John Dornin Eldredge (August 30, 1904 – September 23, 1961) was an American film and television actor. He was the younger brother of character actor

George Eldredge George Edwin Eldredge (September 10, 1898 – March 12, 1977) was an American actor who appeared in over 180 movies during a career that stretched from the 1930s to the early 1960s. He also had a prolific television career during the 1950 ...

(1898–1977).

Early life

Eldredge was born August 30, 1904 in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

. He was the son of a clergyman who made a speciality of dramatics at university. When he confessed to his father that he wanted to be an actor, his father grinned and said: "That's all right son so long as you are a good one." His eldest brother,

, also became an actor.

Career

He began his theatrical career in repertory and then in comic opera and later played small parts in New York City till he made a hit on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

and it was a role opposite Lillian Gish that won him a Warners film contract. Eldredge's Broadway credits include ''Three-Cornered Moon'' (1932), ''The Good Fairy'' (1932), ''Katerina'' (1928), ''The Cherry Orchard'' (1928), and ''The Would-be Gentleman'' (1928). MeetCorlissArcher3

On 05/28/1959, he played Mr Preston on episode of Leave It to Beaver In 1954–1955, Eldredge played Harry Archer, father of the title character, in the

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

Television situation comedy ''

Meet Corliss Archer ''Meet Corliss Archer'' is an American radio program from radio's Golden Age that ran from January 7, 1943, to September 30, 1956. Although it was CBS's answer to NBC's ''A Date with Judy'', it was also broadcast by NBC in 1948 as a summer repla ...

''.

Death

He died September 23, 1961, at his home in Treasure Island Trailer Park in

Laguna Beach Laguna Beach (; ''Laguna'', Spanish for "Lagoon") is a seaside resort city located in southern Orange County, California, in the United States. It is known for its mild year-round climate, scenic coves, environmental preservation efforts, and a ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, where he was recovering from a heart attack. His remains are interred at

Pacific View Memorial Park Pacific View Memorial Park is a cemetery located in the Corona del Mar neighborhood of Newport Beach, in Orange County, California. It first opened in 1958, and is known as the final resting place of Academy Award winning actor John Wayne and bas ...

in Corona del Mar, California.Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14000 Famous Persons by Scott Wilson

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Eldredge, John American male film actors 1904 births 1961 deaths Male actors from San Francisco 20th-century American male actors American male television actors American male stage actors Burials at Pacific View Memorial Park