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Stephen Boyd | |
|---|---|
 Boyd in 1961 | |
| Born | William Millar (1931-07-04)4 July 1931 Whitehouse,County Antrim,Northern Ireland |
| Died | 2 June 1977(1977-06-02) (aged 45) Northridge, Los Angeles, California, US |
| Resting place | Oakwood Memorial Park Cemetery |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1955–1977 |
| Spouses | |
| Partner | Marisa Mell (1970–1972) |
William Millar (4 July 1931 – 2 June 1977), better known by hisstage nameStephen Boyd, was an actor fromNorthern Ireland. He emerged as aleading man during the late 1950s with his role as the villainous Messala inBen-Hur (1959), a role that earned him theGolden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture. He received his secondGolden Globe nomination for the musicalBilly Rose's Jumbo (1962).
Boyd also appeared, sometimes as a hero and sometimes as a malefactor, in the major big-screen productionsThe Man Who Never Was (1956),The Night Heaven Fell (1958),The Bravados (1958),The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964),Genghis Khan (1965),Fantastic Voyage (1966),The Bible: In the Beginning... (also 1966) andShalako (1968).
Stephen Boyd was born on 4 July 1931 in Whitehouse, (Newtownabbey)County Antrim.[1][2] He was the youngest of nine children born toScots-Irish Canadian parents, James Alexander Millar and his wife Martha Boyd. At a very early age, William, or Billy as he was known, moved with the family to live inGlengormley. Boyd was raisedPresbyterian and attended the local primary school andBallyclare High School.
At the age of 14, Boyd quit school to work and earn money to help support his family. He eventually joined the Ulster Group Theatre, where he learned the behind-the-scenes tasks of the theatre. He became well known in Belfast for his contributions as a gravel-voiced policeman on the Ulster Radio programme "The McCooeys", the story of a Belfast family written byJoseph Tomelty.[3][4]
Boyd eventually worked his way up to character parts and then starring roles. By nineteen he had toured Canada with summer stock companies. In 1950, he made a coast-to-coast tour of America with theClare Tree Major Company,[5] performingA Streetcar Named Desire[6] in the lead role asStanley Kowalski. Boyd later recalled this as "the best performance I ever gave in my life".[7]
By the time he was 20, Boyd had a wide range of theatre experience, but he longed for the big stage.[8] In 1952, he moved to London and worked in a cafeteria and busked outside a cinema in Leicester Square to get money as he was literally close to starvation.[3] Boyd caught his first break as a doorman at the Odeon Theatre.
The Leicester Square Cinema across the street recruited him to usher attendees during the British Academy Awards in the early 1950s. During the awards ceremony, he was noticed by actor SirMichael Redgrave, who used his connections to introduce Boyd to the director of the Windsor Repertory Group.[8] At this point, Boyd's stage career in the UK began to flourish with performances in "The Deep Blue Sea" and "Barnett's Folly".[9]
Boyd's first role that brought him acclaim[10] was as a pro-Nazi Irish spy in the movieThe Man Who Never Was, based on the book byEwen Montagu. The movie was released in April 1956.
Shortly thereafter, he signed a ten-year contract with20th Century Fox studios,[11] which began prepping him for Hollywood, but it was a while until Boyd actually set foot on a Hollywood back-lot. Boyd's next stop was Portugal, where he acted inA Hill in Korea, which also featured future starsMichael Caine andRobert Shaw.[12] In June 1956, Boyd was cast in the shipwreck dramaAbandon Ship! for Columbia Studios starringTyrone Power. This was filmed in the summer of 1956 in London, where the British Navy built a huge 35,000-gallon water tank for the movie.[13]
In November 1956, for Twentieth Century Fox, Boyd travelled to theBritish West Indies as part of a large ensemble cast inDarryl Zanuck's racially provocative filmIsland in the Sun starringDorothy Dandridge, based on theAlec Waugh novel.[14] Boyd portrayed a young English aristocrat who becomes the lover ofJoan Collins. Boyd was loaned out to theJ. Arthur Rank production ofSeven Thunders (Beast of Marseilles), a World War II romance set in Nazi-occupiedMarseille.[15] This movie was filmed on location in Marseille and atPinewood Studios in London in the spring of 1957 and featured Boyd in his most prominent starring film role yet.
