Robert Shayne
| Robert Shayne | |
|---|---|
in North by Northwest (1959)
|
|
| Born | Robert Shaen Dawe October 4, 1900 Yonkers, New York, U.S. |
| Died | Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist. Woodland Hills, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) |
| Occupation | Stage, Film, Television actor |
| Years active | 1929-1991 |
| Spouse(s) | Elizabeth (Bette) McDonald (1943-1992) (his death) 2 children Mary Sheffield (1933-1943) 1 child Mary Crouch (1927-1929) 1 child |
| Children | Robert Shayne, Jr. (b. 1947-1983) Stephanie Shayne (b. 1950) Dorothy Dawe (w/Mary Crouch) Roberta Shayne (w/Mary Sheffield) |
Robert Shayne (October 4, 1900 – November 29, 1992), born Robert Shaen Dawe, was an American actor whose career lasted for over 60 years. [1] [2]
Career
Shayne originally worked as a journalist before becoming an actor, and his first stage appearances were with repertory companies in Alabama. By 1931, he had established the first of many Broadway credits in The Rap. [3] His other Broadway shows include Yellow Jack (1934), The Cat and the Canary (1935), Whiteoaks (1938), with Ethel Barrymore, and Without Love (1942), with Katharine Hepburn. [2] [4]
Shayne played many character roles in movies and television, such as a 1943 movie entitled Wagon Wheels West,[5] and as a mad scientist in the 1953 horror film The Neanderthal Man, but he is best remembered for his portrayal of the recurring character Police Inspector William "Bill" Henderson on the 1950s TV series Adventures of Superman. He appeared sporadically in the early episodes of the series, in part because he came under HUAC scrutiny and was briefly blacklisted on unproven and unspecific charges of association with Communism.[6] [7] As the program evolved, especially in the color episodes, he was brought into more and more of them, to the point where he was a regular on the series.[8] [9]
He appears briefly in Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest, seated at a booth in a hotel bar, where his character meets Cary Grant's character, just as the latter is about to be kidnapped.[10] He also had a small but pivotal role in the 1953 sci-fi classic Invaders From Mars as a scientist.[11] He also enjoyed a brief rebirth in his career when he was cast as the blind newspaper vendor in The Flash television show.[12] He was by this time actually blind and learned his lines by having his wife read them to him and then rehearse until he memorized them.[citation needed]
Shayne died of lung cancer at the Motion Picture Hospital in Woodland Hills, California.[4]
Selected filmography
- Mr. Skeffington (1944) - MacMahon
- Shine On Harvest Moon (1944)
- Christmas in Connecticut (1945) - Dudley Beecham
- Nobody Lives Forever (1946)
- The Swordsman (1948)
- Forgotten Women (1949)
- Dynamite Pass (1950)
- The Neanderthal Man (1953) - Prof. Clifford Groves
- Murder Is My Beat (1955)
- Indestructible Man (1956)
- Dance with Me, Henry (1956)
- Kronos (1957)
- The Giant Claw (1957)
- Spook Chasers (1957)
- War of the Satellites (1958)
- How to Make a Monster (1958)
- The Rebel Set (1959) - Lt. Cassidy
- North by Northwest (1959) - Larry Wade (uncredited)
- Battle Flame (1959) - Lt. Norris
- Valley of the Redwoods (1960) - Capt. Sid Walker
- Why Must I Die? (1960)
- Cage of Evil (1960)
- Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970) - Cmdr. William H. Bucracker (uncredited)
- The Barefoot Executive (1971)
References
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External links
- Robert Shayne at the Internet Movie Database
- Robert Shayne at IBDb.com
- Robert Shayne at Find a Grave
- Robert Shayne as a young stage actor(New York Public Library, Billy Rose Collection)
