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{{short description|American actor}}
{{Short description|American actor (1889–1973)}}
{{infobox person
{{infobox person
| image = Ernest Truex 1.jpg
| name = Ernest Truex
| image = Ernest Truex, stage actor (SAYRE 10836).jpg
⚫
| birth_date = {{birth date|1889|9|19}}
| caption = Truex in 1922
| birth_place = [[Kansas City, Missouri]], U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|1973|6|26|1889|9|19}}
| birth_date = {{birth date|1889|9|19}}
| death_place = [[Fallbrook, California]], U.S.
| birth_place = [[Kansas City, Missouri]], U.S.
⚫
| death_date = {{death date and age|1973|6|26|1889|9|19}}
| occupation = Actor
| death_place = [[Fallbrook, California]], U.S.
⚫
| spouse = {{ubl|Julia Mills (m. 19??; her death 19??)|Mary Jane Barrett (m. 19??; div. 19??)|{{marriage|[[Sylvia Field]]|1937|1973|end=his death}}}}
| children = 3
| occupation = Actor
⚫
| spouse = {{ubl|{{marriage|Julia Mills|||end=died}}|{{marriage|Mary Jane Barrett|||end=divorced}}|{{marriage|[[Sylvia Field]]|1941|1973}}}}
⚫
| years_active = 1907–1966
| children = 3
⚫
| years_active = 1907–1966
}}
}}
[[File:Ernest Truex Brandon de Wilde Jamie 1953.JPG|thumb|Ernest Truex and [[Brandon deWilde]] in TV series ''[[Jamie (TV series)|Jamie]]'' (1953) ]]
[[File:Ernest Truex Brandon de Wilde Jamie 1953.JPG|thumb|Ernest Truex and [[Brandon deWilde]] in the TV series ''[[Jamie (TV series)|Jamie]]'' (1953) ]]
'''Ernest Truex''' (September 19, 1889 – June 26, 1973) was an American actor of stage, film, and television.
'''Ernest Truex''' (September 19, 1889 – June 26, 1973) was an American actor of stage, film, and television.


==Career==
==Career==
Born in [[Kansas City, Missouri]], Truex learned acting at an early age after his father, a doctor, treated an actor who paid his bill by giving the son acting lessons.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Winchell |first1=Walter |title=Walter Winchell Coast-To-Coast |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37713552/the_centralia_enterprise_and_tribune/ |accessdate=October 23, 2019 |work=Naugatuck News |date=March 4, 1947 |location=Connecticut, Naugatuck |page=4|via = [[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> He started acting at age five and toured through Missouri at age nine as "The Child Wonder in Scenes from Shakespeare". His [[Broadway (theatre)|Broadway]] debut came in 1908, and he performed in several [[David Belasco]] plays and portrayed the title role in the 1915 musical ''[[Very Good Eddie]]''. Truex played the lead role in the disastrous 1923 premiere of [[F. Scott Fitzgerald]]'s [[The_Vegetable,_or_From_President_to_Postman|''The Vegetable'']].<ref>Turnbull, Andrew. Scott Fitzgerald. New York: Scribner, 1962. p. 140</ref> In 1927, he created the role of Bill Paradene in ''Good Morning, Bill'', adapted by [[P. G. Wodehouse]] based on a play by Ladislaus Fodor.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Occasional Performers in Plum's Plays|journal=Wooster Sauce/By the Way|date=March 2015|volume=59|page=2}}</ref>
Truex was born in Kansas City, Missouri. He learned acting at an early age after his father, a doctor, treated actor Edwin Melvin, who paid his bill by giving the son elocution lessons.<ref name="t">{{cite news |title=Ernest Truex Joins 'Pete and Gladys' |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37715178/ernest_truex/ |access-date=October 23, 2019 |work=The Times |date=March 12, 1961 |location=Indiana, Hammond |page=TV Section - 5|via = [[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> He started acting at age five and toured through Missouri at age nine as "The Child Wonder in Scenes from Shakespeare".