Around the same time, French actressBrigitte Bardot was given the opportunity to cast her own leading man in her next movie after her success inRoger Vadim'sAnd God Created Woman, and she chose Boyd.[16] From August to October 1957,[17] Bardot, Boyd, andAlida Valli filmed the lusty romanceThe Night Heaven Fell, directed byRoger Vadim in Paris and in the region ofMálaga, Spain, specifically the small, whitewashed town of Mijas.[18] Being in the Bardot spotlight added much to Boyd's film credit, in addition to bringing him notice in Hollywood.[19]
Boyd finally arrived in Hollywood in January 1958 to take on his first true Hollywood role as the leader of a quartet of renegade outlaws in the Twentieth Century Fox westernThe Bravados, which starredGregory Peck andJoan Collins. Even though this was a Hollywood production, the actual filming took place inMorelia, Mexico.[20]
After the filming ofThe Bravados was complete in late March 1958, Boyd returned to Hollywood to audition for the role of Messala inMGM's upcoming epicBen-Hur. Many other actors, includingVictor Mature,Kirk Douglas,Leslie Nielsen andStewart Granger had been considered for the part,[21] but Boyd's screen test convinced directorWilliam Wyler that he had found the perfect villain for his epic. Wyler had also admired Boyd's performance inThe Man Who Never Was the previous year. Boyd was hurried off to join lead actorCharlton Heston in Rome in May 1958 to learn the chariot racing aspect of his role. Heston had already been practising behind the chariot for weeks, so Boyd needed to learn quickly. Boyd was also required to wear brown contact lenses as Messala, which irritated his eyes and caused vision problems for a few months after the movie was completed. Boyd described the filming experience ofBen-Hur as the most exciting experience of his life.[22]
Years after the movie was released, interimBen-Hur screenwriter and novelistGore Vidal revealed that Boyd had portrayed his character Messala inBen-Hur with an underlying homosexual energy, as instructed to by Vidal when he greets Judah Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston) in the opening sequence. In Vidal's autobiographyPalimpsest: A Memoir[23] he described his discussion first with Wyler concerning Messala's underlying motivation, namely that Messala and Judah Ben-Hur had previously been lovers. This was based on an idea by Vidal to enhance the tension between the two main antagonists. Wyler specifically told Vidal, "You talk to Boyd. But don'tyou say a word to Chuck or he'll fall apart."[24] InPalimpsest, Vidal said, "Over the next few years, whenever we met [William Wyler], we quarreled amiably over what I had put in the scene and what Steven Boyd is clearly playing." Vidal later came into conflict with Heston about his version of the Messala/Ben-Hur relationship and the implications surroundingBen-Hur.[23]
After the filming ofBen-Hur was completed Boyd returned to Hollywood in early 1959 to star withSusan Hayward in the Canadian-based dramaWoman Obsessed. Some advertisements for this movie labelled Boyd as "The Young New Clark Gable".[25] He was then part of another ensemble cast in the adaptation ofRona Jaffe's novelThe Best of Everything, filmed in May and June 1959 at Fox Studios in Hollywood and on location in New York City.
