Walter Pidgeon

Walter Pidgeon
Walter Pidgeon
	Pidgeon on Perry Mason (1963)
Born	Walter Davis Pidgeon; September 23, 1897; Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada
Died	September 25, 1984 (aged 87); Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Citizenship	British subject; United States (from 1943);
Education	University of New Brunswick; Boston Conservatory of Music
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1925–1977
Political party	Republican
Spouses	; Edna Muriel Pickles (m. 1919; died 1921) ; Ruth Walker; (m. 1931)
Children	1
President of the Screen Actors Guild
	In office; 1952–1957
Preceded by	Ronald Reagan
Succeeded by	Leon Ames

Walter Davis Pidgeon (September 23, 1897 – September 25, 1984) was a Canadian-American actor. A major leading man during the Golden Age of Hollywood, known for his "portrayals of men who prove both sturdy and wise,"^[2] Pidgeon earned two Academy Award nominations for Best Actor, for his roles in Mrs. Miniver (1942) and Madame Curie (1943).^[3]

Pidgeon also starred in many other notable films, such as How Green Was My Valley (1941), The Bad and the Beautiful (1952), Forbidden Planet (1956), Executive Suite (1954), Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961), Advise & Consent (1962), Funny Girl (1968), and Harry in Your Pocket (1973).

Aside from his acting career, Pidgeon served as the 10th President of the Screen Actors Guild, between 1952 and 1957. He received the Guild's Life Achievement Award in 1975, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960, for his contributions to the motion picture industry.

Early life and education

Born in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, Pidgeon was the son of Hannah (née Sanborn), a housewife, and Caleb Burpee Pidgeon, a haberdasher.^[4]

Pidgeon received his formal education in local schools and the University of New Brunswick, where he studied law and drama. His university education was interrupted by World War I when he volunteered with the 65th Battery, as a lieutenant in the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery. He never saw action, however, as he was severely injured in an accident when he was crushed between two gun carriages and spent seventeen months in a military hospital.^[1] His Officer Attestation states he was born in 1895 but further medical records state 1896.

Following the war, he moved to Boston, Massachusetts, where he worked as a bank runner, at the same time studying voice at the Boston Conservatory.^[5]

Career

While he was performing in amateur theatricals in Boston, Pidgeon was hired by Elsie Janis, a producer, actor and singer looking for a male singer for her revue. Pidgeon moved to New York City in 1923, where he was interviewed by E.E. Clive, a British producer working on Broadway. Pidgeon made his first featured Broadway debut in Janis' 1925 revue Puzzles of 1925.^[1] Clive was producing You Never Can Tell, and he cast Pidgeon in a supporting role despite Pidgeon's lack of theatrical experience.

Pidgeon's success created a rift between Janis and him, leading to Pidgeon's dismissal and his move to Hollywood.^[1] His first role was in silent film Mannequin (1925). Discouraged with the quality of the roles he was getting, Pidgeon returned to New York in 1928 to resume his theater career.^[1] With the advent of sound films, Pidgeon starred in musicals Bride of the Regiment (1930), Sweet Kitty Bellairs (1930), Viennese Nights (1930) and Kiss Me Again (1931). In 1935, he appeared onstage on Broadway in Something Gay, Night of January 16th, and There's Wisdom in Women.

Pidgeon returned to film in 1937 as a dramatic actor in Saratoga (1937), then acted in The Girl of the Golden West (1938) and Dark Command (1940).^[1]

In 1941, Pidgeon starred in the Academy Award-winning Best Picture How Green Was My Valley (1941). He starred with Greer Garson in Blossoms in the Dust (1941), Mrs. Miniver (1942) (for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor) and its sequel, The Miniver Story (1950). He was also nominated for Madame Curie (1943), again with Garson. His partnership with her continued throughout the 1940s and into the 1950s with Mrs. Parkington (1944), Julia Misbehaves (1948), That Forsyte Woman (1949), and finally Scandal at Scourie (1953). He also starred as Chip Collyer in the comedy Week-End at the Waldorf (1945) and later as Colonel Michael S. 'Hooky' Nicobar, who was given the difficult task of repatriating Russians in post-World War II Vienna in The Red Danube (1949).

