Laird Cregar: Difference between revisions
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'''Laird Cregar''' (July 28, |
'''Laird Cregar''' (July 28, 1914 – December 9, 1944) was an [[United States|American]]-born [[Great Britain|British]] actor. |
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==Early life and career== |
==Early life and career== |
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[[Image:Laird cregar black swan 2.jpg|thumb|left|200px|as [[Henry Morgan|Sir Henry Morgan]] in the trailer for ''[[The Black Swan (film)|The Black Swan]]'' (1942)]] |
[[Image:Laird cregar black swan 2.jpg|thumb|left|200px|as [[Henry Morgan|Sir Henry Morgan]] in the trailer for ''[[The Black Swan (film)|The Black Swan]]'' (1942)]] |
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After a few minor film roles, Cregar was signed to a [[20th Century-Fox]] contract; among his first major roles was the middle-aged Francis Chesney (ironically, having played the role at the age of only |
After a few minor film roles, Cregar was signed to a [[20th Century-Fox]] contract; among his first major roles was the middle-aged Francis Chesney (ironically, having played the role at the age of only 26) in ''[[Charley's Aunt]]'' (1941), the first of several showcases for the actor's delightful comic flair. With his sinister portrayal of the [[psychopathic]] [[detective]] in ''[[I Wake Up Screaming]]'' (1941), he followed that up with the successful [[screwball comedy]] ''[[Rings on Her Fingers]]'' (1942) playing a con artist opposite [[Gene Tierney]]. Cregar became one of filmdom's top "heavies"--both figuratively and literally. Seldom weighing less than 300 pounds throughout his adult life, Cregar came to a tragic end because of his obsession to become a slim "beautiful man". |
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After top billing in ''[[The Lodger (1944 film)|The Lodger]]'' (1944), who may or may not be [[Jack the Ripper]], the increasingly sensitive Cregar was growing tired of being thought of as merely a hulking villain. |
After top billing in ''[[The Lodger (1944 film)|The Lodger]]'' (1944), who may or may not be [[Jack the Ripper]], the increasingly sensitive Cregar was growing tired of being thought of as merely a hulking villain. |
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==Death== |
==Death== |
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When assigned the role of demented pianist George Bone in ''[[Hangover Square (film)|Hangover Square]]'' (1945), Cregar decided to give the character a romantic veneer, and to that end, lost more than a hundred pounds on a [[crash diet]] which included prescribed [[amphetamines]]. The strain on his system resulted in severe abdominal problems; a few days after undergoing stomach surgery, Cregar died of a [[heart attack]].<ref>Biography attributed to: Hal Erickson, Allmovie</ref> He was only |
When assigned the role of demented pianist George Bone in ''[[Hangover Square (film)|Hangover Square]]'' (1945), Cregar decided to give the character a romantic veneer, and to that end, lost more than a hundred pounds on a [[crash diet]] which included prescribed [[amphetamines]]. The strain on his system resulted in severe abdominal problems; a few days after undergoing stomach surgery, Cregar died of a [[heart attack]].<ref>Biography attributed to: Hal Erickson, Allmovie</ref> He was only 30. He was laid to rest in a simple grave beside the road in the Eventide Section, at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, CA. |
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==Filmography== |
==Filmography== |
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Revision as of 20:38, 2 September 2009
Laird Cregar | |
|---|---|
 as Natalio Curro in the trailer for Blood and Sand (1941) | |
| Born | Samuel Laird Cregar |
| Years active | 1938—1944 |
Laird Cregar (July 28, 1914 – December 9, 1944) was an American-born British actor.
Early life and career
Samuel Laird Cregar was the youngest of six sons of Edward Matthews Cregar, a cricketer and member of a team called the Gentlemen of Philadelphia. They toured internationally in the late 1890s and early 1900s. Laird's mother was the former Elizabeth Smith.
Laird Cregar was educated at Winchester College in England, spending his summers as a page boy and bit player with the Stratford-upon-Avon theatrical troupe. Upon completing his schooling, Cregar won a scholarship at California's Pasadena Playhouse, supporting himself as a nightclub bouncer when funds ran out. So broke that at times he had to sleep in his car, Cregar forced Hollywood to pay attention to him by staging his own one-man show, in which he portrayed Oscar Wilde.
After a few minor film roles, Cregar was signed to a 20th Century-Fox contract; among his first major roles was the middle-aged Francis Chesney (ironically, having played the role at the age of only 26) in Charley's Aunt (1941), the first of several showcases for the actor's delightful comic flair. With his sinister portrayal of the psychopathic detective in I Wake Up Screaming (1941), he followed that up with the successful screwball comedy Rings on Her Fingers (1942) playing a con artist opposite Gene Tierney. Cregar became one of filmdom's top "heavies"--both figuratively and literally. Seldom weighing less than 300 pounds throughout his adult life, Cregar came to a tragic end because of his obsession to become a slim "beautiful man".
After top billing in The Lodger (1944), who may or may not be Jack the Ripper, the increasingly sensitive Cregar was growing tired of being thought of as merely a hulking villain.
Death
When assigned the role of demented pianist George Bone in Hangover Square (1945), Cregar decided to give the character a romantic veneer, and to that end, lost more than a hundred pounds on a crash diet which included prescribed amphetamines. The strain on his system resulted in severe abdominal problems; a few days after undergoing stomach surgery, Cregar died of a heart attack.[2] He was only 30. He was laid to rest in a simple grave beside the road in the Eventide Section, at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, CA.
Filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Other notes |
| 1940 | Oh Johnny, How You Can Love | Mechanic | |
| Granny Get Your Gun | Court clerk | Uncredited | |
| 1941 | Hudson's Bay | Gooseberry | |
| Blood and Sand | Natalio Curro | ||
| Charley's Aunt | Sir Francis Chesney | Alternative title: Charley's American Aunt | |
| I Wake Up Screaming | Police Insp. Ed Cornell | Alternative title: Hot Spot | |
| 1942 | Joan of Paris | Herr Funk | |
| Rings on Her Fingers | Warren | ||
| This Gun for Hire | Willard Gates | ||
| Ten Gentlemen from West Point | Maj. Sam Carter | ||
| The Black Swan | Capt. Sir Henry Morgan | Alternative title: Rafael Sabatini's The Black Swan | |
| 1943 | Hello, Frisco, Hello | Sam Weaver | |
| Heaven Can Wait | His Excellency | ||
| Holy Matrimony | Clive Oxford | ||
| 1944 | The Lodger | Mr. Slade | |
| 1945 | Hangover Square | George Harvey Bone | |
References
- ^ Very few sources differ about his date of birth. His memorial stone (Findagrave.com) says 1916. He was listed in the January 1920 census as 3 years old, and the April 1930 census as 13 years old.
- ^ Biography attributed to: Hal Erickson, Allmovie
External links
- Please use a more specific IMDb template. See the documentation for available templates.
- ‹The template AllMovie name is being considered for deletion.› Laird Cregar at AllMovie
- Laird Cregar at Find a Grave
- 1914 births
- 1944 deaths
- American film actors
- British film actors
- Scottish Americans
- American expatriates in the United Kingdom
- Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)
- Deaths from myocardial infarction
- Drug-related deaths in California
- Old Wykehamists
- People from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- People from Stratford-upon-Avon