George Hamilton | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Hamilton in 2023 | |
| Born | George Stevens Hamilton (1939-08-12)August 12, 1939 (age 86) Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1952–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2, includingAshley Hamilton |
| Parent | George Hamilton |
George Stevens Hamilton[1] (born August 12, 1939)[2] is an American actor. For his debut performance inCrime and Punishment U.S.A. (1959), Hamilton won aGolden Globe Award and was nominated for aBAFTA Award. He has received one additional BAFTA nomination[3] and two Golden Globe nominations.[4]
Hamilton began his film career in 1958, and although he has a substantial body of work in film and television, he is perhaps most famous for his debonair style, perpetual suntan, and commercials for Ritz Crackers.Bo Derek wrote in her autobiography that "there was an ongoing contest between (her late husband)John Derek and George Hamilton as to who had the most tan!"[5]
Hamilton was born inMemphis, Tennessee, and spent his early years with his mother, Annie Lucille Stevens (Hamilton), known as "Teeny" inBlytheville, Arkansas.[6][7] He attendedHawthorne School in Beverly Hills, California.[8] In 1950, his mother sent him to live with his father in the north.[8] He briefly attended a progressive school in New York City before being sent to theGulf Coast Military Academy inGulfport, Mississippi.[8]
Hamilton's stepfathers were Carleton Hunt and Jesse Spalding; his stepmother was June Howard, with whom Hamilton said he had repeated sexual relations when he was 12, shortly after she married his father, and again when he was an adult.[9][8]
Hamilton's first roles were in television, appearing in shows such asThe Veil,[10] (playing an Indian),The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin,The Donna Reed Show,[10] andCimarron City. His first film role was a lead,Crime and Punishment U.S.A. (1959),[10] directed byDenis Sanders, andHome from the Hill (1960).[10]
MGM cast Hamilton in support ofNatalie Wood andRobert Wagner in the melodramaAll the Fine Young Cannibals (1960)[10] and the beach party comedyWhere the Boys Are (1960).[10] Hamilton appeared in the lower budgetedAngel Baby (1961),[10] a drama about an evangelist, forAllied Artists. It had minimal commercial or critical impact. The movie was the feature debut ofBurt Reynolds, who recalled "George was different. When I came to Hollywood, there were 175Marlon Brandos, 2,000Jimmy Deans, and a lot ofCarroll Bakers. But nobody wanted to beDavid Niven, except George." Reynolds later said, "if anybody could have gotten him to be" as "relaxed and self-deprecating on film" as he was in real life "he would have been the nextCary Grant."[11]
ForUnited Artists, Hamilton supportedLana Turner in the melodramaBy Love Possessed (1961). MGM tried to change his image by putting him in the WesternA Thunder of Drums (1961).[10]
Hamilton lobbied hard for the role of the Italian husband inLight in the Piazza (1962),[10] withOlivia de Havilland. The film lost money, but Hamilton received excellent notices. It was shot in Italy, and MGM kept Hamilton in Italy to play a role inTwo Weeks in Another Town (1962).[10] Hamilton had a part inThe Victors (1963),[10] an anti-war drama fromCarl Foreman. His performance was described as "excellent".[12] Hamilton playedMoss Hart inAct One (1963),[10]
After making a cameo inLooking for Love (1964),[10] Hamilton appeared inYour Cheatin' Heart (1964),[10] playingHank Williams. He went to Mexico forViva Maria! (1965).[10] It was directed byLouis Malle, who cast Hamilton on the strength of his performance inTwo Weeks in Another Town.[10] Malle said, "he was a personal choice and I am happy with him...He's more interested in being in the social columns—I don't understand—when he should be one of the greatest of his generation".[13]
Hamilton madeThat Man George (1965),[10] and appeared in a production ofA Farewell to Arms (1966) on TV. He returned to MGM to makeDoctor, You've Got to Be Kidding! (1967), a romantic comedy withSandra Dee, which was mildly popular. At Columbia, he co-starred withGlenn Ford inA Time for Killing (1967).[10]
Hamilton played a cat burglar in MGM'sJack of Diamonds (1967). It was produced by Sandy Howard, who said Hamilton was "a hot commodity these days" because he was datingLyndon Johnson's daughter.[14] Reports put his fee around this time at $100,000 per movie. He was drafted into the Army but received a 3-A deferral notice on the grounds that he was his mother's sole financial provider.[15] The deferral was highly controversial because it was thought that his relationship with the president's daughter gave him preferential treatment.[16] In 1968, Hamilton madeThe Power.[10]
