Wikipedia

Sidney Blackmer

Sidney Alderman Blackmer (July 13, 1895 – October 6, 1973) was an American Broadway and film actor active between 1914 and 1971, usually in major supporting roles.

Sidney Blackmer
Blackmer in the 1940s
Born
Sidney Alderman Blackmer

(1895-07-13)July 13, 1895
Salisbury, North Carolina, U.S.
DiedOctober 6, 1973(1973-10-06) (aged 78)
New York City, U.S.
Other namesS.A. Blackmer
OccupationActor
Years active1914–1971
Spouses
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(m. 1928; div. 1939)​
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(m. 1943)​
Children2
AwardsNorth Carolina Award, Fine Arts

Biography

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Blackmer was born and raised in Salisbury, North Carolina, the son of Clara Deroulhac (née Alderman) and Walter Steele Blackmer.[1] He started in the insurance and financial counseling business but abandoned it. While working as a construction laborer on a new building, he saw a Pearl White serial being filmed and immediately decided to pursue acting as a career. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.[1] Blackmer had a role in the highly popular serial The Perils of Pauline (1914), his film debut.[2]

In 1929, he returned to motion pictures and went on to appear as a major character actor in more than 120 films.[citation needed]

He won the 1950 Tony Award for Best Actor (Drama) for his role in the Broadway play Come Back, Little Sheba, co-starring with Shirley Booth.[3]

In film, Blackmer had a role as the conniving Manhattan warlock Roman Castevet in the guise of one of many overly solicitous elderly neighbors of the pregnant titular character (played by Mia Farrow) in the Academy Award-winning 1968 Roman Polanski film, Rosemary's Baby.

A humanitarian, Blackmer served as the national vice president of the United States Muscular Dystrophy Association. He also helped found the North Carolina School of the Arts.[4][5] In 1972, he was honored with the North Carolina Award in the Fine Arts category. It is the State of North Carolina's highest civilian award. On his death in 1973, Blackmer was interred in the Chestnut Hill Cemetery in his hometown of Salisbury, North Carolina.[citation needed]

Personal life

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For his contributions to the film industry, Blackmer has a motion pictures star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1625 Vine Street.[6]

Filmography

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Blackmer in the trailer for the 1934 film The Count of Monte Cristo
 
Blackmer in The High and the Mighty (1954)

Blackmer also appeared in television roles, such as Don't Come Back Alive episode of the 1955 TV series Alfred Hitchcock Presents and "The Premature Burial" episode of the 1961 TV series Thriller. Blackmer also guest starred twice in the western TV series Bonanza in the episodes "The Dream Riders" (1961) and "The Late Ben Cartwright" (1968). Among his most notable roles was the character of presidential candidate William Lyons Selby in the Outer Limits episode "The Hundred Days of the Dragon".

References

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  1. ^ a b Scarvey, Katie (January 19, 2010). "Blackmer a star of stage and screen". Salisbury Post. Retrieved December 19, 2011.
  2. ^ "Sidney Blackmer, Lois Wilson Stars of Empress Comedy". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. November 30, 1952. p. 58. Retrieved November 19, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Winners: Sidney Blackmer". Tony Awards. The American Theatre Wing. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  4. ^ "Residence of W. S. Blackmer". Theo. Buerbaum's Salisbury. Rowan Public Library. Archived from the original on June 8, 2012. Retrieved December 19, 2011.
  5. ^ Scarvey, Katie (March 2, 2012). "Blackmer home will likely be torn down soon". Salisbury Post. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  6. ^ "Sidney Blackmer". Hollywood Walk of Fame. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
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