John Baragrey (April 15, 1918 – August 4, 1975) was an American film, television, and stage actor who appeared in virtually every dramatic television series of the 1950s and early 1960s.

Early years

Baragrey was born in

Haleyville, Alabama Haleyville is a city in Winston and Marion counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. It incorporated on February 28, 1889. Most of the city is located in Winston County, with a small portion of the western limits entering Marion County. Haleyville w ...

, and graduated from the University of Alabama in 1939. He met his wife actress Louise Larabee, while touring with

USO The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...

shows during World War II.

Career

Baragrey gained early acting experience in stock theater, beginning in 1946 when he joined a stock company headed by

José Ferrer José Vicente Ferrer de Otero y Cintrón (January 8, 1912 – January 26, 1992) was a Puerto Rican actor and director of stage, film and television. He was one of the most celebrated and esteemed Hispanic American actors during his lifetime, w ...

. His other stock work included the

Bucks County Playhouse THE BUCKS COUNTRY PLAYHOUSE The Bucks County Playhouse is located in New Hope, Pennsylvania. When the ''Hope Mills'' burned in 1790, the grist mills were rebuilt as the ''New Hope Mills,'' by Benjamin Parry. The town was renamed for the mills. ...

, Philadelphia's Playhouse in the Park, and

Westport Country Playhouse Westport Country Playhouse, is a not-for-profit regional theater in Westport, Connecticut. It was founded in 1931 by Lawrence Langner, a New York theater producer. Langner remodeled an 1830s tannery with a Broadway-quality stage. History Con ...

. On stage, in films, and especially on television, he teamed up with many of the leading ladies of the era, including Rita Hayworth, Jane Wyman, Jane Powell, Anne Bancroft, Judith Anderson, Tallulah Bankhead,

Dolores del Río María de los Dolores Asúnsolo y López Negrete (3 August 1904 – 11 April 1983), known professionally as Dolores del Río (), was a Mexican actress. With a career spanning more than 50 years, she is regarded as the first major female Latin Am ...

, and Bette Davis. Yet today he is virtually forgotten, partly because so much of his work was in early television, and many of the tapes of these shows have been lost or were never even recorded.

Personal life and death

On August 4, 1975, Baragrey died at his home in New York City at the age of 57.

Filmography

Film

* '' The Loves of Carmen'' (1948) - Lucas * '' The Creeper'' (1948) - Dr. John Reade * ''

The Saxon Charm ''The Saxon Charm'' is a 1948 American film noir drama film written and directed by Claude Binyon based on the novel of the same name by Frederic Wakeman Sr. and starring Robert Montgomery, Susan Hayward, John Payne and Audrey Totter. Plot I ...

'' (1948) - Peter Stanhope (uncredited) * '' Shockproof'' (1949) - Harry Wesson * '' Swiss Tour'' (1950) - Jack * ''

Tall Man Riding ''Tall Man Riding'' is a 1955 American Western (genre), Western Warnercolor film directed by Lesley Selander and starring Randolph Scott, Dorothy Malone, and Peggie Castle. Based on the novel ''Tall Man Riding'', by Norman A. Fox, the film is ab ...

'' (1955) - Cibo Pearlo * ''

Pardners ''Pardners'' is a 1956 American comedy western film starring the comedy team of Martin and Lewis. It was released on July 25, 1956 by Paramount Pictures. A western spoof directed by Norman Taurog, this was the penultimate film of the 16 screen c ...

'' (1956 - Dan Hollis / Sam Hollis * '' The Colossus of New York'' (1958 - Dr. Henry Spensser * ''

The Fugitive Kind ''The Fugitive Kind'' is a 1960 American drama film starring Marlon Brando, Anna Magnani, and Joanne Woodward, directed by Sidney Lumet. The screenplay by Meade Roberts and Tennessee Williams was based on the latter's 1957 play ''Orpheus Des ...

'' (1960) - David Cutrere * ''

Gammera the Invincible is a 1965 Japanese ''kaiju'' film directed by Noriaki Yuasa, with special effects by Yonesaburo Tsukiji. Produced and distributed by Daiei Film, it is the first film in the ''Gamera'' franchise and the Shōwa era. The film stars Eiji Funakoshi ...

'' (1966) - J.T. Standish

Television

* ''

Hallmark Hall of Fame ''Hallmark Hall of Fame'', originally called ''Hallmark Television Playhouse'', is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City-based greeting card company. The longest-running prime-time series in t ...

'' (1951) * ''

The Web The World Wide Web (WWW), commonly known as the Web, is an information system enabling documents and other web resources to be accessed over the Internet. Documents and downloadable media are made available to the network through web se ...

'' (1951) * '' Omnibus'' (1952) * ''

The Motorola Television Hour ''The Motorola Television Hour'' is an hour-long anthology series which alternated bi-weekly with ''The United States Steel Hour'' on ABC. The show premiered on November 3, 1953, and was last aired on June 1, 1954. It was produced by Herbert Brodk ...