As a young man, he lived in [[Denver]] and was among the supporting actors at the [[Elitch Theatre]], appearing during the 1903,1904,1905,1906 and 1907 seasons. Truex began his career of "walk-ons" at Elitch while he was still a student at [[East High School (Denver, Colorado)|East High School]] (where his classmates included [[Douglas Fairbanks]] and [[Harold Lloyd]].)<ref>{{Cite book |last=Borrillo |first=Theodore A. |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/823177622 |title=Denver's historic Elitch Theatre : a nostalgic journey (a history of its times) |date=2012 |publisher=[publisher not identified] |isbn=978-0-9744331-4-1 |location=[Colorado] |pages=64 |oclc=823177622}}</ref> Among his performances at the theatre were the play of [[When Knighthood Was in Flower (novel)|When Knighthood Was in Flower]] with [[Maude Fealy]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=R |first=Greg |title=1904 |url=https://historicelitchtheatre.org/year1904/ |access-date=2023-01-08 |website=Historic Elitch Theatre |date=11 September 2021 |language=en-US}}</ref> and [[Tess of the d'Urbervilles]], which featured [[Tyrone Power Sr.]] and a young [[Cecil B. DeMille]] in the supporting cast.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Borrillo |first=Theodore A. |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/823177622 |title=Denver's historic Elitch Theatre : a nostalgic journey (a history of its times) |date=2012 |publisher=[publisher not identified] |isbn=978-0-9744331-4-1 |location=[Colorado] |pages=63 |oclc=823177622}}</ref> In 1906, he appeared in several shows with young Colorado natives, [[Douglas Fairbanks]] and [[Spring Byington]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=R |first=Greg |title=1906 |url=https://historicelitchtheatre.org/year1906/ |access-date=2023-01-08 |website=Historic Elitch Theatre |date=12 September 2021 |language=en-US}}</ref>
⚫
In 1926 he performed for the first time in London's West End. He played a leading role in ''[[The Fall Guy]]'' at the Apollo Theatre. He continued to perform in plays in London for the next three years while his two sons attended Leighton Park boarding school in Reading. In 1927 he acted in ''[[Good Morning, Bill]]'' at the [[Duke of York's Theatre]] and in 1928 he performed in ''[[Sexes and Sevens]]'' at the Globe Theatre.


His Broadway debut came in ''Wildfire'' (1908),<ref>{{cite web |title=Ernest Truex |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/ernest-truex-16362 |website=Internet Broadway Database |publisher=The Broadway League |access-date=October 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191023024451/https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/ernest-truex-16362 |archive-date=October 23, 2019}}</ref> and he performed in several [[David Belasco]] plays and portrayed the title role in the 1915 musical ''[[Very Good Eddie]]''. Truex played the lead role in the disastrous 1923 premiere of [[F. Scott Fitzgerald]]'s [[The Vegetable, or From President to Postman|''The Vegetable'']].<ref>Turnbull, Andrew. Scott Fitzgerald. New York: Scribner, 1962. p. 140</ref> In 1927, he created the role of Bill Paradene in ''[[Good Morning, Bill]]'', which was based on an original play by [[Ladislas Fodor]] and adapted by [[P.G. Wodehouse]].<ref>{{cite journal|title=Occasional Performers in Plum's Plays|journal=Wooster Sauce/By the Way|date=March 2015|volume=59|page=2}}</ref>
⚫
He made his film debut in 1913, but did not work in film full-time for another twenty years. He tended to play "milquetoast" characters and in ''The Warrior's Husband'' he played a "nance". In the 1938 ''[[The Adventures of Marco Polo]]'', he played Marco Polo's comical assistant, opposite [[Gary Cooper]].