Ben-Hur was released in November 1959. His portrayal of Messala brought was praised by critics. Press columnist Erskine Johnson wrote, "A brass hat and the armor of a Roman warrior inBen-Hur does for Stephen Boyd what a tight dress does for Marilyn Monroe."[26] Ruth Waterbury, in her Boyd feature in thePittsburgh Post-Gazette, described Boyd's character as "the dangerously masculine and quite magnificent Messala."[27]Modern Screen magazine in 1960 stated that Boyd's ruthless Messala had "lost the chariot race but captured the sympathy and sex appeal ofBen-Hur."[28]
Boyd was featured in the TV programmeThis Is Your Life on 3 February 1960, which featured many of Boyd's family members and acquaintances (including Michael Redgrave) telling stories about his early life and film career.[29] He was being sent dozens of starring roles, most of which he had to turn down due to other obligations. He opted out of the biblical epicThe Story of Ruth, which didn't please Fox studios, and he was one of the front-runners to star withMarilyn Monroe in her pictureLet's Make Love.[30]
In early 1960, Boyd won theGolden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture for his performance inBen-Hur.[31] In January 1960, Boyd made a guest appearance alongside the silent-eraBen-Hur starsRamon Novarro andFrancis X. Bushman onHedda Hopper's television programmeHedda Hopper's Hollywood.[32] In February 1960, he starred in thePlayhouse 90 television performance calledThe Sound of Trumpets withDolores Hart, which garnered good reviews. He also appeared as a singing guest onThe Dinah Shore Chevy Show on 13 March 1960 where he performed two Irish folk songs with Shore, "The Leprechaun Song"[33] and "Molly Malone", and an Irish step dance.[34][35]
Boyd's next choice wasThe Big Gamble, which featuredJuliette Gréco. It was filmed on theIvory Coast of West Africa,Dublin, and southern France in the spring and summer of 1961.[36][37] The crew slept in tents in the jungle that were guarded by natives on parole forcannibalism.[38]
Boyd was originally chosen to playMark Antony oppositeElizabeth Taylor in 20th Century Fox's production ofCleopatra (1963) under the direction ofRouben Mamoulian. He began film work in September 1960 but eventually withdrew after Elizabeth Taylor's severe illness postponed the film for months.[39][40]
After several months without active work, Boyd got his first post-Cleopatra role.[41] The film wasThe Inspector, re-titledLisa for the American release. It was based on the novel byJan de Hartog and co-starred actressDolores Hart. The film was made in Amsterdam, London and Wales during the summer of 1961. On 9 January 1962, Boyd was featured in a television film fromGeneral Electric Theater calledThe Wall Between, co-starringRonald Reagan andGloria Talbott.[42]
Boyd flew to Rome in the summer of 1962 to act withGina Lollobrigida inImperial Venus, a romantic epic about the many loves ofPauline Bonaparte, the sister ofNapoleon. This film was the first film to be banned by theMotion Picture Association of America for male nudity. Boyd appeared in a humorous bedroom scene, naked with only his lower half covered by a bed-sheet.[43] The suggestion of nudity was too much for the censors and the movie was never released in the United States.[44] Boyd returned to the States briefly after finishingImperial Venus, where he appeared for the second time onThe Dinah Shore Chevy Show, which aired on 11 November 1962. For this program Boyd was a last-minute replacement for actorJames Garner and joined Shore and entertainerDean Martin for a few musical numbers.[45][46]
Boyd arrived in Spain in early 1963 to begin work onSamuel Bronston's production ofThe Fall of the Roman Empire, directed byAnthony Mann. This was filmed during a severely cold winter in Europe and the production in theSierra de Guadarrama of Spain encountered several challenges with the snow.[47][48] Boyd's co-star was another Italian legend,Sophia Loren. Boyd also had the opportunity to ride another chariot in this film. Although the movie did well internationally when it was released in April 1964, it was a box office failure in the United States and signalled the end of Roman epics in the 1960s. More appreciated with the passing of time,The Fall of the Roman Empire was also recognised by critics as being a major inspiration for Ridley Scott'sAcademy Award-winning movieGladiator.[49]
Boyd flew back to Hollywood in the summer to star in aBob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre episode withLouis Jourdan calledWar of Nerves, which aired on 3 January 1964.[50] He then returned to Europe to film the suspensefulThe Third Secret starringPamela Franklin,Richard Attenborough,Jack HawkinsandDiane Cilento.
