Myron McCormick (February 8, 1908 – July 30, 1962) was an American actor of stage, radio and film.

Myron McCormick
Myron McCormick in 1949's Jigsaw
Born
Walter Myron McCormick

(1908-02-08)February 8, 1908
DiedJuly 30, 1962(1962-07-30) (aged 54)
OccupationActor
Years active1936–1962

Early life and education

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Born in Albany, Indiana, in 1908, Walter Myron McCormick was the middle child of Walter P. and Bessie M. McCormick's three children.[1] His father, according to the federal census of 1920, was a native of Illinois and a manufacturer of tinware.[1] He attended New Mexico Military Institute and Princeton University.[2] At the latter, he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa Society, gained experience in musical theater and finished as a magna cum laude graduate.[3]

Stage

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McCormick was the only cast member of the Broadway smash South Pacific to remain with the show for all 1,925 performances.[citation needed] McCormick's performance of sailor Luther Billis won him a Tony Award in 1950 for best supporting or featured actor in a musical.[4] He also won the Donaldson Award for best supporting performance (actor) of 1948–1949.[5]

McCormick was in No Time for Sergeants, a military comedy that ran on Broadway from 1955 to 1957. He repeated his role as Sergeant King for the 1958 film version starring Andy Griffith.[citation needed]

McCormick's other Broadway credits include 27 Wagons Full of Cotton (1954), Joy to the World (1947), Soldier's Wife (1944), Storm Operation (1943), The Damask Cheek (1942), Lily of the Valley (1941), Thunder Rock (1939), In Clover (1937), The Wingless Victory (1936), Hell Freezes Over (1935), How Beautiful with Shoes (1935), Substitute for Murder (1935), Paths of Glory (1935), and Carry Nation (1932).[6]

Film

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McCormick portrayed Charlie, the partner of pool shark "Fast Eddie" Felson (Paul Newman) in The Hustler (1961). He also appeared in The Man Who Understood Women, Jigsaw, Jolson Sings Again and The Fight for Life. His screen debut came in Winterset.[7]

Radio and television

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McCormick became a featured performer in the soap opera Buck Private and His Girl[8] and in many popular radio dramas of the 1940s. He also made guest appearances on numerous television programs of the 1950s/early 1960s, including The Untouchables, Naked City, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Donna Reed Show, Way Out and The Iceman Cometh (1960 TV production), McCormick was also known for his portrayal of "Colonel Ralph Bryant" in the 1949 movie Jolson Sings Again. In 1959, he played Joe Saul in Steinbeck's Burning Bright on The Play of the Week television series.

Personal life

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McCormick was married to actress Martha Hodge[2] and to Barbara MacKenzie.[9]

Death

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McCormick died at New York-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City on July 30, 1962, from cancer, aged 54. He was survived by his wife, a son, and a daughter.[9]

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
1936 Winterset Carr
1939 ...One Third of a Nation... Sam Moon
1940 The Fight for Life The Interne
1942 China Girl Shorty McGuire
1942 USS VD: Ship of Shame Executive Officer McGregor Uncredited
1949 Jigsaw Charles Riggs
1949 Jolson Sings Again Ralph Bryant
1955 Three for the Show Mike Hudson
1955 Not as a Stranger Dr. Snider
1958 No Time for Sergeants Sergeant Orville C. King
1959 The Man Who Understood Women Preacher
1960 Alfred Hitchcock Presents Bert Haber Season 5 Episode 31: "I Can Take Care of Myself"
1961 Alfred Hitchcock Presents Newton B. Clovis Season 6 Episode 25: "Museum Piece"
1961 The Hustler Charlie Burns
1962 A Public Affair Sam Clavell

References

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  1. ^ a b Digital copy of original enumeration page from "The Fourteenth Census of the United States, 1920, Albany Town, Delaware County, Indiana, January 2, 1920. United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Washington, D.C. FamilySearch, a genealogical on-line database and public service provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Myron McCormick Is One of Princeton School of Actors". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. New York, Brooklyn. January 25, 1942. p. 34. Retrieved September 28, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.  
  3. ^ "Myron McCormick Says Once He Was Five Men in One Play". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. New York, Brooklyn. November 29, 1942. p. 27. Retrieved September 29, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.  
  4. ^ "("Myron McCormick" search results)". Tony Awards. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  5. ^ "Winners: The Sixth Annual Donaldson Awards 1948-1949". Billboard. July 16, 1949. p. 46. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  6. ^ "("Myron McCormick" search results)". Playbill Vault. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  7. ^ "Noted Actor McCormick Dies At 54". Tucson Daily Citizen. Arizona, Tucson. Associated Press. July 31, 1962. p. 32. Retrieved September 28, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.  
  8. ^ Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (Revised ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. p. 122. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3. Retrieved 2019-09-13.
  9. ^ a b "Myron McCormick, Actor, Dies of Cancer". The Terre Haute Star. Indiana, Terre Haute. Associated Press. July 31, 1962. p. 8. Retrieved September 28, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.  
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