Gig Young | |
|---|---|
 Young in 1953 | |
| Born | Byron Elsworth Barr (1913-11-04)November 4, 1913 St. Cloud, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Died | October 19, 1978(1978-10-19) (aged 64) New York City, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Ballistic trauma (murder–suicide) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1940–1978 |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 1 |
Gig Young (bornByron Elsworth Barr; November 4, 1913 – October 19, 1978) was an American stage, film and television actor. He was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performances inCome Fill the Cup (1952) andTeacher's Pet (1959), finally winning the award forThey Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969).
In 1978, Young murdered his 31-year-old wife three weeks after their weddingbefore turning the gun on himself and committing suicide at the age of 64.[1]
Born Byron Elsworth Barr inSt. Cloud, Minnesota, he and his older siblings were raised by his parents, John and Emma Barr, inWashington, D.C., where his father was areformatory chef.[2] He attendedMcKinley High School, where he developed his first love of acting appearing in school plays.[3]
After graduating from high school he worked as a used car salesman and studied acting at night. He moved to Hollywood when a friend offered him a ride if he would pay for half the gas. After some amateur experience he applied for and received ascholarship to thePasadena Playhouse. "I had two jobs to support me, never rested, but it was great training and when I landed the part at Warner Bros., I was ready for it," he said.[3]
Barr made early appearances inMisbehaving Husbands (1940), credited as "Byron Barr", and in the shortHere Comes the Cavalry (1941). While acting inPancho, a south-of-the-border play by Lowell Barrington, he and the leading actor in the play,George Reeves, were spotted by aWarner Brotherstalent scout. Both actors were signed to supporting player contracts with the studio.[4]
His early work was uncredited or as Byron Barr (not to be confused with another actor with the same name,Byron Barr) or Byron Fleming. It included appearances inSergeant York (1941),Dive Bomber (1941),Navy Blues (1941), andOne Foot in Heaven (1941). Barr had a bigger part in a short,The Tanks Are Coming (1941) which was nominated for an Oscar.
He was also inThey Died with Their Boots On (1941) andYou're in the Army Now (1941). He had an uncredited bit part in the 1942Bette Davis filmThe Man Who Came to Dinner, saying, in his distinctive voice, "How's the ice?."[citation needed] He was also inCaptains of the Clouds (1942), andThe Male Animal (1942). Warners loaned him to Fox forThe Mad Martindales (1942).
In 1942, six months into his Warner Brothers contract, he was given his first notable role in the feature filmThe Gay Sisters[5] as a character named "Gig Young". Preview cards praised the actor "Gig Young" and the studio determined that "Gig Young" should become Barr's stage and professional name.[6][7] About the name change, Young later admitted to having "some hesitancy... but I weighed the disadvantages against the advantages of having it stick indelibly in the mind of audiences. There'd be no confusion with some other actor called Gig."[8] His parts began to get better: a co-pilot inHoward Hawks'sAir Force (1943); andBette Davis' love interest inOld Acquaintance (1943).
Young took a hiatus from his movie career and enlisted in theU.S. Coast Guard in 1941 where he served as apharmacist's mate until the end ofWorld War II, serving in a combat zone in thePacific.[9] On Young's return from the war, he was cast asErrol Flynn's rival forEleanor Parker inEscape Me Never (1947). The film was directed byPeter Godfrey who also helmed Young and Parker inThe Woman in White (1948), after which Young left Warners, unhappy with his salary.[10]
Young began freelancing at various studios, eventually obtaining a contract withColumbia Pictures before returning to freelancing. He came to be regarded as a popular and likable second lead, playing the brothers or friends of the principal characters. In a 1966 interview he said, "Whenever you play a second lead and lose the girl, you have to make your part interesting yet not compete with the leading man. There are few great second leads in this business. It's easier to play a lead – you can do whatever you want. If I'm good, it always means the leading man has been generous."[11]
Young wasPorthos inMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer'sThe Three Musketeers (1948).[12] Then he supportedJohn Wayne inWake of the Red Witch (1948) atRepublic Pictures andGlenn Ford in Columbia'sLust for Gold (1949). Also at Columbia, he supportedRosalind Russell andRobert Cummings inTell It to the Judge (1949). Young had his first lead in a feature film at RKO inHunt the Man Down (1951), a film noir. He went back to support roles forTarget Unknown (1951) a war film at Universal; andOnly the Valiant (1951), aGregory Peck western.
