Our Town (1969), In the Matter of J. Robert Oppenheimer (1969), Billy (1969), Calculated Risk (1962), The Teahouse of the August Moon (1953), Leonard Sillman's New Faces of 1952 (1952), The Voice of the Turtle (1943), Liberty Jones (1941), I Know What I Like (1939), Miss Swan Expects (1939), Soliloquy (1938), Russet Mantle (1936), She Loves Me Not (1933), Another Language (1933), Another Language (1932), Wild Waves (1932), and No More Frontier (1931). [4]
Beal began acting in films with Another Language (1933), in which he re-created his stage role. [5] He appeared opposite Katharine Hepburn (in the 1934 RKO film The Little Minister ), [6] among others; one of his notable screen appearances was as Marius Pontmercy in Les Misérables (1935). He continued appearing in films during the war years while serving in Special Services and the First Motion Picture Unit as actor and director of Army Air Forces camp shows and training films.
Beal had starring roles in the film dramas Alimony (1949) and My Six Convicts (1952).
During the summer of 1948, Beal acted in The Amazing Mr. Tutt on CBS radio. [7]
Beal was host of Freedom Rings, a game show on CBS-TV in 1953. [8] : 366 In the 1950s, Beal also began appearing in various television shows, including the title role of mining engineer Philip Deidesheimer in a 1959 episode of Bonanza , "The Deidesheimer Story". [9] Beal starred as Dr. Lewis on the ABC serial Road to Reality in 1960-1961. [8] : 898 He portrayed Dr. Henden on the primetime medical drama The Nurses in the early 1960s and appeared on an afternoon version of the program in the latter half of the 1960s. [8] : 776
He was hired to play the role of Jim Matthews in the television soap opera Another World when the show went on the air in 1964, but was fired by creator and headwriter Irna Phillips after only one episode. [10]
He appeared in The Waltons , season 3, episode 13, "The Visitor", first aired in December, 1974. His character was a former neighbor, Mason Beardsley, an elderly man who returned to Waltons Mountain to live with his wife who he was expecting in a few days. The Walton family were excited for him and helped to fix up his home, only to learn that his wife had died a year earlier and, unable to accept this fact, he continued to look for her.
In 1976, Beal portrayed Charles Adams II in the PBS dramatic series The Adams Chronicles . [8] He continued to work in films and television, notably as Judge Vail in the supernatural soap opera Dark Shadows (for 9 episodes), and also the theater up until the 1980s. Beal died at age 87 in Santa Cruz, California, [6] two years after suffering a stroke.
Beal was married to actress Helen Craig [2] for 52 years until her death in 1986. [11] They had two daughters, Theodora Emily and Tandy Johanna. [12]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1933 | Another Language | Jerry Hallam | ||
| 1934 | Hat, Coat and Glove | Jerry Hutchins | ||
| 1934 | The Little Minister | Gavin | ||
| 1935 | Laddie | Laddie Stanton | ||
| 1935 | Les Misérables | Marius | directed by Richard Boleslavsky | |
| 1935 | Break of Hearts | Johnny Lawrence | ||
| 1936 | M'Liss | Stephen Thorne | ||
| 1937 | We Who Are About to Die | John E. 'Johnny' Thompson | ||
| 1937 | The Man Who Found Himself | Dr. James Stanton Jr. | ||
| 1937 | Border Cafe | Keith Whitney | ||
| 1937 | Madame X | Raymond Fleuriot | ||
| 1937 | Double Wedding | Waldo Beaver | ||
| 1937 | Danger Patrol | Dan Loring | ||
| 1937 | Beg, Borrow or Steal | Count Bill Cherau | ||
| 1938 | Port of Seven Seas | Marius | ||
| 1938 | I Am the Law | Paul Ferguson | ||
| 1938 | The Arkansas Traveler | John 'Johnnie' Daniels | ||
| 1939 | The Great Commandment | Joel | ||
| 1939 | The Cat and the Canary | Fred Blythe | ||
| 1941 | Ellery Queen and the Perfect Crime | Walter Matthews | ||
| 1941 | Doctors Don't Tell | Dr. Ralph Sawyer | ||
| 1942 | One Thrilling Night | Horace Jason | ||
| 1942 | Atlantic Convoy | Carl Hansen | ||
| 1942 | Stand By All Networks | Ben Fallon | ||
| 1943 | Let's Have Fun | Richard Gilbert | ||
| 1943 | Edge of Darkness | Johann Stensgard | ||
| 1947 | Key Witness | Milton Higby | ||
| 1947 | Messenger of Peace | Pastor Armin Ritter | ||
| 1948 | So Dear to My Heart | Jeremiah as an Adult - Narrator | Voice | |
| 1949 | Alimony | Dan Barker | ||
| 1949 | Song of Surrender | Dubois | ||
| 1949 | Chicago Deadline | Paul Jean d'Ur | ||
| 1952 | My Six Convicts | Dr. Wilson aka Doc | ||
| 1953 | Remains to Be Seen | Dr. Glenson | ||
| 1954 | New Faces | director of sketches | ||
| 1957 | The Vampire | Dr. Paul Beecher | ||
| 1957 | That Night! | Commuter Christopher J. Bowden | ||
| 1959 | The Sound and the Fury | Howard Compson | ||
| 1959 | Bonanza | Philip Diedesheimer | Episode: "The Phillip Diedesheimer Story" | |
| 1960 | Ten Who Dared | Maj. John Wesley Powell | ||
| 1973 | The Bride | Father | ||
| 1975 | The Legend of Lizzie Borden | Dr. Bowen | TV movie | |
| 1976 | The Adams Chronicles | Charles Francis Adams | 3 episodes | |
| 1983 | Amityville 3-D | Harold Caswell | ||
| 1993 | The Firm | Nathan Locke | final film role |
Jan Sterling was an American film, television and stage actress. At her most active in films during the 1950s, Sterling received a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in The High and the Mighty (1954), as well as an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress nomination. Her best performance is often considered to be opposite Kirk Douglas, as the opportunistic wife in Billy Wilder's 1951 Ace in the Hole. Although her career declined during the 1960s, she continued to play occasional television and theatre roles.
