Lewis Frederick Ayres III (December 28, 1908 – December 30, 1996) was an American actor whose film and television career spanned 65 years. He is best known for starring as German soldier Paul Bäumer in the film '' All Quiet on the Western Front'' (1930) and for playing Dr. Kildare in nine films. He was nominated for an

Academy Award for Best Actor The Academy Award for Best Actor is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 1st Academy Awards to an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading ...

for his performance in '' Johnny Belinda'' (1948).

Early life and career

Ayres was born in

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

to Irma Bevernick and Louis Ayres, who divorced when he was four. Louis, an amateur musician and court reporter, remarried soon afterwards. As a teen, he and his mother moved with his step-father, William Gilmore, and half brother and sister to

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

. Leaving high school before graduating, he started a small band which traveled to Mexico. He returned months later to pursue an acting career, but continued working full-time as a musician. He played banjo and guitar for

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s and ...

s, including the

Henry Halstead Henry Halstead (November 16, 1897 – March 19, 1984) was an American bandleader. His orchestra began in early 1922 and over the next twenty years had regular engagements at hotels in New York and California. Halstead had from 15 to 20 band mem ...

Orchestra. He recorded one of the earliest

Vitaphone Vitaphone was a sound film system used for feature films and nearly 1,000 short subjects made by Warner Bros. and its sister studio First National Pictures, First National from 1926 to 1931. Vitaphone is the last major analog sound-on-disc sys ...

movie shorts called ''Carnival Night in Paris'' (

Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

, 1927). Ayres wrote, "I was a member of Henry Halstead's orchestra in 1927 at the Mission Beach Ballroom in San Diego, California for the summer. My instruments were tenor banjo, long-neck banjo and guitar. After a hiatus, I rejoined Mr. Halstead with a new group, including Phil Harris, on New Year's Eve the same year for the opening night of the

Beverly Wilshire Hotel The Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel, commonly known as the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, is a historic luxury hotel in Beverly Hills, California. Located at the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Rodeo Drive, it was completed in 1928. It ha ...

, a memorable occasion." He left a national tour to pursue a career as an actor full-time.

Career

Ayres was discovered at a nightclub by talent agent Ivan Kahn. He was cast to play opposite

Greta Garbo Greta Garbo (born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson; 18 September 1905 – 15 April 1990) was a Swedish-American actress and a premier star during Hollywood's Silent film, silent and early Classical Hollywood cinema, golden eras. Regarded as one of the g ...

in '' The Kiss'' (1929), but it was his leading role in the original version of '' All Quiet on the Western Front'' (1930) that made him a star, secured him a contract with Universal—and made him a

conscientious objector A conscientious objector is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of conscience or religion. The term has also been extended to objecting to working for the military–indu ...

to World War II. He made a number of mostly forgotten

B movie A B movie, or B film, is a type of cheap, low-budget commercial motion picture. Originally, during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood, this term specifically referred to films meant to be shown as the lesser-known second ...

s for Universal, with the exception of ''

Iron Man Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, the character first appearan ...

'' (1931), with

Jean Harlow Jean Harlow (born Harlean Harlow Carpenter; March 3, 1911 – June 7, 1937) was an American actress. Known for her portrayal of "bad girl" characters, she was the leading sex symbol of the early 1930s and one of the defining figures of the ...

. His most successful movies at this time were those he made on loan to other studios, including '' The Doorway to Hell'' (1930) with

James Cagney James Francis Cagney Jr. (; July 17, 1899March 30, 1986) was an American actor and dancer. On stage and in film, he was known for his consistently energetic performances, distinctive vocal style, and deadpan comic timing. He won acclaim and maj ...

in a

supporting role A supporting character is a character in a narrative that is not the focus of the primary storyline, but is important to the plot/protagonist, and appears or is mentioned in the story enough to be more than just a minor character or a cameo a ...

, and as

Janet Gaynor Janet Gaynor (born Laura Augusta Gainor; October 6, 1906 – September 14, 1984) was an American actress. She began her career as an extra in shorts and silent films. After signing with Fox Film Corporation (later 20th Century-Fox) in 1926, she ...

leading man A leading actor, leading actress, or leading man or lady or simply lead (), plays a main role in a film, television show or play. The word ''lead'' may also refer to the largest role in the piece, and ''leading actor'' may refer to a person w ...

in both ''

State Fair A state fair is an annual competitive and recreational gathering of a U.S. state's population, usually held in late summer or early fall. It is a larger version of a county fair, often including only exhibits or competitors that have won in t ...

