Melvyn Douglas

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Melvyn Douglas , actually Melvyn Edouard Hesselberg , (born April 5, 1901 in Macon , Georgia , † August 4, 1981 in New York City , New York ) was an American actor who made over 70 films in his long film career. Douglas won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his appearances in The Wildest Among Thousand from 1963 and Welcome Mr. Chance from 1979 .

Life

Melvyn Douglas was the son of a well-known concert pianist and decided early on to go to the stage. After returning from the war, he went on tour with various companies in 1919 and finally made his Broadway debut in 1928 as a gangster in the drama A Free Soul . His greatest success on stage was with the comedy Tonight or Never , which he made his film debut in 1931 alongside Gloria Swanson . His reputation as a sensitive performer, even in complex roles, earned him one of the leading roles alongside Greta Garbo in the adaptation of Luigi Pirandello's How You Want Me in 1932 . The film was a success, but subsequent roles were marginal and Douglas returned to Broadway in 1934. However, a lucrative non-exclusive contract with Columbia brought him back to Hollywood, where he became one of the most popular comedy actors of the decade with his appearance alongside Claudette Colbert in She Married Her Boss . In the following years he worked alongside some of the greatest female stars. In addition to Marlene Dietrich , he could be seen in Engel , directed by Ernst Lubitsch . Douglas starred opposite Irene Dunne in Theodora Goes Wild and was partner of Joan Crawford on several occasions , including in Burning Fire of Passion and The Woman with the Scar . He played his most famous role today in Ninotschka in 1939 , where he makes Greta Garbo laugh.

After 1942 he went to war again. However, his films after 1946 were rarely of the quality of his previous work and Douglas returned to Broadway again. Here he increasingly proved himself as a character actor and won a Tony Award for his portrayal in The Best Man . Douglas was not back on screen until the early 1960s and was promptly named best supporting actor at the 1964 Academy Awards for his role as the father of Paul Newman in Martin Ritt's western The Wildest Among Thousands . Other important film roles for Douglas followed, and he also occasionally appeared as an actor on television. He won an Emmy Award for his performance in Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night . At the 1980 Academy Awards , he received another Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of a seriously ill person in Welcome, Mr. Chance .

His second wife was actress Helen Gahagan , who went into politics in the 1940s and won a seat in the US Congress. In 1950 she lost the election of California Senator to Richard Nixon .

Filmography (selection)

Awards

Oscar for Best Supporting Actor

Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor

Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Drama

National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor

  • 1963: won for The Wildest Among Thousand

New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor

  • 1979: won for Welcome Mr. Chance

Tony Award for Best Actor

  • 1960: won for The Best Man

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Douglas, Melvyn
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Hesselberg, Melvyn Edouard (real name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION US-American actor
DATE OF BIRTH April 5, 1901
PLACE OF BIRTH Macon , Georgia , United States
DATE OF DEATH 4th August 1981
Place of death New York City , New York , United States