Charles Sherman Ruggles was an American comic character actor. In a career spanning six decades, Ruggles appeared in close to 100 feature films, often in mild-mannered and comic roles. He was also the elder brother of director, producer, and silent film actor Wesley Ruggles (1889–1972).
Pernell Elven Roberts Jr. was an American stage, film, and television actor, activist, and singer. In addition to guest-starring in over 60 television series, he was best known for his roles as Ben Cartwright's eldest son Adam Cartwright on the Western television series Bonanza (1959–1965), and as chief surgeon Dr. John McIntyre, the title character on Trapper John, M.D. (1979–1986).
Thomas Albert Ecke Van Dekker was an American character actor and politician best known for his roles in Dr. Cyclops, The Killers (1946), Kiss Me Deadly, and The Wild Bunch.
John Benjamin Ireland was a Canadian actor. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in All the King's Men (1949), making him the first Vancouver-born actor to receive an Oscar nomination.
Alan Mowbray was an English stage and film actor who found success in Hollywood.
Cameron Mitchell was an American film, television, and stage actor. He began his career on Broadway before entering films in the 1950s, appearing in several major features. Late in his career, he became known for his roles in numerous exploitation films in the 1970s and 1980s.
Ken "Kenny" Vadas is a Canadian actor best known for his role in The Santa Clause and several television shows.
Patricia Crowley is an American actress. She was also frequently billed as Pat Crowley.
Vivian Smallwood, known by her stage name Rappin' Granny, was an American grandmother who performed hip-hop music. She lived in Castaic, California, near Los Angeles.
Michael D. Roberts is an American actor.
Harry Guy Stockwell was an American actor who appeared in nearly 30 movies and 250 television series episodes.
Harry Bellaver was an American stage, film and television actor who appeared in many roles from the 1930s through the 1980s.
John Craven was an American actor in films and plays and on television.
Ed Peck was an American actor. He is best known as Officer Kirk in Happy Days (1975–1983).
Nicholas "Nick" Fletcher is a Welsh film editor of animation. He edited the 1998 American film The Prince of Egypt by DreamWorks. He joined DreamWorks in 1995 as a supervising editor on animated features The Prince of Egypt and Shark Tale. He also worked as an editor on Bee Movie. He also worked on Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron and Trolls World Tour.
Kristian John Ayre is a Canadian actor, best known for his portrayal of the character Radu from the Nickelodeon children's science fiction show Space Cases.
John Milford was an American actor in theater, television, and films, playing scores of roles, often as a western villain. He was estimated to have had about 500 appearances in TV roles.
Helen Craig was an American actress, perhaps best known for her role on Broadway as the main character, Belinda, in Johnny Belinda.
David Pevsner is an American actor, singer, dancer, and writer. Pevsner appeared in the 1990 revival of Fiddler on the Roof, 1991 revival of Rags, and some other theatrical productions. He also wrote three songs for the 1999 musical Naked Boys Singing!, including "Perky Little Porn Star." He wrote and produced two one-person shows, To Bitter and Back (2003) and Musical Comedy Whore (2013). Pevsner portrayed mostly minor roles in films and television. His major screen roles are Ebenezer Scrooge in Scrooge & Marley, the 2012 film adaptation of A Christmas Carol, and Ross Stein in a 2011 web series Old Dogs & New Tricks. He recorded the 2016 album Most Versatile, whose album cover pays homage to Bruce Springsteen's album Born in the U.S.A.
