Louis Jean Heydt | |
|---|---|
 Heydt inRaiders of Old California (1957) | |
| Born | (1903-04-17)April 17, 1903 Montclair, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | January 29, 1960(1960-01-29) (aged 56) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park,Glendale, California |
| Alma mater | Dartmouth College |
| Occupations | Actor, journalist |
| Years active | 1933–1960 |
| Spouse(s) | Leona Maricle (m. 1928;div. 19??) [citation needed] |
Louis Jean Heydt (April 17, 1903 – January 29, 1960) was an Americancharacter actor in film, television, andtheatre, most frequently seen in hapless, ineffectual, orfall-guy roles.[1]
Heydt was born in 1903 (not 1905, as many sources have miscited) inMontclair, New Jersey, the son ofGerman parents George Frederick Heydt, ajeweler and thesecretary andexecutor forLouis Comfort Tiffany,[2] and the former Emma Foerster.[3][4] He was educated atMontclair High School,[5]Worcester Academy, andDartmouth College, graduating from the latter in 1926.[5] He initially wanted to be ajournalist, and worked as a reporter forThe New York World.
Heydt received his start in the theatre while visiting a classmate backstage whileThe Trial of Mary Dugan was in rehearsal. As an actual reporter, he caught the attention of theproducers and was offered the role of a reporter in the play. He made his stage debut therein, and went on to appear in a dozen plays, includingStrictly Dishonorable,Before Morning, andHappy Birthday.[6] He also played in theLondon company ofThe Trial of Mary Dugan[4] as the male lead,[5] replacing the deceased Rex Cherryman.[7]
After he left the Broadway production ofThe Trial of Mary Dugan, Heydt acted instock theatre with theAlice Brady Company in Buffalo, Rochester, and Toronto.[7] In the mid-1930s, his wife and he were active insummer stock theatre inSkowhegan, Maine.[8]
In the 1930s, Heydt traveled toHollywood, where he appeared in over 100 films, includingGone With the Wind (1939),The Great McGinty (1940),Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944), andThe Big Sleep (1946). He made an impression as an older, warm-hearted soldier in the 1945John Ford PT-boat epicThey Were Expendable, and co-starred in the 1951film noirRoadblock in support ofCharles McGraw. Heydt remained active in Hollywood throughout the 1950s, appearing in 32 films through 1959.[citation needed]
Heydt moved early into television, initially taking roles in basic Westerns and related programs such as outlawTom Horn on the 1950sWesterntelevision seriesStories of the Century, starring and narrated byJim Davis. He appeared in 11 episodes ofRichard Carlson's 1958-1959 Western series,Mackenzie's Raiders.[9][10]
Heydt guest-starred on theAdventures of Superman,Treasury Men in Action,Cavalcade of America,TV Reader's Digest,Crossroads,Lux Video Theatre,Fury,The Man from Blackhawk,Wagon Train, andMaverick.[citation needed]
Heydt marriedLeona Maricle, an actress in theBroadway company ofThe Trial of Mary Dugan, on August 13, 1928,[4] in New York.[11] He later married Donna Hanor.[12]
Heydt died of aheart attack on January 29, 1960, in Boston, where he collapsed immediately after leaving the stage following the first scene of a pre-Broadway performance of the play,There Was a Little Girl, in which he appeared oppositeJane Fonda. Actor Joseph Curtiss carried him to his dressing room, but he apparently had died instantly.[12] Heydt's understudy, William Adler, finished the performance and the run.[13]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | Rawhide | Wilson | S2:E15, "Incident of the Devil and His Due" |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