Hamilton went into television in 1969, supportingLana Turner in the all-star seriesHarold Robbins' The Survivors (1969–70).[17] When the show was canceled in January 1970, Hamilton went intoParis 7000 (1970). He portrayed a troubleshooter for the U.S. State Department in Paris. This series was canceled in March 1970. He starred in the TV filmsTogetherness (1970) andThe Last of the Powerseekers, a 1971 compilation of two episodes of Robbins'The Survivors.[10]
Hamilton moved into producing to give himself greater control over his career. He produced and played the title role inEvel Knievel (1971).[10] Hamilton had the script rewritten byJohn Milius, and the latter called Hamilton "a wonderful guy, totally underrated. A great con-man, that's what he really is. He always said 'I'll be remembered as a third-rate actor when in fact, I'm a first-ratecon man.'"[18]
He appeared in the TV movieThe Last of the Powerseekers (1973),[10] and had a supporting role inThe Man Who Loved Cat Dancing, starringBurt Reynolds (1973). He produced and appeared inMedusa (1973).[10] He starred in the TV movieThe Dead Don't Die (1975)[10] and had a supporting role inOnce Is Not Enough (1975).[10]
On a 1975 episode ofColumbo,[10] Hamilton played a psychiatrist who uses hypnosis to commit a murder, whose arrogant assertions in his own defence establish that he was in fact at the scene of the crime. Hamilton guest-starred on episodes ofPolice Story,[10]McCloud,[10]Roots,[10]The Eddie Capra Mysteries,Gibbsville,Supertrain, andSword of Justice.[10]
He had supporting roles inThe Strange Possession of Mrs. Oliver (1977),The Happy Hooker Goes to Washington (1977),[10]Killer on Board (1977),Sextette (1978),The Users (1978),From Hell to Victory (1979),Institute for Revenge (1979), andDeath Car on the Freeway (1979).[10]
In 1979, he appeared in the surprise hitLove at First Bite,[10] in which he showed a flair for comedy; it was the story ofCount Dracula's pursuit of a young Manhattanite model, played bySusan Saint James. The film included scenes with Dracula and his conquest as they dance to "I Love the Nightlife" at a disco. The film's box-office success created a popularity surge for Hamilton, who also served as executive producer.[10]
He returned to TV forThe Seekers (1979)[10] andThe Great Cash Giveaway Getaway (1979), then did 1981'sZorro, The Gay Blade,[10] which he produced.Zorro was not as popular asLove at First Bite, and film leads dried up quickly. He focused on television:Malibu (1983)[10] andTwo Fathers' Justice (1985).[10]
In the mid-1980s, Hamilton starred in the sixth season of theAaron Spelling-produced television serialDynasty. He supportedJoan Collins in the miniseriesMonte Carlo (1986) and had the lead role in the seriesSpies (1987).[10] He supportedElizabeth Taylor inPoker Alice (1987).[10]
A break for Hamilton came in 1990 whenFrancis Ford Coppola cast him as the Corleone family's lawyer inThe Godfather Part III.[10] For the second time, he portrayed a murderer on the television seriesColumbo, starring as the host of a TV true-crime show in the 1991 episode "Caution: Murder Can Be Hazardous to Your Health". He had been in the 1975 episode "A Deadly State of Mind". Hamilton had small roles inDoc Hollywood (1991),Once Upon a Crime (1992),[10] andAmore! (1993),[10] and guest-starred onDiagnosis: Murder andDream On. He went to Germany to makeAt the Edge of Paradise [de] (1993). He didTwo Fathers: Justice for the Innocent (1994),Vanished (1995), andPlayback (1996); and guest-starred on the showsBonnie,Hart to Hart, andThe Guilt.[10]
He was inMeet Wally Sparks (1997),8 Heads in a Duffel Bag (1997), and the miniseriesRough Riders (1997), where he portrayedWilliam Randolph Hearst. It was sometimes said that Hamilton resembledWarren Beatty. Beatty's political satireBulworth (1998)[10] contained a running gag, with Hamilton appearing as himself. Hamilton had a regular role on the TV seriesJenny (1997).[10] He was inCasper Meets Wendy (1998),P.T. Barnum (1999), andShe's Too Tall (1999). He was a semi-regular celebrity guest on the 1998–99 syndicated version ofMatch Game.[10]
In 2001, Hamilton starred on Broadway in the playChicago as Billy Flynn. He played the role from November 21, 2001, to February 17, 2002; June 4 to July 29, 2002; and September 14 to October 7, 2007.
