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{{Short description|American actor (1904–1989)}}
{{Short description|American actor (1904–1989)}}
{{more footnotes|date=September 2017}}
{{more footnotes needed|date=September 2017}}
{{Use American English|date=May 2021}}
{{Use American English|date=May 2021}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2021}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2021}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| name = William Challee
| name = William Challee
| image =
| image = William_Challee_in_The_Texan_1958.jpg
| image_size =
| image_size =
| caption =
| caption = William Challee in ''[[The Texan (TV series)|The Texan]]'' (1958)
| birth_name = William John Challe
| birth_name = William John Challe
| birth_date = {{birth date|1904|4|6}}
| birth_date = {{birth date|1904|4|6}}
| birth_place = [[Chicago, Illinois]], U.S.
| birth_place = [[Chicago, Illinois]], USA
| death_date = {{death date and age|1989|03|11|1904|4|6}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|1989|03|11|1904|4|6}}
| death_place = [[Woodland Hills, Los Angeles]], [[California]], U.S.
| death_place = [[Woodland Hills, Los Angeles]], [[California]], USA
| years_active = 1926–1979
| years_active = 1926–1979
| occupation = Actor
| occupation = Actor
| spouse = {{plainlist|
| spouse = {{marriage|[[Ruth Nelson (actress)|Ruth Nelson]]|1931|1937|end=divorced}}<br />Ella Franklin Crawford<br>({{abbr|m.|married}} 1944; {{abbr|div.|divorced}} 19??)<br />{{marriage|[[Joan Wheeler|Joan Wheeler Ankrum]]|1984|1989|end=his death}}
*{{marriage|[[Ruth Nelson (actress)|Ruth Nelson]]|1931|1937|end=divorced}}
*{{marriage|Ella Franklin Crawford|1944||end=div}}
*{{marriage|[[Joan Wheeler|Joan Wheeler Ankrum]]|1984}}
}}
}}
}}
'''William John Challee''' (April 6, 1904 – March 11, 1989) was an American actor.
'''William John Challee''' (April 6, 1904 – March 11, 1989) was an American actor.
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==Biography==
==Biography==
[[File:Poster-SS-Glencairn-Lafayette-Theatre.jpg|thumb|Challee directed Eugene O'Neill's ''S.S. Glencairn'' cycle for the [[Federal Theatre Project]] in 1937.]]
[[File:Poster-SS-Glencairn-Lafayette-Theatre.jpg|thumb|Challee directed Eugene O'Neill's ''S.S. Glencairn'' cycle for the [[Federal Theatre Project]] in 1937.]]
Challee was born in Chicago and was a student at Lake View High School.<ref>{{cite news |title=Challee Plays Real Reporter |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105562356/william-challee/ |access-date=July 14, 2022 |work=The Philadelphia Inquirer |date=March 8, 1942 |page=14 SO|via = [[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
Challee was born in Chicago and was a student at [[Lake View High School (Chicago)|Lake View High School]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Challee Plays Real Reporter |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105562356/william-challee/ |access-date=July 14, 2022 |work=The Philadelphia Inquirer |date=March 8, 1942 |page=14 SO|via = [[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>


Challee appeared on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] by 1926 and by 1931 in early [[Group Theatre (New York)|Group Theatre]] productions. He married actress [[Ruth Nelson (actress)|Ruth Nelson]] on August 2, 1931; they divorced on August 13, 1937.<ref>"COURT ACTIONS FILED". ''Reno Gazette-Journal''. August 13, 1937.</ref> The two appeared in the 1947 film ''[[The Sea of Grass (film)|The Sea of Grass]]'', in supporting roles, after they were divorced.
Challee appeared on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] by 1926 and by 1931 in early [[Group Theatre (New York)|Group Theatre]] productions. He married actress [[Ruth Nelson (actress)|Ruth Nelson]] on August 2, 1931; they divorced on August 13, 1937.<ref>"COURT ACTIONS FILED". ''Reno Gazette-Journal''. August 13, 1937.</ref> The two appeared in the 1947 film ''[[The Sea of Grass (film)|The Sea of Grass]]'', in supporting roles, after they were divorced.


