Tom Ewell

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Tom Ewell , actually Samuel Yewell Tompkins , (born April 29, 1909 in Owensboro , Kentucky , † September 12, 1994 in Woodland Hills , California ), was an American film and stage actor .

Life

Tom Ewell began acting in the summer of 1928 on a Summer Stock alongside Don Ameche . Although he was originally to become a lawyer at the request of his family, he moved to New York in 1931 and took acting lessons in a class with Montgomery Clift and Karl Malden . In 1934 he played for the first time on Broadway , in 1940 he made his film debut in a small role. In the early years he mainly appeared in comedic supporting roles. He first received more attention as a film actor in 1949 through the comedy Ehekrieg , where he played an unfaithful husband alongside Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn .

He played his likely best known role as Richard Sherman in the Billy Wilder -Komödie The cursed 7th year alongside Marilyn Monroe . He had first played his role in 1952 in the Broadway production on stage and was awarded the Tony Award for it. His portrayal of the husband torn between infidelity and a sense of duty in the film also earned him a Golden Globe Award . This role was the climax of his acting career. In the following decades he played mainly in television productions, including having his own television show in the early 1970s. He is also known for his role as hotel manager and ex-police officer Billy Truman in the TV series Baretta , which was made between 1975 and 1978. He last stood in front of the camera in 1986 for the crime series Murder is her Hobby .

Tom Ewell was married twice: the first time from 1946 to 1947 to Judith Abbott, the daughter of the author George Abbott ; then in 1948 he married Marjorie Sanborn. They had one child together and were a married couple until his death in 1994.

Filmography (selection)

  • 1940: They Knew What They Wanted (uncredited)
  • 1941: Desert Bandit
  • 1949: Marriage War (Adam's Rib)
  • 1950: The Hero of Mindanao (American Guerrilla in the Philippines)
  • 1950: A Life of Her Own
  • 1950: Mr. Music
  • 1951: Up Front
  • 1952: Abbott and Costello in Alaska (Abbott and Costello Lost in Alaska)
  • 1952: Back at the Front
  • 1955: 7. Year Itch (The Seven Year Itch)
  • 1956: My Wife, The Lieutenant (The Lieutenant Wore Skirts)
  • 1956: Schlagerpiraten (The Girl Can't Help It)
  • 1958: A Nice Little Bank That Should Be Robbed
  • 1960–1961: The Tom Ewell Show (TV series, 32 episodes)
  • 1961: Tender Is the Night ( Tender is the Night )
  • 1962: Texas Show (State Fair)
  • 1970: Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came?
  • 1972: The Trail of the Black Beast (They Only Kill Their Masters)
  • 1975–1978: Baretta (TV series, 44 episodes)
  • 1981–1982: Best of the West (TV series, 22 episodes)
  • 1983: Monty, the millionaire heir (Easy Money)
  • 1986: Murder is Her Hobby (TV series, 1 episode)

Awards

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Ewell, Tom
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Tompkins, Samuel Yewell (real name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION US-American actor
DATE OF BIRTH April 29, 1909
PLACE OF BIRTH Owensboro , Kentucky , United States
DATE OF DEATH September 12, 1994
Place of death Woodland Hills , California , United States