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Howard David Wendell[1] (January 2, 1908[2] – August 11, 1975[1]) was an American actor.
Howard Wendell | |
|---|---|
 Wendell in The Big Heat (1953) | |
| Born | Howard David Wendell January 2, 1908 Johnstown, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | August 11, 1975 (aged 67) Oregon City, Oregon, U.S. |
| Education | Ohio University, Cleveland Play House |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1951–1971 |
Early life and career
editA native of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Wendell was one of two sons born to Irwin Wendell and Clara Heal.[1][3] By 1913, the family had relocated to Elyria, Ohio,[4] where his father found regular employment at Parsch Lumber and Coal Company,[5] first as a truck driver and later as the foreman at the lumber yard.[6][7] Wendell attended Ohio University and later apprenticed at the Cleveland Playhouse.[8][9]
Wendell's Broadway credits include Make a Wish (1951), The Curious Savage (1950), Arms and the Man (1950), The Show Off (1950), and The Great Campaign (1947).[10] He acted in the Santa Barbara Summer Theatre and in theaters in Hollywood, Phoenix, La Jolla, and San Francisco.[11] He received a gold cup in recognition of being named as the actor with the best performance in 1946 at the Newport Casino Theatre in Rhode Island.[12]
Between 1949 and 1970, Wendell made a number of film appearances but worked mostly on TV, in such programs as Dragnet, Perry Mason, Wagon Train, Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Batman (season 1, episodes 3 and 4), The Munsters, The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet, Leave it to Beaver, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Hazel, and The Big Valley. His final appearance was in Adam-12.
Personal life and death
editFrom September 13, 1937 until their divorce in January 1968, Wendell was married to Harriet Morley,[3][13] whom he had met while apprenticing at the Cleveland Play House, where she was employed as a costumer. The union produced three sons and one daughter.[14]
On August 11, 1975, at age 67, Wendell died of undisclosed causes at his home in Oregon City, survived by his wife, children and brother.[1]
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | You for Me | Oliver Wherry | |
| 1952 | Affair in Trinidad | Anderson | |
| 1953 | By the Light of the Silvery Moon | John H. Harris | |
| 1953 | Gentlemen Prefer Blondes | Watson | |
| 1953 | The Big Heat | Commissioner Higgins | |
| 1953 | Captain Scarface | Mr. Dilts | |
| 1954 | Prince Valiant | Morgan Todd | |
| 1954 | The Black Dakotas | Judge Horatio Baker | |
| 1954 | Athena | Mr. Grenville | |
| 1955 | Wiretapper | Prison Chaplain | |
| 1955 | The View from Pompey's Head | John Duncan | |
| 1955 | The Fighting Chance | Lucky Jim Morrison | |
| 1956 | Never Say Goodbye | Harry | |
| 1956 | A Day of Fury | Vanryzin | |
| 1956 | Storm Center | Sen. Bascomb | |
| 1958 | Mardi Gras | Howard Hansen | Uncredited |
| 1959 | The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker | Sexton | Uncredited |
| 1959 | Stranger in My Arms | Congressman | |
| 1959 | It Happened to Jane | Purchasing | Uncredited |
| 1959 | The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake | Dr. George Bradford | |
| 1961 | The Big Bankroll | Mr. Simmons | Uncredited |
| 1961 | Sail a Crooked Ship | Mr. Caldingham | Uncredited |
| 1963 | The Alfred Hitchcock Hour | General Practitioner | Season 1 Episode 22: "Diagnosis: Danger" |
| 1964 | The Alfred Hitchcock Hour | Mr. Flagstone | Season 2 Episode 23: "A Matter of Murder" |
| 1964 | Where Love Has Gone | Mr. Carruthers | Uncredited |
| 1965 | How to Murder Your Wife | The Trial Judge | |
| 1965 | My Blood Runs Cold | Mayor | |
| 1965 | Mirage | Bar Patron | Uncredited |
| 1965 | The Cincinnati Kid | Charlie | Uncredited |
| 1966 | Frankie and Johnny | Man at Table | Uncredited |
| 1971 | The Million Dollar Duck | Roger - State Dept. Representative | Uncredited, (final film role) |
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Obituaries: Howard D. Wendell". Variety. September 3, 1975. p. 102. ProQuest 1401281820.
Howard David Wendell, 67, prolific stage and film actor, died August 11 at his home in Oregon City. Ore. Born in Johnstown, Pa., and brought up in Elyria, Ohio, he spent most of his life as an actor in legit, films and television, specializing in character roles. Wendell started his theatrical career as an apprentice at the Cleveland (O.) Playhouse an then spent four seasons directing little-theatre groups in Johnstown and Saginaw, Mich. [...] He is survived by his wife, three sons, a daughter, and a brother.
- ^ "Michigan, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1940-1947", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPJQ-8VJ5 : Fri Mar 08 16:53:45 UTC 2024), Entry for Howard David Wendell and Pit and Balcony Inc.. See also:
- "United States Social Security Death Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V9QH-Z6X : 9 January 2021), Howard Wendell, Aug 1975; citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service, ongoing).
- ^ a b "Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2016", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2QW7-3QT : Sun Mar 10 09:50:58 UTC 2024), Entry for Howard D Wendell and Harriet D Morley, 13 Sep 1937.
- ^ "Society". The Elyria Chronicle-Telegram. December 30, 2024. p. 2. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
- ^ "Irwin Wendell, Parsch Employee for 26 Years". The Elyria Chronicle-Telegram. December 18, 1945. p. 6. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
- ^ "United States Census, 1920", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MD5B-QRJ : Sun Mar 10 19:56:58 UTC 2024), Entry for Irvin Wendell and Claire M Wendell, 1920.
- ^ "United States Census, 1930", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X447-YFW : Fri Mar 08 22:26:44 UTC 2024), Entry for Irvin Wendell and Clare Wendell, 1930.
- ^ "Ohio Alumni Meet". Long Beach Independent. May 4, 1958. p. A-8. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
- ^ "Howard Wendel Forms a New Little Theater". The Cleveland Plain Dealer. August 8, 1937. p. 12-C. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
- ^ "Howard Wendell". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on August 21, 2018. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
- ^ "Estelle Eschews 'Method', Uses Intuition, Technique of Experience". Santa Barbara News-Press. June 28, 1964. p. E 12. Retrieved June 15, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "To Honor Howard Wendell". The New York Times. May 5, 1947. p. 32. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
- ^ "California Divorce Index, 1966-1984," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VPTR-ZXX : 15 May 2014), Harriet D Morley and Howard D Wendell, Jan 1968; from "California Divorce Index, 1966-1984," database and images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : 2007); citing Santa Barbara, California, Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento.
- ^ "Obituaries: Harriet Morley Wendell". The Cleveland Plain Dealer. July 10, 1981. p. 53. Retrieved June 15, 2024.