In 1937 Challee staged a suite of one-act plays at the [[Lafayette Theatre (Harlem)|Lafayette Theatre]] in [[Harlem]], under the heading ''Plays of the Sea''. The suite consisted of the [[Eugene O'Neill]] plays ''Bound East for Cardiff'', ''In the Zone'', ''The Long Voyage Home'' and ''Moon of the Caribbees''. They were produced by the [[Federal Theatre Project]] of the [[Works Progress Administration|WPA]], running for 68 performances from October 29, 1937.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/one-act-plays-of-the-sea-12356 |title=One-Act Plays of the Sea |last= |first= |date= |website= |publisher=[[Internet Broadway Database]] |access-date=September 15, 2017}}</ref>
In 1937, Challee staged a suite of one-act plays at the [[Lafayette Theatre (Harlem)|Lafayette Theatre]] in [[Harlem]], under the heading ''Plays of the Sea''. The suite consisted of the [[Eugene O'Neill]] plays ''Bound East for Cardiff'', ''In the Zone'', ''The Long Voyage Home'', and ''Moon of the Caribbees''. They were produced by the [[Federal Theatre Project]] of the [[Works Progress Administration]], running for 68 performances from October 29, 1937.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/one-act-plays-of-the-sea-12356 |title=One-Act Plays of the Sea |last= |first= |date= |website= |publisher=[[Internet Broadway Database]] |access-date=September 15, 2017}}</ref>


Challee was living in Chicago by 1940. By the middle 1940s, Challee was working in films in California, mainly in supporting and uncredited roles. Challee married dancer Ella Franklin Crawford on April 19, 1944 in [[Santa Monica, California|Santa Monica]].<ref>"California, County Marriages, 1850-1952", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K82G-G63 : 18 August 2022), William John Challe and Ella Franklin Crawford, 1944.</ref>
Challee was living in Chicago by 1940. By the middle 1940s, Challee was working in films in California, mainly in supporting and uncredited roles. Challee married dancer Ella Franklin Crawford on April 19, 1944, in [[Santa Monica, California|Santa Monica]].<ref>"California, County Marriages, 1850-1952", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K82G-G63 : 18 August 2022), William John Challe and Ella Franklin Crawford, 1944.</ref>


Challee appeared in episodes of numerous television series, including a 1953 episode ("[[List of The Lone Ranger episodes#Season Three|Stage for Mademoiselle]]") of ''[[The Lone Ranger (TV series)|The Lone Ranger]]'' and a 1957 episode ("[[List of Perry Mason episodes#ep10|The Case of the Runaway Corpse]]") of ''[[Perry Mason (1957 TV series)|Perry Mason]]''. In 1960 Challee appeared as Saunders on ''[[Laramie (TV series)|Laramie]]'' in the episode titled "Duel at Parkinson Town." {{citation needed|date=September 2019}} In 1961 he appeared as Eli in the series finale of ''[[The Investigators (1961 TV series)|The Investigators]]'', "The Dead End Man.",{{Citation needed |date=May 2021}} as well as the 1961 S3E27 episode "Meeting at the Mimbres" in the western series ''[[Bat Masterson (TV series)|Bat Masterson]]''.
Challee appeared in episodes of numerous television series, including a 1953 episode ("[[List of The Lone Ranger episodes#Season Three|Stage for Mademoiselle]]") of ''[[The Lone Ranger (TV series)|The Lone Ranger]]'' and a 1957 episode ("[[List of Perry Mason episodes#ep10|The Case of the Runaway Corpse]]") of ''[[Perry Mason (1957 TV series)|Perry Mason]]''. In 1960, Challee appeared as Saunders on ''[[Laramie (TV series)|Laramie]]'' in the episode titled "Duel at Parkinson Town".{{citation needed|date=September 2019}} In 1961, he appeared as Eli in the series finale of ''[[The Investigators (1961 TV series)|The Investigators]]'', "The Dead End Man",{{Citation needed |date=May 2021}} as well as the 1961 episode "Meeting at the Mimbres" in the Western series ''[[Bat Masterson (TV series)|Bat Masterson]]''.


