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Brad Dexter

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For the ice hockey player, see Brad Dexter (ice hockey).
Brad Dexter
File:Brad Dexter.JPG
Brad Dexter in 99 River Street (1953)
Born
Veljko Soso

(1917-04-09)April 9, 1917
Goldfield, Nevada, U.S.
DiedDecember 12, 2002(2002-12-12) (aged 85)
Rancho Mirage, California, U.S.
Resting placeDesert Memorial Park, Cathedral City, California, U.S.
Other namesVeljko Šošo
Boris Michel Soso
Boris Milanovich
Barry Mitchell
Occupation(s)Actor, producer
Years active1944–1988
Spouse(s)
​
​
(m. 1953; div. 1953)​

Mary Bogdanovich
​
​
(m. 1971; died 1994)​

June Dyer
​
​
(m. 1994)​

Brad Dexter (born Veljko Soso; April 9, 1917 – December 12, 2002) was an American actor and film producer. He is known for tough-guy and western roles including the 1960 film The Magnificent Seven (1960) and producing several films for Sidney J. Furie such as Lady Sings the Blues. He is also known for a short marriage to Peggy Lee, a friendship with Marilyn Monroe[1] and for saving Frank Sinatra from drowning. Known as a nice guy off screen, Dexter's tough-guy roles contrasted with his easy going and friendly personality.[2]

Life and career

Early life

Dexter was born in Goldfield, Nevada. His parents, Marko and Ljubica Šošo [later Soso], were ethnic Serb immigrants from Bosnia-Herzegovina. Serbian was Dexter's first language.[3][4]

The family soon decamped for Los Angeles, where he attended Belmont High School. Tall, burly and handsome with bright blue eyes, Dexter was usually given supporting roles as a rugged character. In Yugoslavia he was known as Veljko Šošo (Вељко Шошо).[5][6]

After a stint as an amateur boxer, Dexter attended the Pasadena Playhouse, where he studied acting. He had a small role in The Mortal Storm (1940). During World War II he enlisted for military service with the U.S. Army Air Corps, where he met and befriended Karl Malden, a fellow Serbian-American, and appeared uncredited in the Corps play and film Winged Victory (1944).

Barry Mitchell

After the war, Dexter had a role in Heldorado (1946), a Roy Rogers western, as "Barry Mitchell". He appeared under this name in Sinbad, the Sailor (1947). He appeared on Broadway in Magnolia Alley (1949).[7]

Brad Dexter

He eventually changed his name to Brad Dexter and had roles in The Asphalt Jungle (1950) and Fourteen Hours (1951). Dexter's breakthrough role was as a villain in RKO's The Las Vegas Story (1951) with Victor Mature and Jane Russell. RKO cast him in a similar part in Macao (1952) with Russell. RKO signed him to a term contract.

From January to November 1953, he was married to singer Peggy Lee. The union ended in divorce.[8] She claimed that during their marriage he hardly worked.

Dexter was villainous to John Payne in 99 River Street (1953). He then signed a contract with 20th Century Fox for whom he made Untamed (1955), Violent Saturday (1955) for director Richard Fleischer, House of Bamboo (1955), The Bottom of the Bottle (1956), and Between Heaven and Hell (1956) again with Fleischer.

Dexter was villainous to Joel McCrea in The Oklahoman (1957), produced by Walter Mirisch and could be seen in Run Silent Run Deep (1958), again as a villain. He largely focused on television though, appearing in episodes of Climax!, The Gale Storm Show, How to Marry a Millionaire, Pursuit, Studio One in Hollywood, Wagon Train, Have Gun - Will Travel, Zane Grey Theatre, Behind Closed Doors, Cimarron City, Yancy Derringer, This Man Dawson, 77 Sunset Strip, Colt 45, The Man from Blackhawk, Tightrope, Mr. Lucky, Bat Masterton, and Wanted: Dead or Alive.

He made the occasional feature film, such as Last Train from Gun Hill (1959), directed by John Sturges, and Vice Raid (1959), and was second billed in 13 Fighting Men (1960)

The Magnificent Seven

Dexter was then cast as a gunslinger in The Magnificent Seven (1960), directed by John Sturges, and made for Walter Mirisch, both of whom had worked with Dexter before. It became his best known role and most famous film. Characterizing him as a "tough guy at his best in The Magnificent Seven", Dexter's obituary in The Guardian singled out his portrayal of Harry Luck and claimed he was "overshadowed" by his contemporaries:

A question that comes up regularly in film trivia quizzes is to name the magnificent seven, of the 1960 John Sturges western. Easy to start with: Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, James Coburn, Charles Bronson, Robert Vaughn, and Horst Buchholz. But if Brad Dexter... is usually the last to be mentioned, it is mainly because of the fame of the others; actually, he was rather good as the most mercenary of the septet. ... the cool and taciturn Harry Luck....[9]

The film's success did not immediately benefit Dexter's career: he returned to television, guest starring in The Aquanauts, Hawaiian Eye, General Electric Theatre, Tales of Wells Fargo, Surfside 6, The Investigators, Death Valley Days and Alcoa Premiere. He could be seen in It Started in Tokyo (1961), The George Raft Story (1961) (playing Bugsy Siegel), X-15 (1962) with Charles Bronson and Johnny Cool (1963). Dexter supported Yul Brynner again in Taras Bulba (1962), Kings of the Sun (1963) (from the producers of Magnificent Seven), and Invitation to a Gunfighter (1964).

Frank Sinatra

Dexter's friendship with Frank Sinatra began when Dexter saved Sinatra from drowning on May 10, 1964, during production of the World War II film, None but the Brave (1965), on the island of Kauai, Hawaii. Sinatra and Ruth Koch, the wife of producer Howard Koch, were swimming at a beach when they were swept out to sea by the outgoing tide and nearly drowned. Sinatra's co-star Dexter and two surfers swam out and rescued them. Dexter was later awarded a Red Cross medal for his bravery.

After Dexter appeared in Bus Riley's Back in Town (1965), he made another with Sinatra, Von Ryan's Express (1965). He was a detective in Blindfold (1966). In 1965 Dexter revealed that acting made him "frustrated as hell. As an actor you don't have control over the medium you're in... you have no control over your destiny."

Sidney J. Furie and Producing

Dexter produced The Naked Runner (1967), which starred Sinatra and was filmed in London. The director was Sidney J. Furie. Dexter and Furie clashed with Sinatra over the latter's unwillingness to finish the film, and, after it was completed, Dexter resigned. "I was the only guy who dropped Sinatra ... I couldn't put up with his nonsense", Dexter said at the time.

Publicly, Dexter denied any falling out with Sinatra. He claimed to have left Sinatra's company to make a film with Furie based on the Sam Sheppard case. The project eventually became The Lawyer (1970) starring Barry Newman as Petrocelli. Dexter also had guest roles on episodes of Mannix and Mission: Impossible. He produced two more films for Furie: Little Fauss and Big Halsy (1970) starring Robert Redford and Lady Sings the Blues (1972) starring Diana Ross as Billy Holiday.[citation needed]

Later career

Dexter returned to acting with roles in Jory (1973), Shampoo (1975), Vigilante Force (1976), The Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover (1977), House Calls (1978) and Winter Kills (1979), and guest parts on McCloud, Kojak, S.W.A.T., Project U.F.O., and The Incredible Hulk. Dexter produced the TV series Skag (1980) starring Karl Malden. His last role was in Cognac (1988).

Family

He was married to Star-Kist tuna heiress Mary Bogdanovich from January 27, 1971 until her death on June 12, 1994. Later in 1994 he married June Deyer and remained with her until his death.[10]

Death

Dexter died in Rancho Mirage, California, from emphysema, on December 11, 2002, at age 85, and is interred at Desert Memorial Park.[11]

Filmography

References

  1. ^ Bergan, Ronald (December 23, 2002). "Obituary: Brad Dexter". the Guardian.
  2. ^ Rourke, Mary (December 14, 2002). "Brad Dexter, 85; Sinatra Pal Often Played Villains". LA Times.
  3. ^ "Brad Dexter, 85; Sinatra Pal Often Played Villains". LA Times.
  4. ^ "Myth #93: So Who Was Actor Brad Dexter Anyway? by Guy Rocha, Former Nevada State Archivist", nsla.nv.gov (PDF); accessed October 9, 2016.
  5. ^ "Kauboj Đorđe - heroj filma pre 100 godina". novosti.rs. November 11, 2014. Retrieved January 21, 2017.
  6. ^ "Kako je Veljko Šošo postao holivudska zvezda Brad Dexter". yugopapir.com. Retrieved January 21, 2017.
  7. ^ League, The Broadway. "Brad Dexter – Broadway Cast & Staff". IBDb.com.
  8. ^ Tom Vallance (December 16, 2002). "Brad Dexter obituary". London, UK: The Independent Newspaper. Retrieved April 4, 2010.
  9. ^ Ronald Bergan, Obituary, The Guardian], December 23, 2002; accessed May 1, 2012.
  10. ^ "Brad Dexter profile". IMDb.com. Retrieved April 4, 2010.
  11. ^ "Brad Dexter". Find a Grave. March 4, 2003. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
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