On 23 December 1963, Boyd became a naturalised US citizen during a ceremony at the Federal Building in Los Angeles, California.[51]
Boyd was originally cast as the lead in Anthony Mann's World War II dramaThe Unknown Battle, which was set to film in early 1964 with co-starsElke Sommer andAnthony Perkins in Norway.[52][53] After several weeks of waiting, studio funding for the project fell through.[54] Boyd sued Mann for $500,000 for a breach of contract, missed time and other lost film opportunities.[55] The project was completed by Mann a year later and released asHeroes of Telemark withKirk Douglas replacing Boyd as the lead.[56]
In 1964, Boyd continued to make films in Europe, travelling toYugoslavia to star as the villain Jamuga in the epicGenghis Khan. Boyd was the top billed and therefore the top paid star in the epic, and this apparently caused friction with up-and-coming starOmar Sharif.[57] After completingGenghis Khan, Boyd trekked toCairo,Egypt for a brief appearance as the regal KingNimrod atThe Tower of Babel inDino de Laurentiis's production ofThe Bible: In the Beginning..., directed byJohn Huston.[58]
Boyd returned to the United States to start work on the Twentieth Century Fox science fiction adventureFantastic Voyage.[59] This was filmed in the early part of 1965. In the summer of 1965, Boyd joined German starElke Sommer and music legendTony Bennett to film the Hollywood dramaThe Oscar, based on the eponymousRichard Sale novel. The movie was a popular success, but maligned by film critics.[60] Boyd made a 10-day visit toIran in December 1965 to film his scenes for theUnited Nations film projectTerence Young'sThe Poppy Is Also a Flower,[61] written byJames Bond creatorIan Fleming.
In 1966,Joseph Levine hired Boyd for his film project,The Caper of the Golden Bulls, based on aWilliam McGivern novel. This movie was partly filmed on location in Spain in the summer of 1966.[62]
Boyd starred in the spy thrillerAssignment K withCamilla Sparv, which was filmed in Germany, Austria and London during February and March 1967.[63] Boyd grew a full beard[64] for his next role as the iconic Irish playwright and criticGeorge Bernard Shaw in theOff-Broadway play calledThe Bashful Genius written by Harold Callen. This was Boyd's first return to the stage since the mid-1950s, and the experience for Boyd was immensely rewarding on a personal level.[65] He received excellent reviews for his nuanced performance of the multi-faceted Shaw.[66] The play had a very brief run during the summer of 1967 inDenver,Philadelphia andFalmouth, Massachusetts.[67][68]
In early 1968, Boyd was cast as the villain oppositeSean Connery andBrigitte Bardot in the western adventureShalako, based on theLouis L'Amour novel.[69]Shalako was filmed in the early part of 1968 inAlmería, Spain. After returning to the United States, Boyd took the role of the cruel slave master Nathan MacKay in the Southern dramaSlaves, also starringOssie Davis and singerDionne Warwick. The film was loosely based on theHarriet Beecher Stowe novelUncle Tom's Cabin. It was filmed during the summer of 1968 nearShreveport, Louisiana.[70][71] The film was released during the volatile civil rights era and in May 1969 Boyd attended the premiere alongside Dionne Warwick inBaltimore[72]
It was around this time that Boyd began his interest inL. Ron Hubbard's Church ofScientology, which made him one of the first Hollywood stars to be involved in it.[73] Boyd had always expressed an interest in esoteric religions.[74] In an interview in August 1969 with theDetroit Free Press, Boyd explained that Scientology had helped him through the filming ofSlaves, and that to him Scientology was "a process used to make you capable of learning. Scientology is nothing. It means only what you want it to. It is not a church you go to pray, but a church that you go to learn. It is no good unless you apply it. It is the application."[75] Boyd apparently had been elevated to a Scientology Status of OT 6, a position above that ofClear. Boyd starred in and narrated a Scientology recruiting movie titledFreedom in 1970.[76]Dolores Hart wrote her friendship with Boyd was hurt by his scientology.[77]
During the 1970s, the demand for Boyd in Hollywood diminished, so he focused his attention on European films and several television pilots and shows.[78] He made three films in Spain with directorJosé Antonio Nieves Conde, includingMarta in 1970,The Great Swindle in 1971, andCasa Manchada in 1975. He worked with cult directorRomain Gary in the drug thrillerKill! in 1971. He also made several Westerns, includingHannie Caulder with Raquel Welch in 1971,The Man Called Noon in 1973,Those Dirty Dogs in 1973, andMontana Trap [de] in 1976. Boyd continued to travel to a wide variety of locations to work, including Australia forThe Hands of Cormac Joyce in 1972, South Africa forControl Factor andThe Manipulator in 1972–1973,Jamaica for the scuba diving adventureThe Treasure of Jamaica Reef in 1972, Florida for the television pilotKey West in 1973, and Hawaii in his last acting stint as a guest star on the popular television showHawaii Five-O in 1977. The episodeUp the Rebels was the premiere episode ofHawaii Five-O's tenth season, and it aired after Boyd's death on 15 September 1977. His most critically acclaimed role during the 1970s was as a colourful Irish gangster in the UK crime thrillerThe Squeeze in 1977.