⚫
In 1926, he performed for the first time in London's West End. He played a leading role in ''[[The Fall Guy]]'' at the [[Apollo Theatre]]. He continued to perform in plays in London for the next three years while his two sons attended [[Leighton Park School]] in Reading. In 1927, he acted in ''Good Morning, Bill'' at the [[Duke of York's Theatre]] and in 1928 he performed in ''[[Sexes and Sevens]]'' at the Globe Theatre. In 1930, he appeared on Broadway in ''[[Ritzy (play)|Ritzy]]''.
⚫
Early in television, Truex guest starred on [[CBS]]'s ''[[Faye Emerson's Wonderful Town]].'' In 1949, he starred in his family's program, ''The Truex Family'' on [[WPIX]] in New York City.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Franken |first1=Jerry |title=The Truex Family |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Lg4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT8&dq=%22Ernest+Truex%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiCvbqzoLHlAhXhQUEAHTR7D8kQ6AEwBHoECAAQAg#v=onepage&q=%22Ernest%20Truex%22&f=false |accessdate=October 23, 2019 |work=Billboard |date=October 22, 1949 |page=9}}</ref> Also in that year, he played [[Caspar Milquetoast]] on the [[DuMont Television Network]]'s ''Program Playhouse Series''.{{Citation needed |date=October 2019}} From 1953 to 1954, he co-starred with a young [[Brandon deWilde]] in ''[[Jamie (TV series)|Jamie]]'' on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]. He played aging Grandpa McHummer striking a bond with young Jamie, his recently orphaned grandson.<ref name="etvs">{{cite book|last1=Terrace|first1=Vincent|title=Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010|date=2011|publisher=McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers|location=Jefferson, N.C.|isbn=978-0-7864-6477-7|page=525|edition=2nd}}</ref>


⚫
He made his film debut in 1913, but did not work in film full-time for another 20 years. He tended to play "milquetoast" characters and in ''[[The Warrior's Husband]]'' he played a "nance". In the 1938 ''[[The Adventures of Marco Polo]]'', he played [[Marco Polo]]'s comical assistant, opposite [[Gary Cooper]].
⚫
In later life, he became known for playing elderly men on television in works such as ''[[Justice (1954 TV series)|Justice]]'', ''[[Mister Peepers]],'' ''[[Hazel (TV series)|Hazel]]'', and ''[[Father Knows Best]]''. He had the main role in the "[[Kick the Can (The Twilight Zone)|Kick the Can]]" episode of [[Rod Serling]]'s original ''[[The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)|The Twilight Zone]]'' (with his son Barry). In another ''Twilight Zone'' episode, "[[What You Need (The Twilight Zone)|What You Need]]" (S1, Ep. 12; airdate: Dec. 25, 1959), he played a traveling peddler who just happened to have exactly what people needed just before they knew they needed it.<ref>[http://www.syfy.com/syfywire/this-day-in-twilight-zone-history-september-19th-wishing-happy-birthday-to-ernest-truex This Day in Twilight Zone History: Happy birthday to Ernest Truex]</ref>


⚫
Early in television, Truex guest starred on ''[[Faye Emerson's Wonderful Town]].'' In 1949, he starred in ''The Truex Family'' on [[WPIX]] in New York City.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Franken |first1=Jerry |title=The Truex Family |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Lg4EAAAAMBAJ&q=%22Ernest+Truex%22&pg=PT8 |access-date=October 23, 2019 |magazine=Billboard |date=October 22, 1949 |page=9}}</ref> Also in that year, he played [[Caspar Milquetoast]] on the [[DuMont Television Network]]'s ''Program Playhouse Series''.{{Citation needed |date=October 2019}} From 1953 to 1954, he co-starred with [[Brandon deWilde]] in ''[[Jamie (TV series)|Jamie]]''. He played aging Grandpa McHummer striking a bond with young Jamie, his recently orphaned grandson.<ref name="etvs">{{cite book|last1=Terrace|first1=Vincent|title=Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010|date=2011|publisher=McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers|location=Jefferson, N.C.|isbn=978-0-7864-6477-7|page=525|edition=2nd}}</ref> In the early 1960s, he played Gladys' father on ''[[Pete and Gladys]].''<ref name="t" />
⚫
He starred in the first season (1958 &ndash; 1959) of CBS's ''[[The Ann Sothern Show]]'' as Jason Macauley, the manager of the swank Bartley House hotel in [[New York City]]. [[Reta Shaw]] played his domineering wife, Flora. In 1960, Truex appeared with [[Harpo Marx]] in the episode "Silent Panic" of CBS's [[anthology series]] ''[[The DuPont Show with June Allyson]]''. He guest starred on the CBS sitcom, ''[[Dennis the Menace (1959 TV series)|Dennis the Menace]]'', with [[Jay North]] as the series lead.


