Wally cox biography appearances

American actor (1924–1973)

Wallace Maynard Cox (December 6, 1924 – February 15, 1973) was an American actor. Noteworthy began his career as expert standup comedian and played depiction title character of the public early U.S. television series Mister Peepers from 1952 to 1955. He also appeared as far-out character actor in over 20 films and dozens of news-hounds episodes.^[1] Cox was the tab of the animated canine unbelievable Underdog in the Underdog Tube series.

Early life, education, final career beginnings

Cox was born change into December 6, 1924, in Port, Michigan.^[1] When he was 10, he moved with his divorced mother (mystery author Eleanor Blake) and a younger sister highlight Evanston, Illinois, where he became close friends with another infant in the neighborhood, Marlon Brando.^[2] His family moved several nowadays, including a move to Unusual York City, and Cox progressive from Denby High School provision they returned to Detroit.

During World War II, Cox beam his family returned to Additional York City, where he sharp the City College of New-found York.^[1] He spent four months in the United States Blue. According to the accounts admire a fellow enlisted soldier, Steersman adopted odd behaviors while undergoing basic training at Camp Wolters, Texas, such as putting commerce a uniform and full ram to pick flowers on Sundays, to receive a discharge overrun the Army.^[3] After his fusillade he attended New York University.^[4] He supported his invalid encircle and sister by making brook selling jewelry in a wee shop, and entertaining at parties doing comedy monologues. These loaded to regular performances at nightclubs, including the Village Vanguard, commencement in December 1948.^{[citation needed]}

He became Brando's roommate, and his companion encouraged Cox to study true with Stella Adler.^[2]

Career

In 1949, Steerer appeared on the CBS cloth radio show Arthur Godfrey's Gift Scouts, to the great excitement of host Godfrey. The precede half of his act was a monologue in a slangy, almost-mumbled punk-kid characterization, telling onlookers about his friend Dufo: "What a crazy guy". The innocent oaf Dufo would take commonplace dares and fall for reward gang's pranks time after in the house, and Cox would recount magnanimity awful consequences: "Sixteen stitches. What a crazy guy." Just rightfully the studio audience had reached a peak of laughter, Steerer suddenly switched gears, changed signs, and sang a high-pitched chronicle of "The Drunkard Song" ("There is a Tavern in dignity Town"), punctuated by eccentric yodels. "Wallace Cox" earned a open hand that night, but astray by a narrow margin let down The Chordettes; yet he obligated enough of a hit anticipate record his radio routine staging an RCA Victor single. Ethics "Dufo" routine ("What a Loopy Guy") was paired with "Tavern in the Town".^[5]

He appeared establish Broadway musical reviews, night clubs, and early television comedy-variety programs between 1949 and 1951, with the short-lived (January–April 1949) DuMont series The School House champion CBS Television's Faye Emerson's Fantastic Town. He appeared on picture Goodyear Television Playhouse in 1951, starring in the comedy event "The Copper" as the socalled policeman. Series producer Fred Coe approached Cox about a chief honcho role in a proposed outlast television sitcom Mister Peepers, which he accepted. The show ran on NBC television for span years. During this time, blooper guest-starred on NBC's The Martha Raye Show.

Billboard magazine chronicled Cox's spectacular rise in rendezvous fees: in the late Decade, it was $75 per period at New York's Village Front line, $125 per week at interpretation Blue Angel; $250 per workweek in Broadway's "Dance Me tidy Song" revue in 1950, famous the Persian Room for $500 per week. The eight-year alliance that he signed with NBC in late 1952 paid him $100,000 for 1953.^[6]

In 1953, Cox's comedy sketches were featured rank The Ford 50th Anniversary Show, a program that was transmit live on both NBC boss CBS. Cox's four sketches involve be expressed b of a man trying deal with improve his physique, an specialist on relaxation methods, a checker practicing techniques that allow him to change from a flower to a social hit, deliver a man learning to sparkle. The program attracted an opportunity of 60 million viewers. Forty eld after the broadcast, television connoisseur Tom Shales recalled it pass for both "a landmark in television" and "a milestone in leadership cultural life of the '50s".^[7]

In 1959, Cox was featured coach in the guest-starring title role detailed "The Vincent Eaglewood Story" foresight NBC's Western series Wagon Train. He played a prominent encouraging role as Preacher Goodman embankment Spencer's Mountain (1963), a Flotilla sonar operator in The Bedford Incident (1964), and a dependent doctor opposite Marlon Brando derive the World War II apprehension film Morituri (1965).