In 1962 Challee appeared (uncredited) as a prisoner on the TV western ''[[The Virginian (TV series)|The Virginian]]'' in the episode titled "The Brazen Bell."
In 1962, Challee appeared (uncredited) as a prisoner on the TV Western ''[[The Virginian (TV series)|The Virginian]]'' in the episode titled "The Brazen Bell".
Challee played the incapacitated family patriarch in the 1970 film ''[[Five Easy Pieces]]'', whose illness brings his son ([[Jack Nicholson]]) home to the family estate.
That same year, he appeared on ''[[Gunsmoke]]'' as Feist, a crazed pioneer who lost his faculties and tries to kill Marshal Dillon in the episode “The Gallows”<!-- (S7E22) -->. Challee played the incapacitated family patriarch in the 1970 film ''[[Five Easy Pieces]]'', whose illness brings his son ([[Jack Nicholson]]) home to the family estate.


In 1984 he married his long-time partner [[Joan Wheeler|Joan Wheeler Ankrum]]. Together, in 1960, they opened the Ankrum Gallery on [[La Cienega Boulevard]] in Los Angeles.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://articles.latimes.com/2001/dec/23/local/me-17539 |title=Joan Ankrum, 88; Actress, Influential Art Gallery Owner |author=Staff Writers |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=December 23, 2001 |access-date=September 20, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/ankrum-gallery-records-6569/historical-note |title=Ankrum Gallery records, circa 1900-circa 1990s, bulk 1960–1990 |work=[[Archives of American Art]] |publisher=[[Smithsonian Institution]] |date= |access-date=September 20, 2017}}</ref>
In 1984, he married his long-time partner [[Joan Wheeler|Joan Wheeler Ankrum]]. Together, in 1960, they opened the Ankrum Gallery on [[La Cienega Boulevard]] in Los Angeles.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://articles.latimes.com/2001/dec/23/local/me-17539 |title=Joan Ankrum, 88; Actress, Influential Art Gallery Owner |author=Staff Writers |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=December 23, 2001 |access-date=September 20, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/ankrum-gallery-records-6569/historical-note |title=Ankrum Gallery records, circa 1900-circa 1990s, bulk 1960–1990 |work=[[Archives of American Art]] |publisher=[[Smithsonian Institution]] |date= |access-date=September 20, 2017}}</ref>