⚫
In later life, he became known for playing elderly men on television in works such as ''[[Justice (1954 TV series)|Justice]]'', ''[[Mister Peepers]],'' ''[[Hazel (TV series)|Hazel]]'', and ''[[Father Knows Best]]''. He had the main role in the "[[Kick the Can (The Twilight Zone)|Kick the Can]]" episode of [[Rod Serling]]'s original ''[[The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)|The Twilight Zone]]'' (with his son Barry). In another ''Twilight Zone'' episode, "[[What You Need (The Twilight Zone)|What You Need]]" (airing on December 25, 1959), he played a traveling peddler who just happened to have exactly what people needed just before they knew they needed it.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.syfy.com/syfywire/this-day-in-twilight-zone-history-september-19th-wishing-happy-birthday-to-ernest-truex |title=This Day in Twilight Zone History: Happy birthday to Ernest Truex |access-date=2018-01-04 |archive-date=2018-01-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180105181914/http://www.syfy.com/syfywire/this-day-in-twilight-zone-history-september-19th-wishing-happy-birthday-to-ernest-truex |url-status=dead }}</ref>
==Marriages==
⚫
His first wife was Julia Mills with whom he had two sons, Philip in 1911 and James in 1912. Philip had an acting career until the early 1950s. Philip Truex's greatest success in the theatre was when he landed the starring role of Og in the Broadway musical ''[[Finian's Rainbow]]'' in 1947. His most famous film performance is the title role in [[Alfred Hitchcock]]'s ''[[The Trouble with Harry]]'' (1955) as Harry, the corpse dragged all over the countryside by several other characters in this film. Philip had expected to have substantial lines to speak in the role but Hitchcock decided to kill off the character of Harry before he could utter one word. After this disappointment Philip decided to give up acting completely and turned his hand to landscape gardening.


⚫
He starred in the first season (1958-1959) of ''[[The Ann Sothern Show]]'' as Jason Macauley, the manager of the swank Bartley House hotel in New York City. [[Reta Shaw]] played his domineering wife Flora. In 1960, Truex appeared with [[Harpo Marx]] in the episode "Silent Panic" of the [[anthology series]] ''[[The DuPont Show with June Allyson]]''. He guest starred on the sitcom ''[[Dennis the Menace (1959 TV series)|Dennis the Menace]]'', with [[Jay North]] as the series lead.
⚫
A [[widow]]er, Ernest married stage actress Mary Jane Barrett, appearing with her in New York in such plays as ''The Third Little Show'', (1931), ''The Hook-Up'' (1935), and ''Fredericka'' (1937). They had one child, Barry Truex, who had an acting career of his own from 1949 to the early 1960s. His career began in 1949 when he played the role of Ernest's youngest son in the TV situation comedy ''[[The Truex Family]]'' broadcast on WPIX New York. All of Ernest Truex's immediate family had acting parts in this show which was co-written by his second son James Truex. In 1962 Barry would again play opposite his father Ernest in the episode "[[Kick the Can]]" of the TV series ''[[The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)|The Twilight Zone]]''. Barry's most memorable film roles were in ''[[The Benny Goodman Story]]'' playing the young Benny Goodman (1956), ''[[Rockabilly Baby]]'' (1957), and ''[[Dragstrip Riot]]'' (1958). He also acted in numerous TV productions.