Young began to appear in TV on shows such asThe Silver Theatre,Pulitzer Prize Playhouse, andThe Bigelow Theatre.[13]
Young received critical acclaim for his dramatic work as analcoholic in the 1951 filmCome Fill the Cup, withJames Cagney back at Warner Brothers. He was nominated for both an Oscar and Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor. Young later gave Cagney a great deal of the credit for his performance.[11]
Young supportedVan Johnson in the MGM comedyToo Young to Kiss (1952). The studio liked Young so much that he was signed to a term contract.[14] After supportingPeter Lawford inYou for Me (1952), Young was promoted by MGM to leading man forHoliday for Sinners (1952). The film was a box office failure, however. More popular wasThe Girl Who Had Everything (1953) in which Young lostElizabeth Taylor toFernando Lamas.
MGM loaned Young toRepublic Pictures forCity That Never Sleeps (1953), where he had the starring role as a disillusioned cop. In 2008Martin Scorsese selected this film to open a Republic Pictures retrospective that he curated at New York'sMuseum of Modern Art, citing the movie's amazing energy and creativity.[citation needed] Back at MGM, Young was the lead in the 3-D westernArena (1953), which was a hit. He was a second male lead again – toMichael Wilding – in theJoan Crawford vehicleTorch Song (1953). Promptly after completing both films, on June 22, 1953, the trade magazineHollywood Reporter told its readers that MGM had just assigned Gig Young to the fourth leading role in their filmGypsy Colt. Likely noticing that his roles were now moving in the wrong direction, he left MGM. "I played terrible parts there", he later said.[15] He decided to relocate to New York.[16]
Young said he rarely performed in comedies until he appeared on Broadway inOh Men! Oh Women! (1953–54), which ran for 382 performances. Young recalled, "It was a big smash hit but never helped change my type in Hollywood for quite some time. I still played dull, serious parts like Errol Flynn's brother. Yet on Broadway, they offered me nothing but comedies."[11]
During this time, Young appeared on TV shows shot in New York, such asRobert Montgomery Presents,Schlitz Playhouse,Producers' Showcase, andLux Video Theatre.
WhenOh Men! Oh, Women ended its run, Young went back to Warner Bros where he lostDoris Day toFrank Sinatra inYoung at Heart (1955). In 1955 Young became the host ofWarner Bros. Presents, an umbrella title for three television mini-series (Casablanca,Kings Row, andCheyenne) that aired during the 1955–56 season onABC Television.[17][18] He played a supporting role the same year in the Humphrey Bogart thrillerThe Desperate Hours and lostKatharine Hepburn toSpencer Tracy inDesk Set (1957). He continued to appear on TV in such shows asThe United States Steel Hour,Climax!,Goodyear Theatre, andStudio One in Hollywood (the latter starringElizabeth Montgomery, whom he married in 1956).[19][20]
Young is remembered by manyJames Dean fans[citation needed] for the "driving safety" interview made shortly before Dean's fatal car accident in September 1955. Dean wears a cowboy outfit as he was taking a break from shooting the 1956 filmGiant while playing with a lasso and counseling the audience to drive carefully.
George Seaton saw Young on Broadway and cast him as a tipsy but ultimately charming intellectual inTeacher's Pet (1958), starringClark Gable andDoris Day. It earned Young a second Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination. Young was promptly reunited with Day in an MGM comedy,The Tunnel of Love (1958), though still the second male lead – afterRichard Widmark. Also at MGM, he appeared withShirley MacLaine andDavid Niven inAsk Any Girl (1959). Young had a change of pace in aClifford Odets drama starringRita Hayworth,The Story on Page One (1959), although he was still the second male lead, toAnthony Franciosa.
On TV he appeared in a 1959 Twilight Zone episode titled "Walking Distance". He had some parts – all male leads – in TV adaptations ofThe Philadelphia Story (1959),The Prince and the Pauper,Ninotchka (1960), andThe Spiral Staircase (1961). He guest-starred onThe Alfred Hitchcock Hour andKraft Suspense Theatre.
Young returned to Broadway withUnder the Yum-Yum Tree (1960–61), which ran for 173 performances, originating the role later played byJack Lemmon on film. Some announced film projects fell through, so he instead played second lead in another movie with Day,That Touch of Mink (1962), asCary Grant's best friend.[11] He wasElvis Presley's boxing promoter inKid Galahad (1962) and lostSophia Loren toAnthony Perkins inFive Miles to Midnight (1962). After supportingKirk Douglas inFor Love or Money (1963), he was given a rare male lead in MGM'sA Ticklish Affair (1963) asShirley Jones' love interest.