In 2003, Hamilton hostedThe Family, a reality television series, for one season. The program starred 10 members from a traditional Italian-American family, each fighting for a prize of $1 million. In 2006, Hamilton competed in the second season ofDancing with the Stars[19] with professionalEdyta Sliwinska. They lasted until the sixth round. At 66 and recovering from knee injuries, Hamilton, unable to match his younger competitors' limber moves, charmed the audience and judges with silly dances that used props, including aZorro mask and the sword fromZorro, The Gay Blade.[10]
In 2007, according to Reuters, Hamilton was one of the top contenders to replaceBob Barker as host ofThe Price Is Right, along withMark Steines andTodd Newton.[20] However,Drew Carey was named as Barker's successor. Hamilton has hosted the live stage adaptation of the showThe Price Is Right Live! In August 2008, he co-starred inComa, a web series onCrackle.[21] Hamilton was executive producer of the 2009 film loosely based on his early life and relationship with his mother,My One and Only.[10]
Hamilton was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame on August 12, 2009.[22] In 1999, a Golden Palm Star on theWalk of Stars was dedicated to him.[23] Hamilton appeared as a contestant on the UK edition ofI'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! in November 2009. Hamilton walked out of the jungle on November 30, 2009, telling the other contestants that he wasn't there to win but to have fun.[24][25][26] Hamilton was considered one of the favorites to win the series. In 2010, he was chosen as one ofDavid Hasselhoff's roasters in theComedy Central Roast of David Hasselhoff. Starting in 2011, Hamilton starred as Georges in the national tour of theTony-winning revival ofLa Cage aux Folles.[27] He was still starring in the show as of June 2012[update].
In 2015 George and his ex-wife Alana Hamilton appeared in Season 4/Episode 10 ofCelebrity Wife Swap. Alana swapped with Angela "Big Ang" Raiola ofMob Wives and her husband Neil Murphy. In 2016, Hamilton appeared in commercials forKFC as the "Extra Crispy Colonel", a deeply tanned version of the company's mascotColonel Sanders, a role which he returned to in 2018. On July 6, 2018, Hamilton portrayed the Colonel onGeneral Hospital.[28]
In the late 1980s, Hamilton launched the George Hamilton Skin Care System and the George Hamilton Sun Care System and tanning salons.[29][30] A cigar lounge bearing his name opened in the late 1990s at theNew York, New York, hotel in Las Vegas and other locations, along with a line of cigars bearing his name. A 1998 article inCigar Aficionado called Hamilton's style "Cary Grant meetsPat Riley".[31][32][33]
In April 2006, Hamilton served as grand marshal for the 79th AnnualShenandoah Apple Blossom Festival in Winchester, Virginia.[34]
Beginning in 1979, Hamilton had a "prominent friendship" withImelda Marcos, thefirst lady of the Philippines and the wife of Philippine dictator and kleptocratFerdinand Marcos. Hamilton was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in afederal fraud and racketeering case against the Marcoses, which claimed that the Marcoses used Hamilton as a front to move money and had funneled more than $12 million through Hamilton’s personal accounts before they went into exile in 1986, with Saudi businessman and arms dealerAdnan Khashoggi acting at the behest of the Marcoses in some of these schemes. Ferdinand died before going to trial and Imelda was acquitted.[35]
Hamilton unsuccessfully sought tokeep sealed hundreds of pages of records and testimony, arguing that a release would be a violation of his privacy; his efforts were rejected byU.S. District JudgeMariana Pfaelzer and later by theNinth Circuit Court of Appeals, which called Hamilton "a noted man-about-town" who should expect to be the object of publicity.[36]
In 1966, Hamilton had a relationship withLynda Bird Johnson, the daughter of U.S. PresidentLyndon B. Johnson.[37]
From 1972 to 1976, Hamilton was married to actressAlana Stewart. Their son,Ashley George, was born in 1974. The divorced Hamiltons reunited in the mid-1990s to co-host the daytime talk showGeorge & Alana, and again in 2015, as stars of the reality showStewarts & Hamiltons.[10]
From 1995 to 1999, Hamilton dated Kimberly Blackford, whom he met in Fort Lauderdale when she was a swimsuit model.[38][39] In December 1999, Kimberly gave birth to their son.[40][39]
As a contestant inI'm a Celebrity in 2009, Hamilton revealed he had dated at least four Miss Worlds. In 2019, Hamilton said he was romantically unattached but enjoyed dating different ladies.[41]
According toBurt Reynolds's autobiography,[42] Hamilton has a healthy sense of humor, even when the humor is directed at him. Reynolds wrote that he made up a birthday card for Hamilton with a composite photograph ofTony Curtis andAnthony Perkins, titled "To George, love from Mum and Dad". Hamilton found the card hilarious and showed it to everybody.[42]
The 2009 comedy film,My One and Only, is loosely based on stories about his early life on the road with his mother and brother. It features anecdotes that Hamilton toldMerv Griffin.[10]
In the comic stripDoonesbury, Hamilton is the namesake of the fictional "George Hamilton Cocoa Butter Open", described as theLe Mans of the (also fictional) professional tanning circuit, and "Tanmaster Hamilton" is the idol of characterZonker Harris who competes on that circuit.[44]
Actor George Hamilton is 83.
