Edward James Begley Sr. (March 25, 1901 – April 28, 1970) was an American actor of theatre, radio, film, and television. He won an

Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 9th Academy Awards to an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in ...

for his performance in the film '' Sweet Bird of Youth'' (1962) and appeared in such classics as '' 12 Angry Men'' (1957), '' Odds Against Tomorrow'' (1959) and '' The Unsinkable Molly Brown'' (1964). He was nominated for an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

for his portrayal of Matthew Harrison Brady in a television adaptation of '' Inherit the Wind''. He is the father of the actor and environmental activist Ed Begley Jr.

Early life

Begley was born in

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

, to two Irish immigrants, Hannah (née Clifford) and Michael Joseph Begley. After he dropped out of school as a fifth-grader, Begley ran away from home several times, going to work for "carnivals, fairs, and small circuses". Later he sold brushes, delivered milk, and served four years in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

Career

Begley began his career as a Broadway and radio actor while in his teens. He appeared in the hit musical '' Going Up'' on Broadway in 1917 and in London the next year. He later acted in roles as Sgt. O'Hara in the radio show '' The Fat Man''. His radio work included '' Stroke of Fate'' and a period as

Charlie Chan Charlie Chan is a fictional Honolulu Police Department, Honolulu police detective created by author Earl Derr Biggers for a series of mystery novels. Biggers loosely based Chan on Hawaiian detective Chang Apana. The benevolent and heroic Chan ...

, among other roles. He also starred in the 1950s radio program ''

Richard Diamond, Private Detective ''Richard Diamond, Private Detective'' is an American detective drama, created by Blake Edwards, which aired on radio from 1949 to 1953, and on television from 1957 to 1960. Radio Dick Powell starred in the ''Richard Diamond, Private Detective' ...

'', playing Lieutenant Walter Levinson, head of homicide at the 5th Precinct, Manhattan. He was elected a member of The Lambs in 1943. In the late 1940s, he began appearing regularly in supporting film roles. Monte Markham Ed Begley 1969

In the 1952–1953

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

season, Begley co-starred with Eddie Albert in the CBS

sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

'' Leave It to Larry''. In 1954 Begley starred in the NBC Television show '' Robert Montgomery Presents'' in "Big Boy", an episode sponsored by Lucky Strike, as Joe Grant, an engineer for the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad is a Railroad classes, Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United Stat ...

living in

Cheyenne, Wyoming Cheyenne ( or ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Wyoming, most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming. It is the county seat of Laramie County, Wyoming, Laramie County, with 65,132 reside ...

, who worked on the famous

Union Pacific Big Boy The Union Pacific Big Boy is a type of simple articulated locomotive, articulated 4-8-8-4 steam locomotive manufactured by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) between 1941 and 1944 and operated by the Union Pacific Railroad in revenue service ...

steam locomotives. The show is about how Begley's character copes with the transition from steam locomotives to

diesel locomotives A diesel locomotive is a type of railway locomotive in which the prime mover (locomotive), power source is a diesel engine. Several types of diesel locomotives have been developed, differing mainly in the means by which mechanical power is con ...

in the 1950s. He won the

for his role in '' Sweet Bird of Youth'' (1962). Some of his other notable films include '' Deadline – U.S.A.'' (1952), '' 12 Angry Men'' (1957) as juror #10, '' Odds Against Tomorrow'' (1959), '' The Unsinkable Molly Brown'' (1964), and '' Wild in the Streets'' (1968). One notable role Begley played both on television (twice in 1955) and in the theatrical film (1956) is William (Bill) Briggs, one of the three primary characters in

Rod Serling Rodman Edward Serling (December 25, 1924 – June 28, 1975) was an American screenwriter and television producer best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his Anthology series, anthology television series ''The Twilight Zone (1 ...

's '' Patterns''. In 1956, he appeared in the Broadway production of '' Inherit the Wind'', in the role of Matthew Harrison Brady. For this performance, he won the

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

for Best Featured Actor in a Play. In 1968 he appeared with Clint Eastwood in the classic Western '' Hang 'Em High''. His other television work included appearances on the 1954 TV series ''Justice'', ''

Empire An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...

'', '' The Virginian'', ''

Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 12, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 431 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running Western, the second-longest-running Western series on ...

'', '' The Fugitive'', '' The Dick Van Dyke Show'', '' Target: The Corruptors'', '' The Invaders'', '' The Wild Wild West'', ''

My Three Sons ''My Three Sons'' is an American television sitcom that aired from September 29, 1960, to April 13, 1972. The series was filmed in black-and-white and broadcast on ABC during its first five seasons, before moving to CBS for the remaining seve ...

'', '' Wagon Train'' and '' Going My Way'', with

Gene Kelly Eugene Curran Kelly (August 23, 1912 – February 2, 1996) was an American dancer, actor, singer, director and choreographer. He was known for his energetic and athletic dancing style and sought to create a new form of American dance accessibl ...

. Among his many Broadway credits were '' All My Sons'' and '' Our Town''.

Personal life

Begley married his first wife, Amanda Huff, in 1922; they had two children. Huff died in 1957. His second marriage ended in divorce and his third wife, Helen, survived him. Begley is father of actor Ed Begley Jr., from his extramarital relationship with Allene Jeanne Sanders. His younger brother, Martin Begley, worked briefly for him as his manager. Both were members of The Lambs in New York.

Death

Begley died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

while attending a party at the home of Jay Bernstein in

Hollywood, California Hollywood, sometimes informally called Tinseltown, is a List of districts and neighborhoods in Los Angeles, neighborhood and district in the Central Los Angeles, central region of Los Angeles County, California, within the city of Los Angeles. ...

, on April 28, 1970. He is buried at the San Fernando Mission Cemetery in Mission Hills, California.

Filmography

Radio

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Begley, Ed 1901 births 1970 deaths Male actors from Hartford, Connecticut American male film actors American male radio actors American male stage actors American male television actors American people of Irish descent Best Supporting Actor Academy Award winners Members of The Lambs Club Donaldson Award winners Tony Award winners Burials at San Fernando Mission Cemetery United States Navy sailors 20th-century American male actors