Actor. A handsome supporting player from the Golden Age of Hollywood, he made a name for himself portraying gentleman, boyfriends, crooners, and blue-collar guys in several MGM features of the late 1930s. A 1929 graduate of Hollywood High School, he received several scholastic achievements and had originally planned on furthering his education in medical school but following the Stock Market Crash of 1929 he withdrew his college ideals and obtained employment as a men's fashion model followed by a turn as a fitness instructor for the Los Angeles Athletic Club where he was later discovered by a Hollywood talent scout in 1936, citing him to be 'a fine figure of masculinity with a nice round face'. Signed under contract to MGM in 1937, he made his motion picture debut in 'The Bad Guy' and would go on to appear in approximately 20 feature films between 1937 and 1939. Among his credits were 'My Dear Miss Aldridge' (1937), 'Navy Blue and Gold' (1937), 'Test Pilot', 'Three Comrades', 'Fast Company', 'Marie Antoinette', and 'The Shopworn Angel' (all 1938). He appeared alongside such legends as James Stewart, Myrna Loy, Walter Pidgeon, Spencer Tracy, Joan Crawford, Mickey Rooney, Robert Taylor, and Norma Shearer. In 1939, he did a screen test for what would've have ultimately been the greatest role of his career, that of the prestigious Rhett Butler in 'Gone With The Wind', but lost out to MGM's box office king Clark Gable. His made his last screen appearance as Dr. Joiner in 'Calling Dr. Kildare' and upon completion chose not to renew his MGM contract and decided to focus on marriage and fatherhood. Making wise investments in oil and real estate, he lived comfortably in Los Angeles for the rest of his life devoting time to his church, charity work, and Republican politics. He died from natural causes at the age of 83.
Actor. A handsome supporting player from the Golden Age of Hollywood, he made a name for himself portraying gentleman, boyfriends, crooners, and blue-collar guys in several MGM features of the late 1930s. A 1929 graduate of Hollywood High School, he received several scholastic achievements and had originally planned on furthering his education in medical school but following the Stock Market Crash of 1929 he withdrew his college ideals and obtained employment as a men's fashion model followed by a turn as a fitness instructor for the Los Angeles Athletic Club where he was later discovered by a Hollywood talent scout in 1936, citing him to be 'a fine figure of masculinity with a nice round face'. Signed under contract to MGM in 1937, he made his motion picture debut in 'The Bad Guy' and would go on to appear in approximately 20 feature films between 1937 and 1939. Among his credits were 'My Dear Miss Aldridge' (1937), 'Navy Blue and Gold' (1937), 'Test Pilot', 'Three Comrades', 'Fast Company', 'Marie Antoinette', and 'The Shopworn Angel' (all 1938). He appeared alongside such legends as James Stewart, Myrna Loy, Walter Pidgeon, Spencer Tracy, Joan Crawford, Mickey Rooney, Robert Taylor, and Norma Shearer. In 1939, he did a screen test for what would've have ultimately been the greatest role of his career, that of the prestigious Rhett Butler in 'Gone With The Wind', but lost out to MGM's box office king Clark Gable. His made his last screen appearance as Dr. Joiner in 'Calling Dr. Kildare' and upon completion chose not to renew his MGM contract and decided to focus on marriage and fatherhood. Making wise investments in oil and real estate, he lived comfortably in Los Angeles for the rest of his life devoting time to his church, charity work, and Republican politics. He died from natural causes at the age of 83.
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