Michael Higgins (actor)

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Michael Patrick Higgins Jr. (born January 20, 1920 in Brooklyn , New York , † November 5, 2008 in Manhattan , New York) was an American actor .

life and career

Michael Higgins began his acting career in the 1940s, when he also served as a soldier in World War II and received the Bronze Star Medal and the Purple Heart . He was considered a prominent stage actor and appeared mainly in the New York area. He made his Broadway debut in 1946 in Antigone at the side of Katharine Cornell and Sir Cedric Hardwicke as the "third watch". He then played on Broadway in 1951 as Benvolio in Romeo and Juliet alongside Olivia de Havilland , in 1955 in Jeanne or The Lark alongside Christopher Plummer and Julie Harris, and in 1973 in Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh with James Earl Jones . Higgins played the role of Frank Strang in the Broadway premiere of Peter Shaffer's Equus , whose teenage son gouged out several horses' eyes, earning him rave reviews. He was awarded two Obie Awards for his appearances in Arthur Miller's Witch Hunt (as John Proctor ) and in David Mamet's Reunion .

Higgins made his film debut as a soldier in the cheaply produced war film Shades of Gray by Joseph Henabery in 1948 . In the following two decades he was a guest actor on many US television series in front of the camera and played the lead role of a psychopathic serial killer in Irving Lerner's B-movie Edge of Fury in 1958 . It was not until the 1970s that he was regularly seen in movies, usually in supporting roles. In 1970 he starred as bank robber Norman in the independently produced social drama Wanda by Barbara Loden , which won an award at the Venice Film Festival . Directed by Francis Ford Coppola , he played one of the professional colleagues of Gene Hackman's character in The Dialogue (1974) and the teacher Mr. Harrigan in Rumble Fish (1983). Higgins also appeared in two Woody Allen films , the horror satire The Women of Stepford (1975), the hit horse strip The Black Stallion (1979) and David Mamet's comedy State and Main (2000). He had a prominent supporting role in 1987 as a corrupt doctor in the psychological thriller Angel Heart on the side of Mickey Rourke . In the year he died, two films were released, each of which had small supporting roles.

Higgins was married to Elizabeth Lee Goodwin from May 2, 1946 until his death 62 years later, the couple had three children. He died of heart failure in November 2008 at the age of 88.

Filmography (selection)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Margalit Fox: Michael Higgins, an Actor Popular on New York Stages, Dies at 88 . In: The New York Times . November 10, 2008, ISSN  0362-4331 ( nytimes.com [accessed April 27, 2020]).
  2. ↑ Playbill News: Michael Higgins, Obie-Winning Actor, Dies at 88 December 7, 2008, accessed April 27, 2020 .
  3. ↑ Michael Higgins | Biography, Movie Highlights and Photos. Retrieved April 27, 2020 (American English).
  4. ^ Margalit Fox: Michael Higgins, an Actor Popular on New York Stages, Dies at 88 . In: The New York Times . November 10, 2008, ISSN  0362-4331 ( nytimes.com [accessed April 27, 2020]).
personal data
SURNAME Higgins, Michael
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Michael Patrick Higgins Jr. (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION US-American actor
DATE OF BIRTH January 20, 1920
PLACE OF BIRTH Brooklyn , New York
DATE OF DEATH November 5, 2008
Place of death Manhattan , New York