Challee was buried in [[Alta Mesa Memorial Park]] in Palo Alto.{{Citation needed |date=April 2022}}
Challee was buried in [[Alta Mesa Memorial Park]] in Palo Alto.{{Citation needed |date=April 2022}}
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* ''Red Rust'' (1929) as Lenov
* ''Red Rust'' (1929) as Lenov
* ''[[House of Connelly]]'' (1931) as Jody and as a Serenader
* ''[[House of Connelly]]'' (1931) as Jody and as a Serenader
* ''[[Night Over Taos]]'' (1932) as second trapper
* ''[[Night Over Taos]]'' (1932) as second Trapper
* ''[[Success Story (play)|Success Story]]'' (1932) as Jeffery Haliburton
* ''[[Success Story (play)|Success Story]]'' (1932) as Jeffery Haliburton
* ''[[Men in White (play)|Men in White]]'' (1933) as Dr. Michaelson
* ''[[Men in White (play)|Men in White]]'' (1933) as Dr. Michaelson
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* ''[[Waiting For Lefty]]'' (1935) as Actor
* ''[[Waiting For Lefty]]'' (1935) as Actor
* ''[[Key Largo (play)|Key Largo]]'' (1935) as Osceola Horn
* ''[[Key Largo (play)|Key Largo]]'' (1935) as Osceola Horn
* ''Paradise Lost'' (1935) as homeless man
* ''Paradise Lost'' (1935) as Homeless man
* ''Case of Clyde Griffiths'' (1936) as working man
* ''Case of Clyde Griffiths'' (1936) as Working man
* ''[[Johnny Johnson (musical)|Johnny Johnson]]'' (1936) as Private Fairfax and as Doctor
* ''[[Johnny Johnson (musical)|Johnny Johnson]]'' (1936) as Private Fairfax and as Doctor
* ''Rocket to the Moon'' (1938) as a salesman
* ''Rocket to the Moon'' (1938) as a Salesman
* ''[[Awake and Sing!]]'' (1939) as Schlosser
* ''[[Awake and Sing!]]'' (1939) as Schlosser
{{div col end}}
{{div col end}}
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{{Div col}}
{{Div col}}
* ''[[...One Third of a Nation...]]'' (1939) as Reporter (uncredited)
* ''[[...One Third of a Nation...]]'' (1939) as Reporter (uncredited)
* ''[[Destination Tokyo]]'' (1943) as Rocky the quartermaster (uncredited)
* ''[[Destination Tokyo]]'' (1943) as Rocky the quartermaster (uncredited)
* ''[[The Story of Dr. Wassell]]'' (1944) as Radio Man (uncredited)
* ''[[The Story of Dr. Wassell]]'' (1944) as Radio Man (uncredited)
* ''[[Days of Glory (1944 film)|Days of Glory]]'' (1944) as Ducrenko (uncredited)
* ''[[Days of Glory (1944 film)|Days of Glory]]'' (1944) as Ducrenko (uncredited)
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* ''[[Miss Susie Slagle's]]'' (1946) as Interne (uncredited)
* ''[[Miss Susie Slagle's]]'' (1946) as Interne (uncredited)
* ''[[Tokyo Rose (film)|Tokyo Rose]]'' (1946) as Mike Kovac
* ''[[Tokyo Rose (film)|Tokyo Rose]]'' (1946) as Mike Kovac
* ''[[Deadline at Dawn]]'' (1946) as Ray – Newsstand Proprietor (uncredited)
* ''[[Deadline at Dawn]]'' (1946) as Ray, Newsstand Proprietor (uncredited)
* ''[[From This Day Forward]]'' (1946) as Pawnbroker (uncredited)
* ''[[From This Day Forward]]'' (1946) as Pawnbroker (uncredited)
* ''[[Without Reservations]]'' (1946) as Corporal (uncredited)
* ''[[Without Reservations]]'' (1946) as Corporal (uncredited)
* ''[[Swamp Fire]]'' (1946) as barfly (uncredited)
* ''[[Swamp Fire]]'' (1946) as Barfly (uncredited)
* ''[[Nocturne (1946 film)|Nocturne]]'' (1946) as police photographer Olsen (uncredited)
* ''[[Nocturne (1946 film)|Nocturne]]'' (1946) as Police Photographer Olsen (uncredited)
* ''[[Boomerang (1947 film)|Boomerang]]'' (1947) as Whitney – Harvey's Assistant (uncredited)