==Personal life==
⚫
In 1934, Ernest Truex directed, co-produced, and starred in the play ''Sing and Whistle'', which co-starred actress [[Sylvia Field]] who would later become his third wife upon his divorce from Mary Jane Barrett.
⚫
Truex’s first wife was Julia Mills, with whom he had two sons, Philip in 1911 and James in 1912. Philip had an acting career until the early 1950s. Philip Truex's greatest success in the theatre was when he landed the starring role of Og in the Broadway musical ''[[Finian's Rainbow]]'' in 1947. His most famous film performance is the title role in [[Alfred Hitchcock]]'s ''[[The Trouble with Harry]]'' (1955) as Harry, the corpse dragged all over the countryside by several other characters in this film. Philip had expected to have substantial lines to speak in the role but Hitchcock decided to kill off the character of Harry before he could utter one word. After this disappointment Philip decided to give up acting completely and turned his hand to landscape gardening.

⚫
A widower, Ernest Truex married stage actress Mary Jane Barrett, appearing with her in New York in such plays as ''The Third Little Show'', (1931), ''The Hook-Up'' (1935), and ''Fredericka'' (1937). They had one child, Barry Truex, who had an acting career of his own from 1949 to the early 1960s. His career began in 1949 when he played the role of Ernest's youngest son in the TV situation comedy ''The Truex Family'', broadcast on WPIX New York. All of Ernest Truex's immediate family had acting parts in this show, which was co-written by his second son James Truex. In 1962, Barry again played opposite his father in the episode "[[Kick the Can]]" of the TV series ''[[The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)|The Twilight Zone]]''. Barry's more memorable film roles were in ''[[The Benny Goodman Story]]'' playing the young Benny Goodman (1956), ''[[Rockabilly Baby]]'' (1957), and ''[[Dragstrip Riot]]'' (1958). He also acted in numerous TV productions.

⚫
In 1934, Ernest Truex directed, co-produced, and starred in the play ''Sing and Whistle'', which co-starred actress [[Sylvia Field]]. She later became his third wife, upon his divorce from Barrett.


==Death==
==Death==
Line 38: Line 44:


==Partial filmography==
==Partial filmography==
⚫
{{Portal|Biography|Missouri|California|Theatre|Film|Television}}
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
*''[[Caprice (1913 film)|Caprice]]'' (1913) - Wally Henderson
*''[[Caprice (1913 film)|Caprice]]'' (1913) - Wally Henderson
*''[[An American Citizen]]'' (1914) - Mercury
*''[[An American Citizen]]'' (1914) - Mercury
*''[[A Good Little Devil]]'' (1914) - Charles MacLance - a Good Little Devil
*''[[A Good Little Devil]]'' (1914) - Charles MacLance, a Good Little Devil
*''Dope'' (1914) - Jimmy Binkley
*''Dope'' (1914) - Jimmy Binkley
⚫
{{Portal|Biography|United States|California|Theatre|Film|Television}}
*''Artie, the Millionaire Kid'' (1916) - Artie Hamilton
*''Artie, the Millionaire Kid'' (1916) - Artie Hamilton
*''[[Come on In (film)|Come on In]]'' (1918) - Ernest Short
*''[[Come on In (film)|Come on In]]'' (1918) - Ernest Short
Line 49: Line 54:
*''[[Oh, You Women!]]'' (1919) - Abraham Lincoln Jones
*''[[Oh, You Women!]]'' (1919) - Abraham Lincoln Jones
*''[[The Night of the Dub]]'' (1919, Short)
*''[[The Night of the Dub]]'' (1919, Short)
*''[[Six Cylinder Love]]'' (1923) - Gilbert Sterling
*''[[Six Cylinder Love (1923 film)|Six Cylinder Love]]'' (1923) - Gilbert Sterling
*''[[Whistling in the Dark (1933 film)|Whistling in the Dark]]'' (1933) - Wallace Porter
*''[[Whistling in the Dark (1933 film)|Whistling in the Dark]]'' (1933) - Wallace Porter
*''[[The Warrior's Husband]]'' (1933) - Sapiens
*''[[The Warrior's Husband]]'' (1933) - Sapiens
Line 59: Line 64:
*''[[Freshman Year (film)|Freshman Year]]'' (1938) - Professor Lucius Peabody
*''[[Freshman Year (film)|Freshman Year]]'' (1938) - Professor Lucius Peabody
*''[[Swing That Cheer]]'' (1938) - Professor Peabody
*''[[Swing That Cheer]]'' (1938) - Professor Peabody
*''[[Swing, Sister, Swing]]'' (1938) - Prof. L. Orlando Beebee
*''[[Swing, Sister, Swing]]'' (1938) - Professor L. Orlando Beebee
*''[[Ambush (1939 film)|Ambush]]'' (1939) - Mr. Gibbs
*''[[Ambush (1939 film)|Ambush]]'' (1939) - Mr. Gibbs
*''[[It's a Wonderful World (1939 film)|It's a Wonderful World]]'' (1939) - Willie Heyward
*''[[It's a Wonderful World (1939 film)|It's a Wonderful World]]'' (1939) - Willie Heyward
Line 79: Line 84:
*''[[We Go Fast]]'' (1941) - Harold Bruggins
*''[[We Go Fast]]'' (1941) - Harold Bruggins
*''[[Unexpected Uncle]]'' (1941) - Wilkins
*''[[Unexpected Uncle]]'' (1941) - Wilkins
*''[[Don't Get Personal]]'' (1942) - Jules Kinsey
*''[[Don't Get Personal (1942 film)|Don't Get Personal]]'' (1942) - Jules Kinsey
*''[[Twin Beds (1942 film)|Twin Beds]]'' (1942) - Larky
*''[[Twin Beds (1942 film)|Twin Beds]]'' (1942) - Larky
*''You're Telling Me'' (1942) - Charles Handley
*''[[You're Telling Me (film)|You're Telling Me]]'' (1942) - Charles Handley
*''[[Private Buckaroo]]'' (1942) - Col. Elias Weatherford
*''[[Private Buckaroo]]'' (1942) - Colonel Elias Weatherford
*''[[The Affairs of Martha]]'' (1942) - Llewellyn Castle
*''[[The Affairs of Martha]]'' (1942) - Llewellyn Castle
*''[[Star Spangled Rhythm]]'' (1942) - Murgatroyd in Priorities Skit
*''[[Star Spangled Rhythm]]'' (1942) - Murgatroyd in Priorities Skit
Line 97: Line 102:
*''[[Club Havana]]'' (1945) - Willy Kingston
*''[[Club Havana]]'' (1945) - Willy Kingston
*''[[Life with Blondie]]'' (1945) - Theodore Glassby, Apex Advertising
*''[[Life with Blondie]]'' (1945) - Theodore Glassby, Apex Advertising
*''[[Night in Paradise]]'' (1946) - Scribe
*''[[Night in Paradise (1946 film)|Night in Paradise]]'' (1946) - Scribe
*''[[Always Together]]'' (1947) - Mr. Timothy J. Bull, Attorney
*''[[Always Together]]'' (1947) - Mr. Timothy J. Bull, Attorney
*''[[On an Island with You]]'' (1948) - Nightclub Waiter (uncredited)
*''[[On an Island with You]]'' (1948) - Nightclub Waiter (uncredited)
Line 103: Line 108:
*''[[The Leather Saint]]'' (1956) - Father Ritchie
*''[[The Leather Saint]]'' (1956) - Father Ritchie
*''[[All Mine to Give]]'' (1957) - Dr. Delbert
*''[[All Mine to Give]]'' (1957) - Dr. Delbert
*''[[Twilight for the Gods]]'' (1958) - Rev. Butterfield
*''[[Twilight for the Gods]]'' (1958) - Reverend Butterfield
*''[[The Twilight Zone]]'' (1959) (Season 1 Episode 12: "[[What You Need (The Twilight Zone)|What You Need]]") - Pedott
*''[[The Tom Ewell Show]]'' (TV series, 1960) Episode: "The Friendly Man" - Mr. Steckel
*''[[Alfred Hitchcock Presents]]'' (1961) (Season 6 Episode 29: "Pearl Necklace") - Howard Rutherford
*''[[Alfred Hitchcock Presents]]'' (1962) (Season 7 Episode 29: "The Matched Pearl") - Hubert Wilkens
*''[[The Twilight Zone]]'' (1959) (Season 3 Episode 21: "Kick the Can") - Charles Whitley
*''[[Fluffy (1965 film)|Fluffy]]'' (1965) - Claridge
*''[[Fluffy (1965 film)|Fluffy]]'' (1965) - Claridge
{{div col end}}