Although he continued to make films, including The Bad and the Beautiful (1952), Executive Suite (1954) and Forbidden Planet (1956), Pidgeon returned to work on Broadway in the mid-1950s after a 20-year absence. He was featured in Take Me Along with Jackie Gleason and received a Tony Award nomination for the musical play. He continued making films, playing Admiral Harriman Nelson in 1961's Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, James Haggin in Walt Disney's Big Red (1962), and the Senate Majority Leader in Otto Preminger's Advise & Consent. His role as Florenz Ziegfeld in Funny Girl (1968) was well received. Later, he played Casey, James Coburn's sidekick, in Harry in Your Pocket (1973).

Pidgeon guest-starred in the episode "King of the Valley" (November 26, 1959) on Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre. Pidgeon played Dave King, a prosperous rancher who quarrels with his banker over a $10,000 loan.

His other television credits included Rawhide ("The Reunion", 1962). Breaking Point, The F.B.I., Marcus Welby, M.D., and Gibbsville. In 1963 he guest-starred as corporate attorney Sherman Hatfield in the fourth of four special episodes of Perry Mason while Raymond Burr was recovering from surgery. In 1965, he played the king in Rodgers and Hammerstein's CBS television production of Cinderella, starring Lesley Ann Warren. Pidgeon retired from acting in 1977.

Politics

A Republican, Pidgeon joined celebrity Republicans in 1944 at a rally in the Los Angeles Coliseum arranged by David O. Selznick to support the Dewey−Bricker ticket and Governor Earl Warren of California, who was Dewey's running mate in 1948. The gathering drew 93,000, with Cecil B. DeMille as the master of ceremonies and short speeches by Hedda Hopper and Walt Disney.^[6]

Personal life

In 1919, Pidgeon wed Edna Muriel Pickles, who died during the birth of their daughter, Edna (1921–1978).^[7] In 1931, Pidgeon married his secretary, Ruth Walker, to whom he remained married until his death.^[8]

Pidgeon became a United States citizen on December 24, 1943.^[9]

Death

Pidgeon died on September 25, 1984, age 87, in Santa Monica, California, following a series of strokes.^[10]

Walter Pidgeon has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6414 Hollywood Boulevard in California.

