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Robert Shayne | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Shayne in 1930 | |
| Born | Robert Shaen Dawe (1900-10-04)October 4, 1900 Yonkers, New York, U.S. |
| Died | November 29, 1992(1992-11-29) (aged 92) Woodland Hills, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park,Hollywood Hills, California |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1929–1991 |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 4 |
Robert Shayne (bornRobert Shaen Dawe, October 4, 1900 – November 29, 1992) was an American actor whose career lasted for over 60 years.[1][2] He was best known for portraying Inspector Bill Henderson in the American television seriesAdventures of Superman.[3]
Shayne was born in Yonkers, New York.[3] He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Grosvenor Dawe, and he had a brother, Allen Shaen Dawe.[4] His father was one of the founders of theUnited States Chamber of Commerce.[5]
Shayne leftBoston University in his senior year so that his brother could go to college.[5] For a time, he lived inBirmingham, Alabama, writing advertising copy for a women's clothing store by day and acting in astock theater company at night. When the store went out of business, he began acting full-time.[6]
Shayne became an actor after having worked as a reporter at theIllustrated Daily Tab in Miami, Florida.[7] His initial acting experience came with repertory companies in Alabama,[8] including the Birmingham Players.[5]
Shayne's firstBroadway appearance came by 1931 inThe Rap.[8] His other Broadway shows includeYellow Jack (1934),The Cat and the Canary (1935),Whiteoaks (1938), withEthel Barrymore, andWithout Love (1942), withKatharine Hepburn.[2][9]
Shayne began his film career in 1934, appearing in two features. In 1942, he became a contract actor withWarner Bros.[10] He played many character roles in movies and television, including afilm series of Warner Bros.featurettes called the "Santa Fe Trail" series such asWagon Wheels West,[11] and as a mad scientist in the 1953 horror filmThe Neanderthal Man.
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He appears briefly in Alfred Hitchcock'sNorth by Northwest, seated at a booth in a hotel bar, where his character meetsCary Grant's character, just as the latter is about to be kidnapped.[12] He also had a small but pivotal role in the 1953 sci-fi classicInvaders From Mars as a scientist.[13] Shayne enjoyed a brief rebirth in his career when he was cast as the blind newspaper vendor inThe Flash television show.[14]
Shayne portrayedPolice Inspector William "Bill" Henderson on the 1950s TV seriesAdventures of Superman. He appeared sporadically in the early episodes of the series, in part because he was accused by his second wife Mary Sheffield,[15] and came underHUAC scrutiny and was briefly blacklisted on unproven and unspecific charges of association withCommunism.[16][17] 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.[18][19]
Shayne married Mary Crouch in 1925.[20] They had one daughter, but divorced in 1933.[5]
In 1933, he married Mary Sheffield. They also had one daughter, and divorced in 1943.[21][5]
In 1943, he married Elizabeth McDonald, with whom he had 2 more children. They remained married until his death in 1992.[citation needed]
Shayne died in 1992 of lung cancer at theMotion Picture Hospital inWoodland Hills, California.[9] He was 92 years old. Shayne was buried inForest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills, California.[22]
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