==References==
==References==
Line 114: Line 123:
*{{IMDb name|id=0874139}}
*{{IMDb name|id=0874139}}
*{{IBDB name}}
*{{IBDB name}}
*{{Find a Grave|5121}}


{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}
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[[Category:American male stage actors]]
[[Category:American male stage actors]]
[[Category:Male actors from Kansas City, Missouri]]
[[Category:Male actors from Kansas City, Missouri]]
[[Category:People from the Greater Los Angeles Area]]
[[Category:Male actors from Greater Los Angeles]]
[[Category:People from Fallbrook, California]]
[[Category:People from Fallbrook, California]]
[[Category:20th-century American male actors]]
[[Category:20th-century American male actors]]
[[Category:American male child actors]]
[[Category:American male child actors]]
[[Category:East High School (Denver, Colorado) alumni]]

Latest revision as of 04:55, 4 June 2024

Ernest Truex
Truex in 1922
Born(1889-09-19)September 19, 1889
Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
DiedJune 26, 1973(1973-06-26) (aged 83)
Fallbrook, California, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1907–1966
Spouses
  • Julia Mills
    ​
    (died)​
  • Mary Jane Barrett
    ​
    (divorced)​
  • ​
    (m. 1941⁠–⁠1973)​
Children3
Ernest Truex and Brandon deWilde in the TV series Jamie (1953)

Ernest Truex (September 19, 1889 – June 26, 1973) was an American actor of stage, film, and television.

Career

[edit]

Truex was born in Kansas City, Missouri. He learned acting at an early age after his father, a doctor, treated actor Edwin Melvin, who paid his bill by giving the son elocution lessons.[1] He started acting at age five and toured through Missouri at age nine as "The Child Wonder in Scenes from Shakespeare".

As a young man, he lived in Denver and was among the supporting actors at the Elitch Theatre, appearing during the 1903,1904,1905,1906 and 1907 seasons. Truex began his career of "walk-ons" at Elitch while he was still a student at East High School (where his classmates included Douglas Fairbanks and Harold Lloyd.)[2] Among his performances at the theatre were the play of When Knighthood Was in Flower with Maude Fealy.[3] and Tess of the d'Urbervilles, which featured Tyrone Power Sr. and a young Cecil B. DeMille in the supporting cast.[4] In 1906, he appeared in several shows with young Colorado natives, Douglas Fairbanks and Spring Byington.[5]

His Broadway debut came in Wildfire (1908),[6] and he performed in several David Belasco plays and portrayed the title role in the 1915 musical Very Good Eddie. Truex played the lead role in the disastrous 1923 premiere of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Vegetable.[7] In 1927, he created the role of Bill Paradene in Good Morning, Bill, which was based on an original play by Ladislas Fodor and adapted by P.G. Wodehouse.[8]

In 1926, he performed for the first time in London's West End. He played a leading role in The Fall Guy at the Apollo Theatre. He continued to perform in plays in London for the next three years while his two sons attended Leighton Park School in Reading. In 1927, he acted in Good Morning, Bill at the Duke of York's Theatre and in 1928 he performed in Sexes and Sevens at the Globe Theatre. In 1930, he appeared on Broadway in Ritzy.

He made his film debut in 1913, but did not work in film full-time for another 20 years. He tended to play "milquetoast" characters and in The Warrior's Husband he played a "nance". In the 1938 The Adventures of Marco Polo, he played Marco Polo's comical assistant, opposite Gary Cooper.

