Hurd Hatfield

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Hurd Hatfield (actually: William Rukard Hurd Hatfield ; born December 7, 1917 in New York City , † December 26, 1998 in Monkstown , County Cork , Ireland ) was an Irish film and theater actor of American descent.

biography

Hurd Hatfield belonged to a politically active family. One of his relatives was Mark Hatfield , who was a US Republican Senator from Oregon between 1967 and 1997 . Although he was born in New York and trained at Columbia University , Hatfield spent most of his early life in England , where he attended Chekov's Drama School . His stage success first came in London . In 1944 he made his film debut alongside Katharine Hepburn in the drama Drachensaat . In the following year he played in his second film the role that was probably his best known and by which he was measured in the future: He was cast in the title role for his film Das Bildnis des Dorian Gray by director Albert Lewin . Although he received brilliant reviews for this performance to this day, the great Hollywood career failed to materialize.

Hatfield made a number of second-rate films until the late 1940s before returning to theater and television work. In his occasional film roles, he was repeatedly selected for youthful and vital characters; so also in 1961 for King of Kings , where he embodied Pontius Pilate . In the same year he stood in front of the camera in El Cid . Even as he got older, Hatfield always looked youthful. From the late 1970s, Hatfield settled in Ireland and took Irish citizenship. He continued to take advantage of film and television offerings, including King David in 1984 . In 1991 he played his last role in the TV movie You Only Love Twice .

To this day, Hurd Hatfield is one of the few actors of his generation who did not have to pay for their homosexual outing with their career. He was said to have had relationships with numerous young men. His best friends included Angela Lansbury - he made three guest appearances in Murder Is Her Hobby and starred alongside her in The Portrait of Dorian Gray - and Jean Stapleton .

Hurd Hatfield died of a heart attack in his sleep in late December 1998 after celebrating Christmas with friends . He was 81 years old.

Filmography (selection)

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Hatfield, Hurd
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Hatfield, Hurd William Rukard
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Irish actor of American descent
DATE OF BIRTH December 7, 1917
PLACE OF BIRTH New York City
DATE OF DEATH December 26, 1998
Place of death Monkstown , Ireland