Complete filmography

Year	Film	Role	Director	Notes
1926	Mannequin	Martin Innesbrook	James Cruze
	The Outsider	Basil Owen	Rowland V. Lee	Lost film
	Old Loves and New	Clyde Lord Geradine	Maurice Tourneur	Lost film
	Miss Nobody	Bravo	Lambert Hillyer	Lost film
	Marriage License?	Paul	Frank Borzage
1927	The Heart of Salome	Monte Carroll	Victor Schertzinger	Lost film
	The Girl from Rio	Paul Sinclair	Tom Terriss
	The Thirteenth Juror	Richard Marsden	Edward Laemmle
	The Gorilla	Stevens	Alfred Santell
1928	The Gateway of the Moon	Arthur Wyatt	John Griffith Wray	Lost film
	Woman Wise	United States Consul	Albert Ray	Lost film
	Turn Back the Hours	Philip Drake	Howard Bretherton
	Clothes Make the Woman	Victor Trent	Tom Terriss
	Melody of Love	Jack Clark	Arch Heath	Lost film
1929	The Voice Within
	Her Private Life	Ned Thayer	Alexander Korda
	A Most Immoral Lady	Tony Williams	John Griffith Wray
1930	Showgirl in Hollywood	Himself – Premiere Emcee	Mervyn LeRoy	Uncredited
	Bride of the Regiment	Col. Vultow	John Francis Dillon	Lost film
	Sweet Kitty Bellairs	Lord Varney	Alfred E. Green
	The Gorilla	Arthur Marsden	Bryan Foy	Lost film
	Viennese Nights	Franz von Renner	Alan Crosland
	Going Wild	'Ace' Benton	William A. Seiter
1931	Kiss Me Again	Paul de St. Cyr	William A. Seiter
1931	The Hot Heiress	Clay	Clarence G. Badger
1932	Rockabye	Al Howard	George Cukor
1933	The Kiss Before the Mirror	Lucy's Lover	James Whale
1934	Journal of a Crime	Florestan	William Keighley
1934	Good Badminton	Walter
1936	Big Brown Eyes	Richard Morey	Raoul Walsh
1936	Fatal Lady	David Roberts	Edward Ludwig
1937	She's Dangerous	Dr. Scott Logan	Lewis R. Foster
	Girl Overboard	Paul Stacey	Sidney Salkow
	As Good as Married	Fraser James	Edward Buzzell
	Saratoga	Hartley Madison	Jack Conway
	My Dear Miss Aldrich	Ken Morley	E. J. Babille
	A Girl with Ideas	Mickey McGuire	S. Sylvan Simon
1938	Man-Proof	Alan Wythe	Richard Thorpe
	The Girl of the Golden West	Jack Rance	Robert Z. Leonard
	The Shopworn Angel	Sam Bailey	H.C. Potter
	Too Hot to Handle	William O. "Bill" Dennis	Jack Conway
	Listen, Darling	Richard Thurlow	Edwin L. Marin
1939	Society Lawyer	Christopher Durant	Edwin L. Marin
	6,000 Enemies	Steve Donegan	George B. Seitz
	Stronger Than Desire	Tyler Flagg	Leslie Fenton
	Nick Carter, Master Detective	Nick Carter / Robert Chalmers	Jacques Tourneur
1940	I Take This Woman	Phil Mayberry		Scenes deleted
	The House Across the Bay	Tim	Alfred Hitchcock (Uncredited)
	It's a Date	John Arlen	William A. Seiter
	Dark Command	William 'Will' Cantrell	Raoul Walsh
	Phantom Raiders	Nick Carter	Jacques Tourneur
	Sky Murder	Nick Carter	George B. Seitz
	Flight Command	Squadron Cmdr. Billy Gary	Frank Borzage
1941	Man Hunt	Captain Alan Thorndike	Fritz Lang
	Blossoms in the Dust	Sam Gladney	Mervyn LeRoy
	How Green Was My Valley	Mr. Gruffydd	John Ford
	Design for Scandal	Jeff Sherman	Norman Taurog
1942	Mrs. Miniver	Clem Miniver	William Wyler
1942	White Cargo	Harry Witzel	Richard Thorpe
1943	The Youngest Profession	Himself	Edward Buzzell
1943	Madame Curie	Pierre Curie	Mervyn LeRoy
1944	Mrs. Parkington	Major Augustus 'Gus' Parkington	Tay Garnett
1945	Week-End at the Waldorf	Chip Collyer	Robert Z. Leonard
1946	Holiday in Mexico	Jeffrey Evans	George Sidney
1946	The Secret Heart	Chris Matthews	Robert Z. Leonard
1947	Cass Timberlane	Himself – Party Guest	George Sidney	Uncredited
1947	If Winter Comes	Mark Sabre	Victor Saville
1948	Julia Misbehaves	William Sylvester Packett	Jack Conway
1948	Command Decision	Major General Roland Goodlaw Kane	Sam Wood
1949	The Red Danube	Col. Michael S. "Hooky" Nicobar	George Sidney
1949	That Forsyte Woman	Young Jolyon Forsyte	Compton Bennett
1950	The Miniver Story	Clem Miniver	H.C. Potter
1951	Soldiers Three	Col. Brunswick	Tay Garnett
	Calling Bulldog Drummond	Maj. Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond	Victor Saville
	Quo Vadis	Narrator	Mervyn LeRoy	Voice, uncredited
	The Unknown Man	Dwight Bradley Masen	Richard Thorpe
1952	The Sellout	Haven D. Allridge	Gerald Mayer
	Million Dollar Mermaid	Frederick Kellerman	Mervyn LeRoy
	The Bad and the Beautiful	Harry Pebbel	Vincente Minnelli
1953	Scandal at Scourie	Patrick J. McChesney	Jean Negulesco
1953	Dream Wife	Walter McBride	Sidney Sheldon
1954	Executive Suite	Frederick Y. Alderson	Robert Wise
	Men of the Fighting Lady	Comdr. Kent Dowling	Andrew Marton
	The Last Time I Saw Paris	James Ellswirth	Richard Brooks
	Deep in My Heart	J.J. Shubert	Stanley Donen
1955	Hit the Deck	Rear Adm. Daniel Xavier Smith	Roy Rowland
1955	The Glass Slipper	Narrator	Charles Walters	Voice, uncredited
1956	Forbidden Planet	Dr. Morbius	Fred M. Wilcox
	These Wilder Years	James Rayburn	Roy Rowland
	The Rack	Col. Edward W. Hall, Sr.	Arnold Laven
1958	Swiss Family Robinson	Father
1959	Meet Me in St. Louis	Mr. Alonzo Smith		TV Movie
1961	Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea	Adm. Harriman Nelson	Irwin Allen
1962	Advise and Consent	Senate Majority Leader	Otto Preminger
1962	Big Red	James Haggin	Norman Tokar
1963	The Two Colonels	Colonello Timothy Henderson	Steno
	The Shortest Day	Ernest Hemingway	Sergio Corbucci	Uncredited
	Anniversary	Narrator
1964	Mr. Kingston
1965	Cinderella	King	Ralph Nelson
1967	How I Spent My Summer Vacation	Lewis Gannet
1967	Warning Shot	Orville Ames	Buzz Kulik
1968	The Vatican Affair	Professor Herbert Cummings	Emilio Miraglia
1968	Funny Girl	Florenz Ziegfeld	William Wyler
1969	Rascal	Sterling North	Norman Tokar	Voice
1970	House on Greenapple Road	Mayor Jack Parker	Robert Day
1970	The Mask of Sheba	Dr. Max van Condon	David Lowell Rich
1972	The Screaming Woman	Dr. Amos Larkin	Jack Smight
1972	Skyjacked	Sen. Arne Lindner	John Guillermin
1973	The Neptune Factor	Dr. Samuel Andrews	Daniel Petrie
1973	Harry in Your Pocket	Casey	Bruce Geller
1974	Live Again, Die Again	Thomas Carmichael	Richard A. Colla
1974	The Girl on the Late, Late Show	John Pahlman	Gary Nelson
1975	You Lie So Deep, My Love	Uncle Joe Padway	David Lowell Rich
1975	Murder on Flight 502	Charlie Parkins	George McCowan
1976	The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case	Judge Trenchard	Buzz Kulik
	Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood	Grayson's Butler	Michael Winner
	Two-Minute Warning	The Pickpocket	Larry Peerce
1978	Sextette	The Chairman	Ken Hughes