* ''[[Boomerang (1947 film)|Boomerang]]'' (1947) as Whitney, Harvey's Assistant (uncredited)
* ''[[The Sea of Grass (film)|The Sea of Grass]]'' (1947) as deputy sheriff (uncredited)
* ''[[The Sea of Grass (film)|The Sea of Grass]]'' (1947) as Deputy Sheriff (uncredited)
* ''[[The Guilt of Janet Ames]]'' (1947) as Ambulance Surgeon (uncredited)
* ''[[The Guilt of Janet Ames]]'' (1947) as Ambulance Surgeon (uncredited)
* ''[[Desperate (film)|Desperate]]'' (1947) as Reynolds
* ''[[Desperate (film)|Desperate]]'' (1947) as Reynolds
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* ''[[Port of New York (film)|Port of New York]]'' (1949) as Leo Stasser
* ''[[Port of New York (film)|Port of New York]]'' (1949) as Leo Stasser
* ''[[Outrage (1950 film)|Outrage]]'' (1950) as Lee Wilkins
* ''[[Outrage (1950 film)|Outrage]]'' (1950) as Lee Wilkins
* ''[[The Lone Ranger ]]''(1950) (TV Series) (Season 1 Episode 25: "Buried Treasure") as Flint Foster
* ''[[Gambling House (film)|Gambling House]]'' (1950) as Parking Attendant (uncredited)
* ''[[Gambling House (film)|Gambling]]'' (1950) as Parking Attendant (uncredited)
* ''[[The Whip Hand]]'' (1951) as Guard (uncredited)
* ''[[The Whip Hand]]'' (1951) as Guard (uncredited)
* ''[[On Dangerous Ground]]'' (1951) as thug (uncredited)
* ''[[On Dangerous Ground]]'' (1951) as Thug (uncredited)
* ''[[The Big Trees]]'' (1952) as Brother Williams (uncredited)
* ''[[The Big Trees]]'' (1952) as Brother Williams (uncredited)
* ''[[This Woman Is Dangerous]]'' (1952) as Ned Shaw (uncredited)
* ''[[This Woman Is Dangerous]]'' (1952) as Ned Shaw (uncredited)
* ''[[The Glenn Miller Story]]'' (1954) as dispatch desk Sergeant (uncredited)
* ''[[The Glenn Miller Story]]'' (1954) as Dispatch Desk Sergeant (uncredited)
* ''[[Man Without a Star]]'' (1955) as Brick Gooder (uncredited)
* ''[[Man Without a Star]]'' (1955) as Brick Gooder (uncredited)
* ''[[The Lone Ranger (TV series)|The Lone Ranger]]'' (1955, TV Series) as Bad-Eye
* ''[[The Lone Ranger (TV series)|The Lone Ranger]]'' (1955, TV Series) as Bad-Eye
* ''[[The Lone Ranger (TV series)|The Lone Ranger]]'' (1955, TV Series, episode “Wanted: The Lone Ranger”) as Hawk
* ''[[Chicago Syndicate (film)|Chicago Syndicate]]'' (1955) as Dolan
* ''[[Chicago Syndicate (film)|Chicago Syndicate]]'' (1955) as Dolan
* ''[[The Desperados Are in Town]]'' (1956) as Tom Kesh
* ''[[The Desperados Are in Town]]'' (1956) as Tom Kesh
* ''[[Calypso Heat Wave]]'' (1957) as Second Thug
* ''[[Calypso Heat Wave]]'' (1957) as Second Thug
* ''[[Raintree County (film)|Raintree County]]'' (1957) as spectator (uncredited)
* ''[[Raintree County (film)|Raintree County]]'' (1957) as Spectator (uncredited)
* ''[[Official Detective]]'' (1957, TV Series) as Hatch
* ''[[Official Detective]]'' (1957, TV Series) as Hatch
* ''[[Adventures of Superman (TV series)|Adventures of Superman]]'' (1957) (Season 5 Episode 9: ”The Phony Alibi”) as Clippy Jones
⚫
* ''[[Saddle the Wind]]'' (1958) as barfly (uncredited)
* ''[[The Lone Ranger (TV series)|The Lone Ranger]]'' (1957, TV Series, season 5, episode 23: “Code of Honor”) as Fake Soldier (uncredited)
⚫
* ''[[Saddle the Wind]]'' (1958) as Barfly (uncredited)
* ''[[Twilight for the Gods]]'' (1958) as Sweeney
* ''[[Twilight for the Gods]]'' (1958) as Sweeney
* ''[[Alfred Hitchcock Presents]]'' (1959) (Season 4 Episode 32: "Human Interest Story") as Barney Welch
