Ed Begley

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Edward James "Ed" Begley (born March 25, 1901 in Hartford , Connecticut , † April 28, 1970 in Hollywood , California ) was an American theater and film actor .

life and work

The son of Irish immigrants ran away from home several times before finally breaking up with his family and those around him at the age of thirteen. For the next two decades, Begley kept himself afloat with a lot of work, including as a pin stand in a bowling bar. In 1931, Ed Begley was hired as an announcer at a radio station. Ten years later he went to New York City and became a very prolific radio operator. From 1944 to 1948 he spoke the title role of Charlie Chan in radio plays and was a partner of Dick Powell in the hit series Richard Diamond, Private Detective .

It was not until he was 43 that Begley began his theater career on Broadway . He became so famous for the role of war profiteer Joe Keller in the play All my Sons that he also played this role in his first movie Boomerang in 1947 . Begley was also noticed on television in the 1950s. In the drama Who sows the Wind (Inherit the Wind) , which premiered in 1955, he appeared 789 times on stage, first at Paul Muni's side , then with Melvyn Douglas . For his role in the play, Begley received a Tony Award in 1956 and was nominated for an Emmy for the later television version .

Begley also starred in a number of motion pictures. One of his most successful film roles is likely to have been that of racist juror No. 10 in the chamber play-like judicial drama The Twelve Jurors (1957) starring Henry Fonda , which is still often shown on television today. The mime received an Oscar in 1963 for best supporting role in the Tennessee Williams film Sweet Bird Youth , which came as a surprise to him as an unskilled actor.

Private

Begley has been married four times. He is the father of actor Ed Begley junior . At 69, he died during a party at the home of Hollywood press agent Jay Bernstein.

Filmography (selection)

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Begley, Ed
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Begley, Edward James (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American theater and film actor
DATE OF BIRTH March 25, 1901
PLACE OF BIRTH Hartford , Connecticut, United States
DATE OF DEATH April 28, 1970
Place of death Hollywood , California, United States