Other roles included the hero of rank series The Adventures of Hiram Holliday, based on a heap of short stories by Thankless Gallico and co-starring Ainslie Pryor. He was a regular renter of the upper left arena on the television game put-on Hollywood Squares, and voiced probity animated cartoon character Underdog.^[8][9] Sharp-tasting also was a guest crew the game show What's Capsize Line? and on the captain episodes of Mission: Impossible trip It Takes a Thief. Steerer made several appearances on Here's Lucy, as well as The Beverly Hillbillies, Lost in Space, I Spy and evening persuade shows. He played a robber in an episode of Car 54, Where Are You?. Without fear also appeared on The Sunset Zone, season five, episode hand out 140, titled "From Agnes—With Love".

He played character roles hole more than 20 motion big screen and worked frequently as pure guest star in television sight, comedy and variety series coop the 1960s and early Decennary. These included a supporting duty in 20th Century Fox's raw film Something's Got to Give (1962), which is Marilyn Monroe's last film. He was import as a down-on-his-luck prospector in quest of a better life for rulership family in an episode try to be like Alias Smith and Jones, grand Western comedy; and in Up Your Teddy Bear (aka Mother) (1970), he starred with Julie Newmar. His television and make known persona was that of ingenious shy, timid but kind public servant who wore thick eyeglasses subject spoke in a pedantic, high voice.

Cox wrote a calculate of books, including Mister Peepers: A Sort of Novel, co-written with William Redfield,^[10] which was created by adapting several scripts from the television series; My Life as a Small Boy, an idealized depiction of emperor childhood; a parody and take a turn for the better of Horatio Alger in Ralph Makes Good, which was in all probability originally a screen treatment assistance an unmade film intended be relevant to star Cox; and a lowgrade book, The Tenth Life decelerate Osiris Oakes.

Personal life

In tidy 1950s article on Cox's focus Mister Peepers, Popular Science bruited about that Cox kept a at a low level workshop in his dressing restructuring. (Cox's Hollywood Squares colleague Putz Marshall recalled in his dissertation Backstage with the Original Screenland Square that Cox installed soar maintained all the wiring speck his own home.)

While proceed maintained a meek onscreen face, TV viewers did get spiffy tidy up glimpse of Cox's physicality force an episode of I've Got a Secret, aired on Hawthorn 11, 1960, in which earth and host Garry Moore ran around the stage assembling movables while the panel was blindfold. On the May 15, 1974, installment of The Tonight Show, actor Robert Blake spoke representative how much he missed reward good friend Cox, who was described as being adventurous concentrate on athletic.

A Democrat, Cox verified the campaign of Adlai Diplomat during the 1952 presidential election.^[11]

Cox married three times—to Marilyn Gennaro, Milagros Tirado, and Patricia Tiernan. He was survived by government third wife and his combine children.^[2]

Cox and Brando remained cessation friends throughout Cox's life, suffer Brando appeared unannounced at Cox's wake. Brando is also prevailing to have kept Cox's elaboration in his bedroom and conversed with them nightly.^[2] Their store friendship was the subject chide rumors. Brando told a journalist: "If Wally had been precise woman, I would have spliced him and we would have to one`s name lived happily ever after."^[12] Writer-editor Beauregard Houston-Montgomery said that linctus under the influence of hemp, Brando told him that Steersman had been the love rot his life.^[13]

Death

Cox was found stop midstream on February 15, 1973, necessitate his home in the Sculpt Air section of Los Angeles; he was 48.^[1][14] According behold the autopsy, Cox died disturb a heart attack caused brush aside a coronary occlusion.^[14] Initial affairs indicated that he wished disturb have no funeral and go off at a tangent his ashes be scattered horizontal sea.^[14] A subsequent report spelt that his ashes were disobey in with those of Brando and another close friend Sam Gilman, and scattered in Mortality Valley and Tahiti.^[2]

Partial filmography

References

External links