A letter from film producerEuan Lloyd (who produced such films asShalako,The Man Called Noon andThe Wild Geese), states that "Stephen Boyd was one of the nicest, kindest people I have met in my lifetime, rare in this profession."[79]
Although Boyd spent most of his adult life travelling abroad for film work, he made his permanent home in southernCalifornia. At one point in the 1960s, he had three homes there — one above the Sunset Strip, one inTarzana and another inPalm Springs, where he enjoyed his favorite pastime, golf.[74]
Boyd was first married in 1958 to Italian-born MCA executive Mariella Di Sarzana during the filming ofBen-Hur. They separated after just three weeks. Concerning his short-lived marriage to Sarzana, Boyd explained: "It was my fault. I'm an Irish so-and-so when I'm working. I hadn't been married a week when we both knew we had made a mistake. She is a nice girl but we were just not meant for each other. I suppose I wasn't ready for marriage. Maybe I was still too much of an adolescent."[80] They officially divorced in early 1959.[81]
He had a friendship withBrigitte Bardot with whom he starred in two movies.[82] It even caused Brigitte's husband at the time,Gunter Sachs, to ask for a divorce.[83]
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Boyd also had a close relationship with actressDolores Hart who describes what was her only romance with a co-star in her autobiographyThe Ear of the Heart.[84] Boyd eventually rejected her advances, but they remained close friends even after she turned to the cloistered life of a nun in 1963. He visited her in 1966 at the Abbey of Regina Laudis in Connecticut and remained in communication with her until the early 1970s.[85]
Boyd had an affair that seems to have been withMarisa Mell.[86] They met while filming the movieMarta in 1970. During the second film they made together,The Great Swindle, the two became lovers.[87][88] In early 1972, after Boyd broke off the affair, Mell said: "We both believe in reincarnation, and we realized we've already been lovers in three different lifetimes, and in each one I made him suffer terribly."[89] Mell remembered Boyd many years later in her autobiographyCover Love from 1990, dedicating a chapter to their affair.[90]
Boyd's last marriage took place in 1974 to Elizabeth Mills,[91] a secretary at the British Arts Council, whom he had known since 1953. Mills followed Boyd to the United States in the late 1950s and was his personal assistant, friend and confidante for many years before marrying him in the mid-1970s.[92]
Boyd died of a massiveheart attack on 2 June 1977 at the age of 45 while playing golf with his wife, Elizabeth Mills, at the Porter Valley Country Club inNorthridge, California.[93] He was in talks to play the role of theRegimental Sergeant Major inEuan Lloyd'sThe Wild Geese before his death.[94]
He was cremated and his ashes were interred inOakwood Memorial Park Cemetery inChatsworth, California. Mills was interred with him at the time of her death in 2007. He is also remembered on his parents' grave in the Clandeboye Cemetery,Bangor,Northern Ireland.[4]
On 4 July 2018, the Ulster History Circle, a voluntary organisation which erects plaques across the province of Ulster to celebrate people of achievement, commemorated Stephen Boyd with ablue plaque close to his birthplace[95] at 'Moygara', Shore Road, Whitehouse (Newtownabbey,Northern Ireland).[96]
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