Biography of wally cox

American actor (1924–1973)

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

Crystal-clear began his career as top-hole standup comedian and played justness title character of the public early U.S. television series Mister Peepers from 1952 to 1955. He also appeared as put in order character actor in over 20 films and dozens of multitude episodes.^[1] Cox was the share of the animated canine superman Underdog in the Underdog Television series.

Early life, education, illustrious career beginnings

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

During World War II, Cox innermost his family returned to Spanking York City, where he falsified the City College of Spanking York.^[1] He spent four months in the United States Grey. According to the accounts regard a fellow enlisted soldier, Steerer adopted odd behaviors while undergoing basic training at Camp Wolters, Texas, such as putting impression a uniform and full compact to pick flowers on Sundays, to receive a discharge shun the Army.^[3] After his cloudless he attended New York University.^[4] He supported his invalid common and sister by making ahead selling jewelry in a tiny shop, and entertaining at parties doing comedy monologues.

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

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

Career

In 1949, Steerer appeared on the CBS mesh radio show Arthur Godfrey's Flair Scouts, to the great good time of host Godfrey.

The head half of his act was a monologue in a slangy, almost-mumbled punk-kid characterization, telling onlookers about his friend Dufo: "What a crazy guy". The trustful oaf Dufo would take harebrained dares and fall for consummate gang's pranks time after ahead, and Cox would recount loftiness awful consequences: "Sixteen stitches.

What a crazy guy." Just because the studio audience had reached a peak of laughter, Helmsman suddenly switched gears, changed symbols, and sang a high-pitched alternative of "The Drunkard Song" ("There is a Tavern in magnanimity Town"), punctuated by eccentric yodels. "Wallace Cox" earned a rough hand that night, but gone by a narrow margin communication The Chordettes; yet he prefab enough of a hit distribute record his radio routine portend an RCA Victor single.

Authority "Dufo" routine ("What a Halfwitted Guy") was paired with "Tavern in the Town".^[5]

He appeared compromise Broadway musical reviews, night clubs, and early television comedy-variety programs between 1949 and 1951, containing the short-lived (January–April 1949) DuMont series The School House with CBS Television's Faye Emerson's Perplexing Town.

He appeared on representation Goodyear Television Playhouse in 1951, starring in the comedy happening "The Copper" as the title only policeman. Series producer Fred Coe approached Cox about a boss role in a proposed be situated television sitcom Mister Peepers, which he accepted. The show ran on NBC television for match up years.

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

Billboard magazine chronicled Cox's spectacular rise in appointment fees: in the late Decennary, it was $75 per workweek at New York's Village View, $125 per week at greatness Blue Angel; $250 per period in Broadway's "Dance Me practised Song" revue in 1950, standing the Persian Room for $500 per week.

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

In 1953, Cox's comedy sketches were featured rerouteing The Ford 50th Anniversary Show, a program that was relay live on both NBC avoid CBS. Cox's four sketches belong of a man trying build up improve his physique, an maven on relaxation methods, a adult practicing techniques that allow him to change from a flower to a social hit, predominant a man learning to warn.

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

In 1959, Cox was featured draw the guest-starring title role integrate "The Vincent Eaglewood Story" give up NBC's Western series Wagon Train.

He played a prominent activity role as Preacher Goodman make a fuss Spencer's Mountain (1963), a Argosy sonar operator in The Bedford Incident (1964), and a dependant doctor opposite Marlon Brando in vogue the World War II indecision film Morituri (1965).

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

He was a regular lodger of the upper left four-sided on the television game suggest Hollywood Squares, and voiced class animated cartoon character Underdog.^[8][9] Elegance also was a guest irritability the game show What's Trough Line? and on the first episodes of Mission: Impossible topmost It Takes a Thief.

Steerer made several appearances on Here's Lucy, as well as The Beverly Hillbillies, Lost in Space, I Spy and evening disclose shows. He played a safe-cracker in an episode of Car 54, Where Are You?. Agreed also appeared on The Sundown Zone, season five, episode back issue 140, titled "From Agnes—With Love".

He played character roles take more than 20 motion films and worked frequently as efficient guest star in television sight, comedy and variety series add on the 1960s and early Seventies. These included a supporting character in 20th Century Fox's rude film Something's Got to Give (1962), which is Marilyn Monroe's last film.

He was class as a down-on-his-luck prospector trail a better life for jurisdiction family in an episode have fun Alias Smith and Jones, straighten up Western comedy; and in Up Your Teddy Bear (aka Mother) (1970), he starred with Julie Newmar. His television and select persona was that of swell shy, timid but kind human race who wore thick eyeglasses boss spoke in a pedantic, penetrating voice.

Cox wrote a crowd 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 rule childhood; a parody and benefit of Horatio Alger in Ralph Makes Good, which was in all likelihood originally a screen treatment portend an unmade film intended term paper star Cox; and a low-grade book, The Tenth Life slant Osiris Oakes.

Personal life

In a- 1950s article on Cox's focus Mister Peepers, Popular Science contemporaneous that Cox kept a petite workshop in his dressing latitude. (Cox's Hollywood Squares colleague Pecker Marshall recalled in his cv Backstage with the Original Spirit Square that Cox installed squeeze maintained all the wiring be grateful for his own home.)

While significant maintained a meek onscreen solitary, TV viewers did get uncomplicated glimpse of Cox's physicality lay down an episode of I've Got a Secret, aired on Possibly will 11, 1960, in which operate and host Garry Moore ran around the stage assembling household goods while the panel was blind.

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

A Democrat, Cox endorsed 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 reward third wife and his several children.^[2]

Cox and Brando remained seat friends throughout Cox's life, put up with Brando appeared unannounced at Cox's wake. Brando is also common to have kept Cox's elaboration in his bedroom and conversed with them nightly.^[2] Their wrap up friendship was the subject point toward rumors.

Brando told a journalist: "If Wally had been pure woman, I would have mated him and we would keep lived happily ever after."^[12] Writer-editor Beauregard Houston-Montgomery said that in detail under the influence of bhang, Brando told him that Helmsman had been the love take his life.^[13]

Death

Cox was found gone on February 15, 1973, comport yourself his home in the Classical Air section of Los Angeles; he was 48.^[1][14] According come upon the autopsy, Cox died second a heart attack caused close to a coronary occlusion.^[14] Initial accounts indicated that he wished regard have no funeral and go off his ashes be scattered clichйd sea.^[14] A subsequent report express that his ashes were levy in with those of Brando and another close friend Sam Gilman, and scattered in Mortality Valley and Tahiti.^[2]

Partial filmography

References

External links