On the 1964–65NBC TV seriesThe Rogues, he shared appearances on a rotating basis withDavid Niven andCharles Boyer, although in practice Young helmed the greater number of episodes since Niven and Boyer were both busy with other film projects.[21] The charming con man he played on that show was one of Young's favorite roles, and it raised his profile with the television viewing public. He later said, "I loved it, the public loved it, only NBC didn't love it."[11] Despite its popularity and critical acclaim,The Rogues was cancelled after one 30-episode season.
During the filming ofThe Rogues, Young's alcoholism was starting to take a toll on his career;Larry Hagman had to be brought in as a substitute for the final two episodes. After the show ended, Young went on tour as Harold Hill inThe Music Man, his first stage musical.[22] He supportedRock Hudson in the comedyStrange Bedfellows (1965), had the lead in a British horror filmThe Shuttered Room (1967), and starred in a TV mystery movieCompanions in Nightmare (1968). He enjoyed a successful return to Broadway in the hit comedy from BritainThere's a Girl in My Soup (1967–68), which ran for 322 performances.[23]
Young won theAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Rocky, the alcoholicdance marathonemcee and promoter in the 1969 filmThey Shoot Horses, Don't They? Young had not been the choice of directorSydney Pollack, but his casting was mandated by the head of ABC Pictures,Marty Baum, Young's former agent.[24] According to his fourth wife, Elaine Williams, "What he was aching for, as he walked up to collect his Oscar, was a role in his own movie—one that they could finally call 'a Gig Young movie.' For Gig, the Oscar was literally the kiss of death, the end of the line."[25]
Young himself had said toLouella Parsons after failing to win in 1951, "so many people who have been nominated for an Oscar have had bad luck afterwards."[25] However, when he finally won, Young called the Oscar "the greatest moment of his life."[26]
Young had a good part in the popularLovers and Other Strangers (1970), also from ABC Pictures, and toured inNobody Loves an Albatross (1970) in summer stock. He was in the TV movieThe Neon Ceiling (1971), his performance earning him anEmmy nomination. A profile of Young around this time said, "The well-established image of the boozy charmer Gig plays on and off camera fools you. That armour surrounds an intense dedicated artist, constantly involved with his profession."[27]
Young's worsening alcoholism began to cost him roles. Originally cast as The Waco Kid, Young collapsed on the set of the comedy filmBlazing Saddles during his first day of shooting due toalcohol withdrawal and was fired by directorMel Brooks.[28][29] Brooks replaced him withGene Wilder. Young had a supporting role inBring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974), directed bySam Peckinpah, and was in a horror movie,A Black Ribbon for Deborah (1974). He was in the TV moviesThe Great Ice Rip-Off (1974) andThe Turning Point of Jim Malloy (1975); Peckinpah used him again inThe Killer Elite (1975). In 1976Aaron Spelling cast Young as the offscreen Charlie in his new action showCharlie's Angels. However, Young's alcoholism prevented him from performing the role, even only as a voice actor, and he was replaced at the last minute byJohn Forsythe.
Young was one of several names to star inThe Hindenburg (1975). He guest-starred onMcCloud, had supporting roles inSherlock Holmes in New York (1976) andSpectre (1977), and was a semi-regular on the TV seriesGibbsville (1976–77), a spinoff from the TV movieThe Turning Point of Jim Malloy. His last role was in the 1978 revised version ofGame of Death, which was released nearly six years after the film's original starBruce Lee died during production in 1973.[30]
Young was married five times. His first marriage to Sheila Stapler, a Pasadena Playhouse classmate, lasted seven years, ending in 1947. "We were too young, it couldn't have lasted", he later said.[3] In 1950, he married Sophie Rosenstein, the resident drama coach atParamount who was several years Young's senior. She was soon diagnosed withcancer and died just short of two years after the couple's wedding. For a time, he was engaged to actressElaine Stritch.[31]
Young met actressElizabeth Montgomery after she appeared in an episode ofWarner Bros. Presents in 1956, and the two married later that year.[28] In 1963, Montgomery divorced Young because of his worsening alcoholism.[32] Young married his fourth wife, real estate agent Elaine Williams, nine months after his divorce from Montgomery was final. Williams was pregnant at the time and gave birth to their only child, Jennifer, in April 1964. After three years of marriage, the couple divorced. During a legal battle overchild support with Williams, Young denied that Jennifer was his biological child. After five years of court battles, Young lost his case.[33][34]