* ''[[The Sound and the Fury (1959 film)|The Sound and the Fury]]'' (1959) as roustabout (uncredited)
* ''[[The Sound and the Fury (1959 film)|The Sound and the Fury]]'' (1959) as Roustabout (uncredited)
* ''[[The Story on Page One (film)|The Story on Page One]]'' (1959) as Lemke (uncredited)
* ''[[The Story on Page One (film)|The Story on Page One]]'' (1959) as Lemke (uncredited)
* ''[[Toby Tyler]]'' (1960) as Jailbird (uncredited)
* ''[[Toby Tyler]]'' (1960) as Jailbird (uncredited)
* ''[[Noose for a Gunman]]'' (1960) as Gorse
* ''[[Noose for a Gunman]]'' (1960) as Gorse
* ''[[One Foot in Hell (film)|One Foot in Hell]]'' (1960) as Pete's Friend (uncredited)
* ''[[One Foot in Hell (film)|One Foot in Hell]]'' (1960) as Pete's Friend (uncredited)
* ''[[The Plunderers (1960 film)|The Plunderers]]'' (1960) as first citizen
* ''[[The Plunderers (1960 film)|The Plunderers]]'' (1960) as First Citizen
* ''[[Cimarron (1960 film)|Cimarron]]'' (1960) as barber (uncredited)
* ''[[Cimarron (1960 film)|Cimarron]]'' (1960) as Barber (uncredited)
* ''[[Alfred Hitchcock Presents]]'' (1961) (Season 6 Episode 23: "Incident in a Small Jail") as Petrie
* ''[[All Fall Down (1962 film)|All Fall Down]]'' (1962) as third bum (uncredited)
* ''[[War Hunt]]'' (1962) as Lt. Colonel
* ''[[All Fall Down (1962 film)|All Fall Down]]'' (1962) as third Bum (uncredited)
* ''[[War Hunt]]'' (1962) as Lieutenant Colonel
⚫
* "[[The Alfred Hitchcock Hour]]'' episode "The Star Juror" (1963)
* ''[[Gunsmoke]]'' (1962) as Feist
⚫
* ''[[The Alfred Hitchcock Hour]]'' (1963) (Season 1 Episode 24: "The Star Juror") as Jess Bartholomew
* ''[[The Hook (1963 film)|The Hook]]'' (1963) as Schmidt
* ''[[The Hook (1963 film)|The Hook]]'' (1963) as Schmidt
* ''[[Seven Days in May]]'' (1964) as General Riley (uncredited)
* ''[[Seven Days in May]]'' (1964) as General Riley (uncredited)
* ''[[Nightmare in the Sun]]'' (1965) as old coot in a bar
* ''[[The Alfred Hitchcock Hour]]'' (1965) (Season 3 Episode 14: "Final Performance") as Wint Davis
* ''[[Joy in the Morning (film)|Joy in the Morning]]'' (1965) as an old derelict (uncredited)
* ''[[Nightmare in the Sun]]'' (1965) as Old Coot in a bar
* ''[[The Cincinnati Kid]]'' (1965) as an old man (uncredited)
* ''[[Joy in the Morning (film)|Joy in the Morning]]'' (1965) as an Old Derelict (uncredited)
* ''[[Billy the Kid Versus Dracula]]'' (1966) as Tom – Station Agent
* ''[[The Cincinnati Kid]]'' (1965) as an Old Man (uncredited)
* ''[[Billy the Kid Versus Dracula]]'' (1966) as Tom, Station Agent
* ''[[Five Easy Pieces]]'' (1970) as Nicholas Dupea
* ''[[Five Easy Pieces]]'' (1970) as Nicholas Dupea
* ''[[Zachariah (film)|Zachariah]]'' (1971) as "The Old Man"
* ''[[Zachariah (film)|Zachariah]]'' (1971) as "The Old Man"
* ''[[The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid]]'' (1972) as oldtimer (uncredited)
* ''[[The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid]]'' (1972) as Old-timer (uncredited)
* ''Irish Whiskey Rebellion'' (1972) as Timothy
* ''[[The Irish Whiskey Rebellion]]'' (1972) as Timothy
* ''[[Moonchild (1974 film)|Moonchild]]'' (1974) as Alchemist
* ''[[Moonchild (1974 film)|Moonchild]]'' (1974) as Alchemist
* ''[[From Noon till Three]]'' (1976) as piano player (uncredited) (final film role)
* ''[[From Noon till Three]]'' (1976) as Piano Player (uncredited) (final film role)
{{div col end}}
{{div col end}}