'' (1933) and '' Servants' Entrance'' (1934), which featured a combination of live action and

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney ( ; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer, voice actor, and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the Golden age of American animation, American animation industry, he introduced several develop ...

animation in a musical dream sequence, both for

Fox Film The Fox Film Corporation (also known as Fox Studios) was an American independent company that produced motion pictures and was formed in 1914 by the theater "chain" pioneer William Fox. It was the corporate successor to his earlier Greater Ne ...

s. Ayres left Universal to sign with Fox Films. In 1934, Fox listed him as one of its second tier stars. He moved to poverty row studio

Republic Pictures Republic Pictures is currently an acquisition-only label owned by Paramount Pictures. Its history dates back to Republic Pictures Corporation, an American film studio that originally operated from 1935 to 1967, based in Los Angeles, California ...

to pursue a second career as a director, including the film ''

Hearts in Bondage ''Hearts in Bondage'' is a 1936 American black-and-white war drama film directed by Lew Ayres for Republic Pictures. Set during the American Civil War, the film depicts the Union Navy's deliberate sinking of , the Confederate States Navy's sa ...

'' (1936), starring James Dunn and

Mae Clarke Mae Clarke (born Violet Mary Klotz; August 16, 1910 – April 29, 1992) was an American actress. She is widely remembered for playing Henry Frankenstein's bride Elizabeth, who is chased by Boris Karloff in ''Frankenstein'', and for being o ...

. He moved to

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

before finally being signed to

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

in 1938. At this time, he was loaned from Paramount to play the role of Ned in ''

Holiday A holiday is a day or other period of time set aside for festivals or recreation. ''Public holidays'' are set by public authorities and vary by state or region. Religious holidays are set by religious organisations for their members and are often ...

'' (1938). The role earned him considerable critical attention, including interest from MGM to put him under contract specifically for the role of Dr. James Kildare in an upcoming film series. Ayres played the role in nine films from 1938 to 1942 (and again in a 1950s radio series) while also appearing in light comedies for MGM, including '' Spring Madness'' and '' Rich Man, Poor Girl'' (both 1938), '' The Ice Follies of 1939'' (1939), and '' Fingers at the Window'' (1942). His final film as Dr. Kildare, ''Born to Be Bad'', was re-edited after he was drafted and declared himself a

in March 1942. Lew Ayres in Johnny Belinda trailer

He returned to acting in the films '' The Dark Mirror'' (1946) with

Olivia de Havilland Dame Olivia Mary de Havilland (; July 1, 1916July 26, 2020) was a British and American actress. The major works of her cinematic career spanned from 1935 to 1988. She appeared in 49 feature films and was one of the leading actresses of her tim ...

and '' The Unfaithful'' (1947) with Ann Sheridan. For his role in '' Johnny Belinda'' (1948) he received an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

nomination for Best Actor; co-star

Jane Wyman Jane Wyman ( ; born Sarah Jane Mayfield; January 5, 1917 – September 10, 2007). was an American actress. A star of both movies and television, she received an Academy Award for Best Actress, four Golden Globe Awards and nominations for two Pr ...

won for Best Actress. Ayres gradually moved to television, appearing in several

anthology series An anthology series is a written series, radio, television, film, or video game series that presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a different ca ...

in guest roles. In the summer of 1958, he hosted eleven original episodes of a

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

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

anthology television series called '' Frontier Justice'', a production of

Dick Powell Richard Ewing Powell (November 14, 1904 – January 2, 1963) was an American actor, singer, musician, producer, director, and studio head. Though he came to stardom as a musical comedy performer, he showed versatility and successfully transform ...

Four Star Television Four Star Television, also called Four Star International, was an American television production company. Founded in 1952 as Four Star Productions by prominent Hollywood actors Dick Powell, David Niven, Charles Boyer and Joel McCrea, it was ...

. He was offered the part of Dr. Kildare in an

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

series but his prescient request that the show have no cigarette advertising led to the offer being withdrawn. (In 1961, the part went to Richard Chamberlain.) He appeared (as the vice-president) in '' Advise & Consent'' (1962), and in ''

The Carpetbaggers ''The Carpetbaggers'' is a 1961 bestselling novel by Harold Robbins, which was adapted into a 1964 film of the same title. The prequel '' Nevada Smith'' (1966) was also based on a character in the novel. In the United States, the term "carpe ...

'' (1964), but he was, by then, primarily a television actor, with only occasional film work. For a guest role in ''

Kung Fu Chinese martial arts, commonly referred to with umbrella terms Kung fu (term), kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (sport), wushu (), are Styles of Chinese martial arts, multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater Ch ...

'' ("The Vanishing Image", 1974) he was nominated for an

Emmy 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 catego ...

Doris Day Lew Ayres The Doris Day Show 1970

His documentary film '' Altars of the World'' (1976), based on a series of documentaries he made titled ''Altars of the East'' (1956), brought his Eastern philosophical beliefs to the screen and earned him critical acclaim and a

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Janua ...

for best documentary in 1977. Ayres guest-starred in an episode of ''

The Bionic Woman ''The Bionic Woman'' is an American science fiction film, science fiction Action-adventure fiction, action-adventure television series created by Kenneth Johnson (producer), Kenneth Johnson based on the 1972 novel Cyborg (novel), ''Cyborg'' by ...