Radio appearances

Year	Program	Episode/source
1946	Lux Radio Theatre	Mrs. Parkington^[11]
1946	Lux Radio Theatre	Together Again^[12]
1952	Screen Guild Theatre	"Heaven Can Wait"^[13]
1953	Lux Radio Theatre	The People Against O'Hara^[14]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Foster, Charles (2003). Once upon a time in paradise : Canadians in the Golden Age of Hollywood. Toronto: Dundurn Group. pp. 233–250. ISBN 1-55002-464-7.
^ Berger, Joseph (1984-09-26). "WALTER PIDGEON, ACTOR, DIES AT 87". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-01-19.
^ www.sagaftra.org https://www.sagaftra.org/walter-pidgeon. Retrieved 2024-01-19. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
^ Parish, James Robert; Mank, Gregory W. (April 1981). The Hollywood Reliables. Arlington House. p. 147. ISBN 978-0870004308.
^ Foster, Charles. "The Gentleman from Saint John". new-brunswick.net. Archived from the original on 4 August 2018. Retrieved 9 November 2021. ...using the money he earned, he entered the Boston Conservatory of Music.
^ Jordan, David M. (2011). FDR, Dewey, and the Election of 1944. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press. pp. 231–32. ISBN 978-0253356833. pidgeon.
^ "Walter Pidgeon—Biography". NorthernStars.ca (The Canadian Movie Database). Archived from the original on December 3, 2020. Retrieved 2009-10-25.
^ Berger, Joseph (1984-09-26). "WALTER PIDGEON, ACTOR, DIES AT 87". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-05-24.
^ Walter Davis Pidgeon's Petition for Naturalization as a United States Citizen, ancestry.com; accessed November 17, 2015.
^ Berger, Joseph (September 26, 1984). "Walter Pidgeon, Actor, Dies at 87". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-10-25. Walter Pidgeon, the courtly actor who distinguished his 47-year career with portrayals of men who prove both sturdy and wise, died yesterday at a hospital in Santa Monica, Calif. He was 87 years old and had suffered a series of strokes. ...
^ "'Lux' Guest". Harrisburg Telegraph. November 23, 1946. p. 19. Retrieved September 13, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "'Together Again' With Irene Dunn [sic] Next 'Lux' Drama". Harrisburg Telegraph. December 7, 1946. p. 19. Retrieved September 12, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Kirby, Walter (April 6, 1952). "Better Radio Programs for the Week". The Decatur Daily Review. p. 52. Retrieved May 16, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Kirby, Walter (March 8, 1953). "Better Radio Programs for the Week". The Decatur Daily Review. p. 46. Retrieved June 23, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.