Biography william bendix
(c) The Times (16/Dec/1964)
MR. WILLIAM BENDIX
Mr. William Bendix, for many years among the most familiar of Hollywood's character actors, died in hospital on Monday at the age of 58, as briefly reported in later editions of The Times yesterday.
He was born in New York on January 14, 1906, and had initially no idea of becoming an actor, his ambitions centring rather on baseball. For a while he was a batboy with the New York Giants, and later achieved a modest notability in minor league baseball. In his thirties he decided to give up his sporting career and settle down as a tradesman, so he became a grocer, and only by chance and persuasion found himself a year or two later on the stage. After playing a variety of small roles on and otf Broadway he achieved in 1939 a major success in William Saroyan's play The Time of Your Life and offers from Hollywood began to come in. After completing the run of The Time of Your Life he decided to try his luck in films, and in 19,42 made his first Brooklyn Orchid.
This proved to be the beginning of a fruitful Hollywood career. From the outset his broken nose, gravelly voice and sportsman's physique made him a natural for tough roles, though as a rule good natured with it. His best remembered films from this period arc mostly hard-hitting thrillers like The Glass Key and The Blue Dahlia but he also appeared in films as varied as George Stevens's sophisticated comedy Woman of the Year and Alfred Hitchcock's allegorical melodrama Lifeboat. His most famous part of all, though, was the title role in the film version of O'Neill's The Hairy Ape, which, in spite of many deficiencies in the adaptation, he played with great force and subtlety, matching almost perfectly O'Neill's original requirements for the role.
In recent years he played character roles in many films — thrillers, Westerns, comedies, costume pieces. Among the best of them were Josef von Sternberg's Macao and William Wyler's Detective Sto William Bendix was born on January 14, 1906, in Manhattan, New York City, to Oscar and Hilda Bendix. He grew up in a working-class family, deeply rooted in the vibrant culture of early 20th-century New York. Bendix's father was a musician, and his mother managed a household filled with love and practicality. As a young boy, Bendix exhibited a natural charisma and charm, though his early life showed no strong inclination toward acting. Bendix attended Public School 5 in New York before graduating from Townsend Harris High School. Afterward, he worked a variety of odd jobs to support his family during financially challenging times. Among his jobs was delivering groceries and working at a grocery store, where he honed the relatable and affable qualities that later defined his screen persona. Before embarking on an acting career, Bendix explored several professions. His connection to the Yankees, where he worked as a batboy, led to a lifelong love of baseball. He had a chance encounter with Babe Ruth during this time, which later inspired his memorable portrayal of the legendary baseball player in The Babe Ruth Story (1948). Bendix's journey into acting was unconventional. His natural storytelling ability and down-to-earth personality caught the attention of local theater groups. He made his way into Broadway productions in the 1930s, gaining experience in small roles that highlighted his rugged everyman appeal. Hollywood took notice of Bendix during this period, leading to his first film roles in the late 1930s. He began with uncredited parts but soon became recognized for his ability to bring sincerity and depth to blue-collar characters. His breakout role came in Wake Island (1942), where he played a Marine sergeant with heartfelt conviction. The performance earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supportin American actor (1906–1964) William Bendix Bendix in 1960 New York City, U.S Los Angeles, California, U.S Theresa Stefanotti William Bendix (January 14, 1906 – December 14, 1964) was an American film, radio, and television actor, known for his portrayals of rough, blue-collar characters. He gained significant recognition for his role in Wake Island, for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Bendix is also remembered for playing Chester A. Riley, the earnest and clumsy aircraft plant worker, in both the radio and television versions of The Life of Riley. Additionally, he portrayed baseball legend Babe Ruth in The Babe Ruth Story. Bendix frequently co-starred with Alan Ladd, appearing in ten films together; both actors died in 1964. Bendix was born in Manhattan, the only child of Oscar and Hilda (Carnell) Bendix, and was named William after his German paternal grandfather. His uncle was composer, conductor, and violinist Max Bendix. In the early 1920s, Bendix was a batboy for the New York Yankees and said he saw Babe Ruth hit more than 100 home runs at Yankee Stadium. However, he was fired after fulfilling Ruth's request for a large order of hot dogs and soda before a game, which resulted in Ruth being unable to play that day. He worked as a grocer until the Great Depression. Bendix began his acting career at age 30 in the New Jersey Federal Theatre Project. He made his film debut in 1942. He played in supporting William Bendix was not a son of Brooklyn, New York, although because of his stereotypical "Brooklyn accent" it has been widely supposed that he was. Bendix was actually born in the Borough of Manhattan (New York City proper), in a midtown flat hard by the tracks of the long-since defunct Third-Avenue Elevated Railway. (Manhattan sections of the "El," as New Yorkers called it, were demolished circa 1956.)William Bendix
William Bendix (1906 – 1964)
Biography and Movie Career
A Unique Path Toward Success
William Bendix
Born (1906-01-14)January 14, 1906 Died December 14, 1964(1964-12-14) (aged 58) Resting place San Fernando Mission Cemetery, Mission Hills, Los Angeles Occupation(s) Film, radio, television actor Years active 1936–1964 Political party Republican Spouse Children 2 Early life
Career
Film
Jut-jawed, broken-nosed and burly, Bendix began his acting career after the ravages of the Great Depression had killed his erstwhile grocery business. Having performed in nightclubs even while grocer, and having portrayed taxicab drivers in a series of Broadway flops, he enjoyed his first notable performance on the Broadway stage in 1939, portraying the cop Krupp in William Saroyan's "The Time of Your Life." His Hollywood feature debut came about in one of his few starring roles, in Hal Roach's Brooklyn Orchid (1942). But more often than not, in his movies Bendix received less than top billing, inasmuch as so many of his film assignments involved supporting roles. Despite (or perhaps on account of) his looks he was often called upon to supply comedic support, as in A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1949), when, portraying Sir Sagramore of King Arthur's Round Table in full suit of armor and pageboy wig, he waxeth eloquent, in his Brooklyn accent but in the most incongruent of Middle English dialects! On the other hand, that same craggy appearance had him in such roles as that of the thug Jeff in The Glass Key (1942), in which he repeatedly and gleefully uses his fists to beat star Alan Ladd's face to a pulp and then sadistically challenges Ladd, once he is healed, to come back and receive further "treatment"! Although he will always be fondly remembered for his light-comedy portrayals (in *three* of the mass media!) of Chester A. Riley in The Life of Riley (1949) and The Life of Riley (1953)