'' (1953-1954) * ''

Robert Montgomery Presents ''Robert Montgomery Presents'' is an American dramatic television series which was produced by NBC from January 30, 1950, until June 24, 1957. The live show had several sponsors during its eight-year run, and the title was altered to feature the ...

'' (1951-1955) * ''

The Philco Television Playhouse ''The Philco Television Playhouse'' is an American television anthology series that was broadcast live on NBC from 1948 to 1955. Produced by Fred Coe, the series was sponsored by Philco. It was one of the most respected dramatic shows of the Golde ...

'' (1948-1955) - Harry Madden / Colonel Brandon / Monroe Stahr / Fitzwilliam Darcy * ''

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, aired on CBS and NBC between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers and mysteries. Between 1962 and 1965 it was ren ...

'' (1956-1957) - Charles Hendricks / Arthur Clymer * ''

The United States Steel Hour ''The United States Steel Hour'' is an anthology series which brought hour long dramas to television from 1953 to 1963. The television series and the radio program that preceded it were both sponsored by the U.S. Steel, United States Steel Corpor ...

'' (1954-1958) - Tallien / Luvborg * '' Studio One'' (1949-1958) - Chad Hammond / Emcee / Simon Dow / Kurt Meissner / John D'Arcy / John Brooke / John Brooks / Sanin / Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale / Colin Langford * ''

Kraft Television Theatre ''Kraft Television Theatre'' is an American anthology drama television series running from 1947 to 1958. It began May 7, 1947 on NBC, airing at 7:30pm on Wednesday evenings until December of that year. It first promoted MacLaren's Imperial Chees ...

'' (1947-1958) -

Edward Rochester Edward Fairfax Rochester (often referred to as Mr Rochester) is a character in Charlotte Brontë's 1847 novel ''Jane Eyre''. The brooding master of Thornfield Hall, Rochester is the employer and eventual husband of the novel's titular protagonist ...

* ''

Playhouse 90 ''Playhouse 90'' was an American television anthology series, anthology drama series that aired on CBS from 1956 to 1960 for a total of 133 episodes. The show was produced at CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California. Since live anthology dr ...

'' (1957-1959) - Lord Mark / John Parsons Cook * ''

General Electric Theater ''General Electric Theater'' was an American anthology series hosted by Ronald Reagan that was broadcast on CBS radio and television. The series was sponsored by General Electric's Department of Public Relations. Radio After an audition show ...

'' (1957-1959) - King Saul / Brandisher * ''

Play of the Week Play of the Week may refer to: *''ITV Play of the Week'', British TV anthology series broadcast from 1956 to 1966 *''The Play of the Week'', American TV anthology series broadcast from 1959 to 1961 See also *''Play of the Month ''Play of the M ...

'' (1960, episode: "The Potting Shed") * '' Thriller'' (1960-1962) - George Machik / Dr. Ralph Mitchell * ''

The DuPont Show of the Week ''The DuPont Show of the Week'' is an American television anthology drama series which aired for three seasons on NBC from September 17, 1961 to August 30, 1964. It was nominated one time for an Edgar Allan Poe Award and eight times for Primet ...

'' (1962) - Judge Advocate * ''

The Secret Storm ''The Secret Storm'' is an American soap opera that the CBS television network transmitted from February 1, 1954, to February 8, 1974. It was created by Roy Winsor, who also created the long-running soap operas ''Search for Tomorrow'' and ''Love ...

'' - Arthur Rysdale #2 (1962-1964) * ''

Dark Shadows ''Dark Shadows'' is an American gothic soap opera that aired weekdays on the ABC television network, from June 27, 1966, to April 2, 1971. The show depicted the lives, loves, trials, and tribulations of the wealthy Collins family of Collinsport ...

'' (1966) - James Blair * ''

ABC Stage 67 ''ABC Stage 67'' is the umbrella title for a series of 26 weekly American television shows that included dramas, variety shows, documentaries and original musicals. It premiered on ABC on September 14, 1966, with Murray Schisgal's ''The Love ...

'' (1967) - Ed Bartlett

Stage

* ''Right Next to Broadway'' (1944) * '' A Flag Is Born'' (1946) * '' The Enchanted'' (1950) * ''Pride's Crossing'' (1950) * '' One Eye Closed'' (1954) * '' The Devils'' (1965) * ''

The Grass Harp ''The Grass Harp'' is a novel by Truman Capote published on October 1, 1951Clarke, Gerald. ''Capote: A Biography'' (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1988), page 224. It tells the story of an orphaned boy and two elderly ladies who observe life from a ...

'' (1971) * ''Murderous Angels'' (1972)Murderous Angels
at IBDb

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Baragrey, John American male film actors American male stage actors American male television actors 1918 births 1975 deaths People from Haleyville, Alabama 20th-century American male actors Male actors from Alabama