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[[Category:American male stage actors]]
[[Category:American male stage actors]]
[[Category:Male actors from Illinois]]
[[Category:Male actors from Illinois]]
[[Category:Federal Theatre Project people]]

Latest revision as of 05:05, 30 April 2024

William Challee
William Challee in The Texan (1958)
Born
William John Challe

(1904-04-06)April 6, 1904
Chicago, Illinois, USA
DiedMarch 11, 1989(1989-03-11) (aged 84)
Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA
OccupationActor
Years active1926–1979
Spouses
​
​
(m. 1931; div. 1937)​
Ella Franklin Crawford
​
​
(m. 1944, divorced)​
​
(m. 1984)​

William John Challee (April 6, 1904 – March 11, 1989) was an American actor.

Biography[edit]

Challee directed Eugene O'Neill's S.S. Glencairn cycle for the Federal Theatre Project in 1937.

Challee was born in Chicago and was a student at Lake View High School.[1]

Challee appeared on Broadway by 1926 and by 1931 in early Group Theatre productions. He married actress Ruth Nelson on August 2, 1931; they divorced on August 13, 1937.[2] The two appeared in the 1947 film The Sea of Grass, in supporting roles, after they were divorced.

In 1937, Challee staged a suite of one-act plays at the Lafayette Theatre in Harlem, under the heading Plays of the Sea. The suite consisted of the Eugene O'Neill plays Bound East for Cardiff, In the Zone, The Long Voyage Home, and Moon of the Caribbees. They were produced by the Federal Theatre Project of the Works Progress Administration, running for 68 performances from October 29, 1937.[3]

Challee was living in Chicago by 1940. By the middle 1940s, Challee was working in films in California, mainly in supporting and uncredited roles. Challee married dancer Ella Franklin Crawford on April 19, 1944, in Santa Monica.[4]

Challee appeared in episodes of numerous television series, including a 1953 episode ("Stage for Mademoiselle") of The Lone Ranger and a 1957 episode ("The Case of the Runaway Corpse") of Perry Mason. In 1960, Challee appeared as Saunders on Laramie in the episode titled "Duel at Parkinson Town".[citation needed] In 1961, he appeared as Eli in the series finale of The Investigators, "The Dead End Man",[citation needed] as well as the 1961 episode "Meeting at the Mimbres" in the Western series Bat Masterson.

In 1962, Challee appeared (uncredited) as a prisoner on the TV Western The Virginian in the episode titled "The Brazen Bell". That same year, he appeared on Gunsmoke as Feist, a crazed pioneer who lost his faculties and tries to kill Marshal Dillon in the episode “The Gallows”. Challee played the incapacitated family patriarch in the 1970 film Five Easy Pieces, whose illness brings his son (Jack Nicholson) home to the family estate.

In 1984, he married his long-time partner Joan Wheeler Ankrum. Together, in 1960, they opened the Ankrum Gallery on La Cienega Boulevard in Los Angeles.[5][6]

Challee was buried in Alta Mesa Memorial Park in Palo Alto.[citation needed]

Broadway roles[edit]

Selected filmography[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Challee Plays Real Reporter". The Philadelphia Inquirer. March 8, 1942. p. 14 SO. Retrieved July 14, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "COURT ACTIONS FILED". Reno Gazette-Journal. August 13, 1937.
  3. ^ "One-Act Plays of the Sea". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved September 15, 2017.
  4. ^ "California, County Marriages, 1850-1952", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K82G-G63 : 18 August 2022), William John Challe and Ella Franklin Crawford, 1944.
  5. ^ Staff Writers (December 23, 2001). "Joan Ankrum, 88; Actress, Influential Art Gallery Owner". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
  6. ^ "Ankrum Gallery records, circa 1900-circa 1990s, bulk 1960–1990". Archives of American Art. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved September 20, 2017.

Sources[edit]

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=William_Challee&oldid=1221478496"