Sonny Tufts

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sonny Tufts (born July 16, 1911 in Boston , Massachusetts as Bowen Charlton Tufts III , † June 4, 1970 in Santa Monica , California ) was an American actor.

life and career

Sonny Tufts was born Bowen Charlton Tufts III into a distinguished Boston banking family. His great uncle Charles was the founder and namesake of Tufts University . He wanted to become a singer at the age of eight, later Tufts studied opera at Yale University and received further training in New York and Paris . At first he wanted to apply to the Metropolitan Opera , but found the salaries there for beginners too low. He then turned to Broadway and appeared in several musicals such as Sing for Your Supper . He was also active as a singer in night clubs and hotels. In 1942 Tufts signed a studio contract with Paramount Pictures . Since many actors his age served in the Second World War , but he was not allowed to do his military service due to an injury, a larger role opened up for him in his film debut: In the war film Courageous Women , he played Paulette Goddard's lover , which he thought of the New York film Critics Circle earned a Best Actor nomination .

The blond-haired, athletic-looking Tufts received around 1,700 fan letters a week within a short period of time and was voted the greatest newcomer of 1943 in a magazine poll. He played mostly lovable, but often bland, amateur roles and was at times a popular beefcake model. He then played the main male role alongside Olivia de Havilland in the comedy Government Girl (1943) and appeared alongside Bing Crosby in the musical film Here Come the Waves (1944). Tufts' star began to decline as early as the late 1940s. He now mostly had to be content with supporting roles, for example as a film villain alongside John Payne in the film noir The Lord of the Underworld (1949).

In the 1950s he starred in several B-movies , including as an astronaut in the three-dimensional science fiction film Cat-Women of the Moon . During this time, Tuft's career was further driven by public scandals: In 1953 he was divorced from his wife Barbara, with whom he had been married since the late 1930s. She cited his alcoholism as a reason for divorce, and Tufts was arrested several times for public drunkenness. In addition, several showgirls brought charges against Tuft in the 1950s, alleging that he had bitten them in the thigh. The last role in a major film he received in 1955 in The 7th Year Itch from Billy Wilder , where he played the writer and heartthrob Tom MacKenzie in a supporting role . In the following 15 years until his death, supporting roles in film and television only followed at irregular intervals. His alcoholism also cost him a bigger role in the John Wayne film Alamo (1960).

Sonny Tufts later lived alternately in California and on his ranch in Texas. He died of pneumonia in Santa Monica in 1970 at the age of 58. Tufts was buried on the one in Lexington , Massachusetts .

In pop culture

Sonny Tufts was in the USA, not least thanks to his scandals and B-movie roles, as a symbol of the worn-out scandal actor. In American comedy television series of the 1960s, such as The Dick Van Dyke Show , Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In or The Monkees , jokes were made about the actor. Even Johnny Carson mentioned Tufts name frequently in his Tonight Show . Tufts took these spoofs with humor and made several self-deprecating television appearances. In the cult book The Golden Turkey Awards by Harry and Michael Medved, published in 1979, he was given his own, albeit rather dubious, category under the title "The worst film performance by Sonny Tufts" . Tufts received the award for his appearance in Government Girl (1943).

Filmography (selection)

  • 1943: Courageous Women (So ​​Proudly We Hail!)
  • 1943: Government Girl
  • 1944: Here Come the Waves
  • 1945: Bring on the Girls
  • 1946: The Virginian
  • 1947: Girls for Hollywood (Variety Girl)
  • 1949: The Lord of the Underworld (The Crooked Way)
  • 1949: Easy Living
  • 1952: A meal for the fish (Gift Horse)
  • 1953: No Escape
  • 1953: Cat-Women of the Moon
  • 1955: 7. Year Itch (The Seven Year Itch)
  • 1957: With the Colt under the pillow (The Parson and the Outlaw)
  • 1963: The People of Shiloh Ranch ( The Viginian ; TV series, 1 episode)
  • 1965: Revolvers don't discuss (Town Tamer)
  • 1968: Land's End (TV movie)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Sonny Tufts, 59, Actor In Movies , Obituary for Sonny Tufts in the New York Times
  2. ↑ a b c d Sonny Tufts at Allmovie
  3. ↑ a b Sonny Tufts in the Find a Grave database . Retrieved October 3, 2017.
  4. ↑ Sunny Tufts Sets Hollywood Record , Lewiston Evening Journal, December 8, 1944 '
  5. ↑ DIVORCE DUE FOR ACTOR , Eugene Register Guard, September 17, 1952
  6. ↑ Sonny Tufts at Snopes
  7. ↑ Sonny Tufts at Snopes
personal data
SURNAME Tufts, Sonny
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Tufts, Bowen Charlton III (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION US-American actor
DATE OF BIRTH July 16, 1911
PLACE OF BIRTH Boston , Massachusetts , United States
DATE OF DEATH 4th June 1970
Place of death Santa Monica , California , United States