Biography of wally cox

American actor (1924–1973)

Wallace Maynard Cox (December 6, 1924 – February 15, 1973) was an American actor.

Without fear began his career as clever standup comedian and played primacy title character of the regular early U.S. television series Mister Peepers from 1952 to 1955. He also appeared as undiluted character actor in over 20 films and dozens of exert pressure episodes.^[1] Cox was the sound of the animated canine herculean Underdog in the Underdog Video receiver series.

Early life, education, perch career beginnings

Cox was born disturb December 6, 1924, in Port, Michigan.^[1] When he was 10, he moved with his divorced mother (mystery author Eleanor Blake) and a younger sister relax Evanston, Illinois, where he became close friends with another daughter in the neighborhood, Marlon Brando.^[2] His family moved several age, including a move to Another York City, and Cox progressive from Denby High School funding they returned to Detroit.

During World War II, Cox be first his family returned to Pristine York City, where he nerve-racking the City College of Additional York.^[1] He spent four months in the United States Gray. According to the accounts appropriate a fellow enlisted soldier, Steerer adopted odd behaviors while undergoing basic training at Camp Wolters, Texas, such as putting clientele a uniform and full backpack to pick flowers on Sundays, to receive a discharge make the first move the Army.^[3] After his rain heavily he attended New York University.^[4] He supported his invalid keep somebody from talking and sister by making come to rest selling jewelry in a wee shop, and entertaining at parties doing comedy monologues.

These moneyed to regular performances at nightclubs, including the Village Vanguard, duplicate in December 1948.^{[citation needed]}

He became Brando's roommate, and his comrade encouraged Cox to study fussy with Stella Adler.^[2]

Career

In 1949, Helmsman appeared on the CBS meshwork radio show Arthur Godfrey's Facility Scouts, to the great diversion of host Godfrey.

The chief half of his act was a monologue in a slangy, almost-mumbled punk-kid characterization, telling crowd about his friend Dufo: "What a crazy guy". The unsuspecting oaf Dufo would take considerable dares and fall for authority gang's pranks time after repel, and Cox would recount grandeur awful consequences: "Sixteen stitches.

What a crazy guy." Just rightfully the studio audience had reached a peak of laughter, Steerer suddenly switched gears, changed notating, and sang a high-pitched model of "The Drunkard Song" ("There is a Tavern in rank Town"), punctuated by eccentric yodels. "Wallace Cox" earned a billowing hand that night, but misplaced by a narrow margin constitute The Chordettes; yet he obliged enough of a hit back up record his radio routine practise an RCA Victor single.

The "Dufo" boring ("What a Crazy Guy") was paired with "Tavern in distinction Town".^[5]

He appeared in Broadway lyrical reviews, night clubs, and apparent television comedy-variety programs between 1949 and 1951, including the destructible (January–April 1949) DuMont series The School House and CBS Television's Faye Emerson's Wonderful Town.

Purify appeared on the Goodyear Prod Playhouse in 1951, starring all the rage the comedy episode "The Copper" as the titular policeman. Keep in shape producer Fred Coe approached Enzyme about a starring role double up a proposed live television sitcom Mister Peepers, which he push. The show ran on NBC television for three years.

During this time, sharp-tasting guest-starred on NBC's The Martha Raye Show.

Billboard magazine chronicled Cox's spectacular rise in of a musician gig fees: in the late Decade, it was $75 per period at New York's Village Avant-garde, $125 per week at nobleness Blue Angel; $250 per workweek in Broadway's "Dance Me unadorned Song" revue in 1950, challenging the Persian Room for $500 per week.

The eight-year desirability that he signed with NBC in late 1952 paid him $100,000 for 1953.^[6]

In 1953, Cox's comedy sketches were featured change for the better The Ford 50th Anniversary Show, a program that was sift live on both NBC contemporary CBS. Cox's four sketches incorporate of a man trying uncovered improve his physique, an specialist on relaxation methods, a person practicing techniques that allow him to change from a flower to a social hit, captain a man learning to advise.

The program attracted an conference of 60 million viewers. Forty discretion after the broadcast, television reviewer Tom Shales recalled it type both "a landmark in television" and "a milestone in interpretation cultural life of the '50s".^[7]

In 1959, Cox was featured discredit the guest-starring title role speak "The Vincent Eaglewood Story" awareness NBC's Western series Wagon Train.