On September 27, 1978, Young, age 64, married his fifth wife, 31-year-old German magazine editor Kim Schmidt,[35] whom he had met in Hong Kong while working onGame of Death.[36]
On October 19, 1978, three weeks after his marriage to Schmidt, the couple was found dead in their apartment atThe Osborne inManhattan.[37] Police surmised that Young shot his wife and then himself. Young was found face down on the floor of his bedroom, a.38 caliberSmith & Wessonpistol in his hand. His wife was found face down beside him. Young had apparently shot himself in the mouth and the bullet exited the back of his head. His wife had been shot in the back of the head. No suicide note was found.[1]
A motive for the murder of his wife, and Young's suicide, was never discovered.[38] Police said there was a diary opened to September 27 with "we got married today" written on it. The couple appear to have died around 2:30 p.m., when shots were heard by a building employee,[1] and their bodies were found five hours later.[37] Young was at one time under the care of the psychologist and psychotherapistEugene Landy, who later had his professional California medical license revoked amid accusations of ethical violations and misconduct with patients.[39]
Young's funeral was held inBeverly Hills, California[40] and he was buried inGreen Hill Cemetery in Waynesville, North Carolina,[41] under his birth name, Byron E. Barr, in his family's plot along with his parents, siblings, and an uncle.[42]
Young'swill, which covered a $200,000 estate, left his Academy Award to his agentMartin Baum and Baum's wife Bernice.[25] Young's daughter Jennifer launched a campaign in the early 1990s to get the award back from his agent and struck an agreement that she would be given the Oscar upon the agent's death, which occurred in 2010.[42]
For his contribution to the television industry, Young has a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame at 6821Hollywood Boulevard.[43]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1940 | Misbehaving Husbands | Floor Walker | Credited as Byron Barr |
| 1941 | Here Comes the Cavalry | Trooper Rollins | Short, credited as Byron Barr |
| Sergeant York | Marching soldier | Uncredited | |
| Dive Bomber | Pilot Abbott | Uncredited | |
| Navy Blues | Sailor in storeroom | Uncredited | |
| One Foot in Heaven | First groom asking for dog license | Uncredited | |
| The Tanks Are Coming | Jim Allen | Short, credited as Byron Barr | |
| They Died with Their Boots On | Lieutenant Roberts | Uncredited | |
| You're in the Army Now | Soldier | Uncredited | |
| 1942 | The Man Who Came to Dinner | Bit part | Uncredited |
| Captains of the Clouds | Student pilot | Credited as Byron Barr | |
| The Male Animal | Student | Uncredited | |
| The Mad Martindales | Peter Varney | Credited as Byron Barr | |
| The Gay Sisters | Gig Young | Credited as Byron Barr (credited as Gig Young in later rereleases) | |
| 1943 | Air Force | Co-Pilot | |
| Old Acquaintance | Rudd Kendall | ||
| 1946 | They Made Me a Killer | Steve Reynolds | Credited as Byron Barr |
| 1947 | Escape Me Never | Caryl Dubrok | |
| 1948 | The Woman in White | Walter Hartright | |
| The Three Musketeers | Porthos | ||
| Wake of the Red Witch | Samuel 'Sam' Rosen | ||
| 1949 | Lust for Gold | Pete Thomas | |
| Tell It to the Judge | Alexander Darvac | ||
| 1950 | Tarnished | Joe Pettigrew | |
| Hunt the Man Down | Paul Bennett | ||
| 1951 | Target Unknown | Captain Reiner | |
| Only the Valiant | Lieutenant William Holloway | ||
| Slaughter Trail | Ike Vaughn aka Murray | ||
| Come Fill the Cup | Boyd Copeland | Nominated –Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor | |
| Too Young to Kiss | John Tirsen | ||
| 1952 | You for Me | Dr. Jeff Chadwick | |
| Holiday for Sinners | Dr. Jason Kent | ||
| 1953 | The Girl Who Had Everything | Vance Court | |
| City That Never Sleeps | Johnny Kelly | ||
| Arena | Hob Danvers | ||
| Torch Song | Cliff Willard | ||
| 1954 | Rear Window | Jeff's Editor | Voice, Uncredited |
| Young at Heart | Alex Burke | ||
| 1955 | The Desperate Hours | Chuck Wright | |
| 1957 | Desk Set | Mike Cutler | |
| 1958 | Teacher's Pet | Dr. Hugo Pine | Nominated –Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated –Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture |
| The Tunnel of Love | Dick Pepper | ||
