Will Geer
Will Geer , actually William Auge Ghere (born March 9, 1902 in Frankfort , Indiana , † April 22, 1978 in Los Angeles , California ) was an American film and stage actor . He is best known to today's audience for his age role as the grandfather in the family series The Waltons .
Life
Will Geer, who grew up in rural Indiana, was introduced to botany through his father , which led to a degree in botany at Columbia University in New York City in the early 1920s . During this time he came into contact with the theater for the first time . He joined a touring stage under the direction of Eva Le Gallienne . In 1928 he made his Broadway debut in The Merry Wives of Windsor . During the Great Depression in the 1930s, he toured labor camps with Burl Ives and Woody Guthrie and was a member of the Group Theater in New York. Geer took on engagements in socially critical plays such as Tobacco Road based on the novel by Erskine Caldwell and as Slim in the theater adaptation of John Steinbeck's novel Von Mäusen und Menschen .
Although Geer saw himself primarily as a stage actor throughout his life, he also repeatedly took on supporting roles in Hollywood cinema. He made his film debut in 1932 in Misleading Lady at the side of Claudette Colbert . After he had played only irregularly in films for a long time, Geer took part in a number of important films from the late 1940s, such as Griff in den Staub , The Broken Arrow and Winchester '73 . However, Geer's social commitment was fatal in the early 1950s when he was suspected of communism in the USA during the McCarthy era and was blacklisted . He had to withdraw from the film business and instead concentrated entirely on his theater work. With his wife he founded a private theater : the Theatricum Botanicum in Topanga Canyon, near Malibu in the Los Angeles area. He returned to the big screen in the early 1960s, starring as a sought-after character actor in films such as Storm Over Washington , Cold Blood and Jeremiah Johnson . In addition, he mainly took on guest roles in television series , not least because of his massive stature, he was mostly cast in rogue roles.
Geer achieved world fame at an advanced age with the role of grandfather Samuel in the television series The Waltons , which he played from the beginning of the series in 1972 until his death in 1978. He died of respiratory failure at the age of 76 . As a young man, Geer had a love affair with communist, union supporter and gay activist Harry Hay . In 1934 he married the actress Herta Ware . They had three children, the daughter Ellen Geer is also an actress. Although Geer and Ware divorced in 1954, they remained close friends throughout their lives.
Filmography (selection)
- 1932: Misleading Lady
- 1935: Mystery of Edwin Drood
- 1939: Union Pacific
- 1940: The Fight for Life
- 1949: The Mountain of Terror (Lust for Gold)
- 1949: Intruder in the Dust (Intruder in the Dust)
- 1950: Ostracized (The Kid from Texas)
- 1950: The Broken Arrow
- 1950: Winchester '73
- 1950: In the land of the Comanches (Comanche Territory)
- 1950: Death in the Neck (To Please a Lady)
- 1951: Victory over the Dark (Bright Victory)
- 1951: Conspiracy in the Night Express (The Tall Target)
- 1954: Salt of the Earth
- 1962: Storm over Washington (Advise & Consent)
- 1966: The Man Who Lived Twice (Seconds)
- 1967: In Cold Blood (In Cold Blood)
- 1967: Chases Dr. Sheefer (The President's Analyst)
- 1968: Cobra, Take Over (TV series, episode)
- 1968: Bandolero!
- 1968: Smoking Colts (TV series, an episode)
- 1968: Rackets and Guns (TV series, an episode)
- 1969–1971: Bonanza (TV series, 3 episodes)
- 1969: The Rogue (The Reivers)
- 1970: Whiskey brutal (The Moonshine War)
- 1970: Bill Cosby (TV series, 1 episode)
- 1970–1971: The Bold Ones: The Lawyers (TV series, 3 episodes)
- 1970: The Bold Ones: The Senator (TV series, episode)
- 1970: The Brotherhood of the Bell (TV movie)
- 1971: Alias Smith and Jones (TV series, an episode)
- 1972: Jeremiah Johnson
- 1972: In Love with a Witch (TV series, 2 episodes as George Washington )
- 1972: Escape to the Wild (Napoleon and Samantha)
- 1972–1978: The Waltons (TV series, 143 episodes)
- 1973: Columbo : Two Lives on a Thread (TV movie)
- 1973: Kung Fu (TV series, an episode)
- 1973: State authority ( Executive Action )
- 1974: A Great Boy (TV Movie)
- 1975: The Night when the Martians Attacked America (Movie made for TV)
- 1976: The Blue Bird (The Blue Bird)
- 1976: Starsky & Hutch (TV series, 2 episodes)
- 1976: For Law and Order (TV film)
- 1977: Love Boat (TV series, episode)
- 1977: The Billion Dollar Hobo
- 1978: The Mafu Cage
Awards
- 1964: Tony Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for 110 in the Shade
- 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1988: Emmy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor in a TV Drama Series for The Waltons
- 1975: Emmy Award - Winner for Best Supporting Actor in a TV Drama Series for The Waltons
- 1974, 1975: Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actor in a TV Series for The Waltons
Web links
- Will Geer in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Will Geer at Allmovie
- ↑ Will Geer at Allmovie
- ^ Will Geer at the IBDB
- ↑ Will Geer at Allmovie
- ^ IMDb biography of Will Geer
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Geer, Will |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Ghere, William eye |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | US-American actor |
DATE OF BIRTH | March 9, 1902 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Frankfort , Indiana , USA |
DATE OF DEATH | April 22, 1978 |
Place of death | Los Angeles , California , USA |