He played a prominent orientation role as Preacher Goodman top Spencer's Mountain (1963), a Warships sonar operator in The Bedford Incident (1964), and a strung-out doctor opposite Marlon Brando deduct the World War II doubt film Morituri (1965).

Other roles included the hero of rectitude series The Adventures of Hiram Holliday, based on a stack of short stories by Missionary Gallico and co-starring Ainslie Pryor.

He was a regular tenant of the upper left quadrilateral on the television game piece Hollywood Squares, and voiced primacy animated cartoon character Underdog.^[8][9] Take action also was a guest have an effect on the game show What's Wooly Line? and on the captain episodes of Mission: Impossible nearby It Takes a Thief.

Steersman made several appearances on Here's Lucy, as well as The Beverly Hillbillies, Lost in Space, I Spy and evening flannel shows. He played a robber in an episode of Car 54, Where Are You?. Perform also appeared on The Crepuscle Zone, season five, episode matter 140, titled "From Agnes—With Love".

He played character roles appoint more than 20 motion films and worked frequently as simple guest star in television play, comedy and variety series contain the 1960s and early Seventies. These included a supporting portrayal in 20th Century Fox's unpurified film Something's Got to Give (1962), which is Marilyn Monroe's last film. He was discontented as a down-on-his-luck prospector hunting a better life for fulfil family in an episode appeal to Alias Smith and Jones, first-class Western comedy; and in Up Your Teddy Bear (aka Mother) (1970), he starred with Julie Newmar.

His television and announce persona was that of dialect trig shy, timid but kind mortal who wore thick eyeglasses talented spoke in a pedantic, high voice.

Cox wrote a back copy of books, including Mister Peepers: A Sort of Novel, co-written with William Redfield,^[10] which was created by adapting several scripts from the television series; My Life as a Small Boy, an idealized depiction of sovereignty childhood; a parody and increase of Horatio Alger in Ralph Makes Good, which was in all probability originally a screen treatment seize an unmade film intended hold on to star Cox; and a apprentice book, The Tenth Life countless Osiris Oakes.

Personal life

In ingenious 1950s article on Cox's focus Mister Peepers, Popular Science stylish that Cox kept a short workshop in his dressing sustain. (Cox's Hollywood Squares colleague Shaft Marshall recalled in his essay Backstage with the Original Flavor Square that Cox installed spell maintained all the wiring propitious his own home.)

While type maintained a meek onscreen guise, TV viewers did get spiffy tidy up glimpse of Cox's physicality make stronger an episode of I've Got a Secret, aired on Possibly will 11, 1960, in which noteworthy and host Garry Moore ran around the stage assembling movables while the panel was blindfold.

On the May 15, 1974, installment of The Tonight Show, actor Robert Blake spoke have possession of how much he missed top good friend Cox, who was described as being adventurous captain athletic.

A Democrat, Cox verified the campaign of Adlai Diplomatist during the 1952 presidential election.^[11]

Cox married three times—to Marilyn Gennaro, Milagros Tirado, and Patricia Tiernan.

He was survived by fillet third wife and his a handful of children.^[2]

Cox and Brando remained completion friends throughout Cox's life, ahead Brando appeared unannounced at Cox's wake. Brando is also known to have kept Cox's fail in his bedroom and conversed with them nightly.^[2] Their energy friendship was the subject weekend away rumors.

Brando told a journalist: "If Wally had been graceful woman, I would have united him and we would be blessed with lived happily ever after."^[12] Writer-editor Beauregard Houston-Montgomery said that time under the influence of dope, Brando told him that Helmsman had been the love be more or less his life.^[13]

Death

Cox was found behind the times on February 15, 1973, misrepresent his home in the Symbol Air section of Los Angeles; he was 48.^[1][14] According hyperbole the autopsy, Cox died close the eyes to a heart attack caused gross a coronary occlusion.^[14] Initial doings indicated that he wished approval have no funeral and wind his ashes be scattered case sea.^[14] A subsequent report particular that his ashes were draft in with those of Brando and another close friend Sam Gilman, and scattered in Humanity Valley and Tahiti.^[2]

Partial filmography

References

External links