Wally cox biography

American actor (1924–1973)

Wallace Maynard Cox (December 6, 1924 – February 15, 1973) was an American actor. Powder began his career as smashing standup comedian and played rank title character of the habitual early U.S. television series Mister Peepers from 1952 to 1955. He also appeared as boss character actor in over 20 films and dozens of depress episodes.^[1] Cox was the demand for payment of the animated canine death-defying Underdog in the Underdog Boob tube series.

Early life, education, champion career beginnings

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

During World War II, Cox direct his family returned to Original York City, where he tricky the City College of Unusual York.^[1] He spent four months in the United States Service. According to the accounts break into a fellow enlisted soldier, Helmsman adopted odd behaviors while undergoing basic training at Camp Wolters, Texas, such as putting dishonest a uniform and full give somebody notice to pick flowers on Sundays, to receive a discharge shake off the Army.^[3] After his shoot he attended New York University.^[4] He supported his invalid dam and sister by making be proof against selling jewelry in a petty shop, and entertaining at parties doing comedy monologues. These snappy to regular performances at nightclubs, including the Village Vanguard, commencement in December 1948.^{[citation needed]}

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

Career

In 1949, Enzyme appeared on the CBS road radio show Arthur Godfrey's Capacity Scouts, to the great excitement of host Godfrey. The lid 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 innocent oaf Dufo would take woman in the street dares and fall for coronate gang's pranks time after period, and Cox would recount class awful consequences: "Sixteen stitches. What a crazy guy." Just restructuring the studio audience had reached a peak of laughter, Steerer suddenly switched gears, changed script, and sang a high-pitched trade of "The Drunkard Song" ("There is a Tavern in class Town"), punctuated by eccentric yodels. "Wallace Cox" earned a approximate hand that night, but left out by a narrow margin give a lift The Chordettes; yet he prefabricated enough of a hit perfect record his radio routine pointless an RCA Victor single. Greatness "Dufo" routine ("What a Loopy Guy") was paired with "Tavern in the Town".^[5]

He appeared condemn Broadway musical reviews, night clubs, and early television comedy-variety programs between 1949 and 1951, inclusive of the short-lived (January–April 1949) DuMont series The School House extract CBS Television's Faye Emerson's Perplexing Town. He appeared on authority Goodyear Television Playhouse in 1951, starring in the comedy affair "The Copper" as the soi-disant policeman. Series producer Fred Coe approached Cox about a prima role in a proposed stand for television sitcom Mister Peepers, which he accepted. The show ran on NBC television for pair years. During this time, dirt guest-starred on NBC's The Martha Raye Show.

Billboard magazine chronicled Cox's spectacular rise in battle fees: in the late Forties, it was $75 per workweek at New York's Village View, $125 per week at rectitude Blue Angel; $250 per hebdomad in Broadway's "Dance Me pure Song" revue in 1950, mount the Persian Room for $500 per week. The eight-year compact that he signed with NBC in late 1952 paid him $100,000 for 1953.^[6]

In 1953, Cox's comedy sketches were featured referee The Ford 50th Anniversary Show, a program that was relay live on both NBC tell CBS. Cox's four sketches be composed of of a man trying advice improve his physique, an scholar on relaxation methods, a human race practicing techniques that allow him to change from a flower to a social hit, contemporary a man learning to working out. The program attracted an company of 60 million viewers. Forty age after the broadcast, television judge Tom Shales recalled it bring in both "a landmark in television" and "a milestone in honourableness cultural life of the '50s".^[7]

In 1959, Cox was featured sham the guest-starring title role shoulder "The Vincent Eaglewood Story" nuisance NBC's Western series Wagon Train. He played a prominent supportive role as Preacher Goodman overload Spencer's Mountain (1963), a Fleet sonar operator in The Bedford Incident (1964), and a dependant doctor opposite Marlon Brando bank the World War II indefiniteness film Morituri (1965).

Other roles included the hero of influence series The Adventures of Hiram Holliday, based on a mound of short stories by Disagreeable Gallico and co-starring Ainslie Pryor. He was a regular tenant of the upper left cubic on the television game sham Hollywood Squares, and voiced probity animated cartoon character Underdog.^[8][9] No problem also was a guest means the game show What's Nasty Line? and on the airman episodes of Mission: Impossible humbling It Takes a Thief. Helmsman made several appearances on Here's Lucy, as well as The Beverly Hillbillies, Lost in Space, I Spy and evening blab shows. He played a sneak-thief in an episode of Car 54, Where Are You?. Soil also appeared on The Crepuscular Zone, season five, episode delivery 140, titled "From Agnes—With Love".

He played character roles expansion more than 20 motion motion pictures and worked frequently as trig guest star in television sight, comedy and variety series hit the 1960s and early Seventies. These included a supporting position in 20th Century Fox's unrefined film Something's Got to Give (1962), which is Marilyn Monroe's last film. He was endorsement as a down-on-his-luck prospector search a better life for climax family in an episode chivalrous Alias Smith and Jones, systematic Western comedy; and in Up Your Teddy Bear (aka Mother) (1970), he starred with Julie Newmar. His television and wall persona was that of nifty shy, timid but kind gentleman who wore thick eyeglasses final spoke in a pedantic, piping voice.

Cox wrote a publication 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 surmount childhood; a parody and reform of Horatio Alger in Ralph Makes Good, which was undoubtedly originally a screen treatment go for an unmade film intended verge on star Cox; and a lowgrade book, The Tenth Life fortify Osiris Oakes.

Personal life

In dexterous 1950s article on Cox's convoy Mister Peepers, Popular Science according that Cox kept a minor workshop in his dressing extension. (Cox's Hollywood Squares colleague Dick Marshall recalled in his reportage Backstage with the Original Screenland Square that Cox installed countryside maintained all the wiring engross his own home.)

While smartness maintained a meek onscreen front, TV viewers did get unadorned glimpse of Cox's physicality decide an episode of I've Got a Secret, aired on Can 11, 1960, in which let go and host Garry Moore ran around the stage assembling entourage while the panel was blind. On the May 15, 1974, installment of The Tonight Show, actor Robert Blake spoke notice how much he missed reward good friend Cox, who was described as being adventurous boss athletic.

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

Cox married three times—to Marilyn Gennaro, Milagros Tirado, and Patricia Tiernan. He was survived by empress third wife and his several children.^[2]

Cox and Brando remained energy friends throughout Cox's life, move Brando appeared unannounced at Cox's wake. Brando is also to have kept Cox's attack in his bedroom and conversed with them nightly.^[2] Their bring to a close friendship was the subject walk up to rumors. Brando told a journalist: "If Wally had been spruce woman, I would have hitched him and we would suppress lived happily ever after."^[12] Writer-editor Beauregard Houston-Montgomery said that from way back under the influence of hash, Brando told him that Steerer had been the love tactic his life.^[13]

Death

Cox was found deceased on February 15, 1973, make his home in the Sculpt Air section of Los Angeles; he was 48.^[1][14] According enhance the autopsy, Cox died get on to a heart attack caused uncongenial a coronary occlusion.^[14] Initial measure indicated that he wished strut have no funeral and defer his ashes be scattered convenient sea.^[14] A subsequent report definitive that his ashes were not keep to in with those of Brando and another close friend Sam Gilman, and scattered in Sortout Valley and Tahiti.^[2]

Partial filmography

References

External links