Early in television, Truex guest starred on Faye Emerson's Wonderful Town. In 1949, he starred in The Truex Family on WPIX in New York City.[9] Also in that year, he played Caspar Milquetoast on the DuMont Television Network's Program Playhouse Series.[citation needed] From 1953 to 1954, he co-starred with Brandon deWilde in Jamie. He played aging Grandpa McHummer striking a bond with young Jamie, his recently orphaned grandson.[10] In the early 1960s, he played Gladys' father on Pete and Gladys.[1]

In later life, he became known for playing elderly men on television in works such as Justice, Mister Peepers, Hazel, and Father Knows Best. He had the main role in the "Kick the Can" episode of Rod Serling's original The Twilight Zone (with his son Barry). In another Twilight Zone episode, "What You Need" (airing on December 25, 1959), he played a traveling peddler who just happened to have exactly what people needed just before they knew they needed it.[11]

He starred in the first season (1958-1959) of The Ann Sothern Show as Jason Macauley, the manager of the swank Bartley House hotel in New York City. Reta Shaw played his domineering wife Flora. In 1960, Truex appeared with Harpo Marx in the episode "Silent Panic" of the anthology series The DuPont Show with June Allyson. He guest starred on the sitcom Dennis the Menace, with Jay North as the series lead.

Personal life

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Truex’s first wife was Julia Mills, with whom he had two sons, Philip in 1911 and James in 1912. Philip had an acting career until the early 1950s. Philip Truex's greatest success in the theatre was when he landed the starring role of Og in the Broadway musical Finian's Rainbow in 1947. His most famous film performance is the title role in Alfred Hitchcock's The Trouble with Harry (1955) as Harry, the corpse dragged all over the countryside by several other characters in this film. Philip had expected to have substantial lines to speak in the role but Hitchcock decided to kill off the character of Harry before he could utter one word. After this disappointment Philip decided to give up acting completely and turned his hand to landscape gardening.

A widower, Ernest Truex married stage actress Mary Jane Barrett, appearing with her in New York in such plays as The Third Little Show, (1931), The Hook-Up (1935), and Fredericka (1937). They had one child, Barry Truex, who had an acting career of his own from 1949 to the early 1960s. His career began in 1949 when he played the role of Ernest's youngest son in the TV situation comedy The Truex Family, broadcast on WPIX New York. All of Ernest Truex's immediate family had acting parts in this show, which was co-written by his second son James Truex. In 1962, Barry again played opposite his father in the episode "Kick the Can" of the TV series The Twilight Zone. Barry's more memorable film roles were in The Benny Goodman Story playing the young Benny Goodman (1956), Rockabilly Baby (1957), and Dragstrip Riot (1958). He also acted in numerous TV productions.

In 1934, Ernest Truex directed, co-produced, and starred in the play Sing and Whistle, which co-starred actress Sylvia Field. She later became his third wife, upon his divorce from Barrett.

Death

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On June 26, 1973, Truex died of a heart attack at the age of 83.

Partial filmography

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Ernest Truex Joins 'Pete and Gladys'". The Times. Indiana, Hammond. March 12, 1961. p. TV Section - 5. Retrieved October 23, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ Borrillo, Theodore A. (2012). Denver's historic Elitch Theatre : a nostalgic journey (a history of its times). [Colorado]: [publisher not identified]. p. 64. ISBN 978-0-9744331-4-1. OCLC 823177622.
  3. ^ R, Greg (11 September 2021). "1904". Historic Elitch Theatre. Retrieved 2023-01-08.
  4. ^ Borrillo, Theodore A. (2012). Denver's historic Elitch Theatre : a nostalgic journey (a history of its times). [Colorado]: [publisher not identified]. p. 63. ISBN 978-0-9744331-4-1. OCLC 823177622.
  5. ^ R, Greg (12 September 2021). "1906". Historic Elitch Theatre. Retrieved 2023-01-08.
  6. ^ "Ernest Truex". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on October 23, 2019. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  7. ^ Turnbull, Andrew. Scott Fitzgerald. New York: Scribner, 1962. p. 140
  8. ^ "Occasional Performers in Plum's Plays". Wooster Sauce/By the Way. 59: 2. March 2015.
  9. ^ Franken, Jerry (October 22, 1949). "The Truex Family". Billboard. p. 9. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  10. ^ Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 525. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
  11. ^ "This Day in Twilight Zone History: Happy birthday to Ernest Truex". Archived from the original on 2018-01-05. Retrieved 2018-01-04.
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