| 1959 | Ask Any Girl | Evan Doughton | |
| The Story on Page One | Larry Ellis | ||
| 1962 | That Touch of Mink | Roger | |
| Kid Galahad | Willy Grogan | ||
| Five Miles to Midnight | David Barnes | ||
| 1963 | For Love or Money | 'Sonny' John Dayton Smith | |
| A Ticklish Affair | Key Weedon | ||
| 1965 | Strange Bedfellows | Richard Bramwell | |
| 1967 | The Shuttered Room | Mike Kelton | |
| 1969 | They Shoot Horses, Don't They? | Rocky | Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture Nominated –BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role |
| 1970 | Lovers and Other Strangers | Hal Henderson | |
| 1973 | A Son-in-Law for Charlie McReady | Charlie McReady | |
| 1974 | Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia | Quill | |
| Deborah | Ofenbauer | ||
| 1975 | Michele | ||
| The Killer Elite | Lawrence Weyburn | ||
| The Hindenburg | Edward Douglas | ||
| 1978 | Game of Death | Jim Marshall |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | The Silver Theater | Tim Davis | Season 1 Episode 32: "Lady with Ideas" |
| 1951 | Pulitzer Prize Playhouse | George Callahan | Season 1 Episode 15: "Ned McCobb's Daughter" |
| The Bigelow Theatre | Season 1 Episode 6: "Rewrite for Love" | ||
| 1953 | Robert Montgomery Presents | Tony Marino | Season 5 Episode 8: "The Sunday Punch" |
| Schlitz Playhouse of Stars | Jimmy Sampson | Season 3 Episode 16: "Part of the Game" | |
| 1954 | Producers' Showcase | Simon Gayforth | Season 1 Episode 1: "Tonight at 8:30" (Segment: "Shadow Play") |
| Lux Video Theatre | Season 5 Episode 13: "Captive City" | ||
| 1955–1956 | Warner Brothers Presents | Host | 36 episodes |
| 1956 | The United States Steel Hour | Dave Corman | Season 4 Episode 3: "Sauce for the Goose" |
| 1957 | Climax! | Edgar Holt | Season 4 Episode 1: "Jacob and the Angels" |
| Studio One | Philip Adams / Alan Fredericks | Season 10 Episode 23: "A Dead Ringer" | |
| 1958 | Goodyear Theatre | Herman Worth | Season 2 Episode 3: "The Spy" |
| 1959 | The Twilight Zone | Martin Sloan | Season 1 Episode 5: "Walking Distance" |
| The Philadelphia Story | C.K. Dexter Haven | Television film | |
| 1960 | Ninotchka | Leon Dolga | Television film |
| Shirley Temple's Storybook | Miles Hendon | Season 2 Episode 7: "The Prince and the Pauper" | |
| 1961 | The Spiral Staircase | Stephen Warren | Television film |
| 1962 | The Alfred Hitchcock Hour | John 'Jack' 'Duke' Marsden | Season 1 Episode 1: "A Piece of the Action" |
| 1963 | Kraft Suspense Theatre | Hugo Myrich | Season 1 Episode 3: "The End of the World, Baby" |
| 1964–1965 | The Rogues | Tony Fleming | 22 episodes |
| 1965 | The Andy Williams Show | Himself | 1 episode |
| 1968 | Companions in Nightmare | Eric Nicholson | Television film |
| 1971 | The Neon Ceiling | Jones | Television film Nominated –Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Single Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role |
| 1974 | The Great Ice Rip-Off | Harkey Rollins | Television film |
| 1975 | John O'Hara's Gibbsville a.k.a.The Turning Point of Jim Malloy | Ray Whitehead | Television film |
| 1976 | McCloud | Jack Haferman | Season 6 Episode 6: "The Day New York Turned Blue" |
| Sherlock Holmes in New York | Mortimer McGrew | Television film | |
| 1976–1977 | Gibbsville | Ray Whitehead | 13 episodes |
| 1977 | Spectre | Dr. Amos "Ham" Hamilton | Television film |
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Results | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | Academy Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Come Fill the Cup | Nominated | [44] |
| 1958 | Teacher's Pet | Nominated | [45] | ||
| 1969 | They Shoot Horses, Don't They? | Won | [46] | ||
| 1970 | British Academy Film Awards | Best Actor in a Supporting Role | Nominated | [47] | |
| 1958 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture | Teacher's Pet | Nominated | [48] |
| 1969 | They Shoot Horses, Don't They? | Won | |||
| 1970 | Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Won | [49] | |
| 1958 | Laurel Awards | Top Male Comedy Performance | Teacher's Pet | 4th place | |
| 1959 | Top Male Supporting Performance | The Tunnel of Love | Won | ||
| 1963 | That Touch of Mink | Won | |||
| 1971 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Single Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role | The Neon Ceiling | Nominated | [50] |
Despite a long engagement to Gig Young and living with Ben Gazzara, whom she threw over for Rock Hudson ('and we all know what a bum decision that turned out to be') she got married only once, at the age of 47, to the actor John Bay whom she met in London on Small Craft Warnings.