'' ("Doomsday is Tomorrow", 1977) as Dr. Elijah Cooper, an elderly nuclear scientist who attempts to blackmail the world into peace. In 1973 he played a similar role on Hawaii Five-O as a nuclear Scientist who in a twist ending ends up dying of radiation from his own bomb. In 1985, he was cast in his first series as a regular cast member, as the father of

Robert Wagner Robert John Wagner Jr. (born February 10, 1930) is an American actor. He is known for starring in the television shows ''It Takes a Thief (1968 TV series), It Takes a Thief'' (1968–1970), ''Switch (American TV series), Switch'' (1975–1978), ...

in the short-lived series '' Lime Street.'' His last role was in the made-for-TV film '' Hart to Hart: Crimes of the Heart'' (1994), also starring Wagner.

World War II conscientious objector and medic

In March 1942, Ayres was identified as a 4E

and sent to a CO camp. As expected, the announcement that a

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

actor objected to the war was a major source of public outcry and debate. Within a month it was determined that he had initially requested to be A-O-1, so that he could serve as a non-combat

medic A medic is a person trained to provide medical care, encompassing a wide range of individuals involved in the diagnosis, treatment, and management of health conditions. The term can refer to fully qualified medical practitioners, such as physic ...

. However, the military's policy that servicemen cannot request, or be guaranteed, where they will serve, forced him to request a 4E status. The U.S. military confirmed that they would place him as a medic and in April 1942, his status was changed. He enlisted in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

on May 18, 1942. He served as a

first aid First aid is the first and immediate assistance given to any person with a medical emergency, with care provided to preserve life, prevent the condition from worsening, or to promote recovery until medical services arrive. First aid is gener ...

instructor in the United States Army before requesting a drop in rank in order to serve as a medic and chaplain's assistant in the Pacific. He was one of 16 medics who arrived under fire during the invasion of Leyte to set up evacuation hospitals, and there he provided care to soldiers and civilians in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

and

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...

. He donated all the money he had earned as a serviceman to the

American Red Cross The American National Red Cross is a Nonprofit organization, nonprofit Humanitarianism, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. Clara Barton founded ...

. Serving for three and a half years in the

Medical Corps A medical corps is generally a military branch or staff corps, officer corps responsible for medical care for serving military personnel. Such officers are typically military physicians. List of medical corps The following organizations are exam ...

, he was awarded three

battle star A service star is a miniature bronze or silver five-pointed star in diameter that is authorized to be worn by members of the eight uniformed services of the United States on medals and ribbons to denote an additional award or service period. T ...

s. After the war, he resumed his career and made scores of movies, but never reached the peak of his early Hollywood stardom.

Personal life

Ayres was married three times. First to actress Lola Lane from 1931 until 1933, although they were separated much of that period. He met actress

Ginger Rogers Ginger Rogers (born Virginia Katherine McMath; July 16, 1911 – April 25, 1995) was an American actress, dancer and singer during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her starri ...

while starring in the film ''

Don't Bet on Love Don't, Dont, or DONT may refer to: Films * Don't (1925 film), ''Don't'' (1925 film), a 1925 silent comedy film * Don't (1974 film), ''Don't'' (1974 film), a 1974 film about the monarch butterfly * ''Don't'', a fake trailer from the film ''Grindho ...

'' in 1933 and they wed in 1934. They separated in 1936 and divorced in March 1940. His third marriage, to Diana Hall, lasted from 1964 until his death in 1996. Their son Justin was born in 1968. Ayres was a strict

vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the Eating, consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects as food, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slau ...

Death and legacy

In 1960, Lew Ayres was inducted into the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...

with two stars. His motion pictures star is located at 6385

Hollywood Boulevard Hollywood Boulevard is a major east–west street in Los Angeles, California. It runs through the Hollywood, East Hollywood, Little Armenia, Thai Town, and Los Feliz districts. Its western terminus is at Sunset Plaza Drive in the Hollyw ...

while his radio star is located at 1724

Vine Street Vine Street is a street in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, that runs north–south between Franklin Avenue, Los Angeles, and Melrose Avenue. The intersection of Hollywood and Vine being symbolic of Hollywood itself. The intersection has be ...

. Ayres died on December 30, 1996, two days after his 88th birthday. His body was buried under a simple headstone at Westwood Memorial Park in

Westwood, Los Angeles Westwood is a commercial and residential neighborhood in the northern central portion of the Westside (Los Angeles County), Westside region of the city of Los Angeles, California. It is the home of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCL ...

Filmography

* '' The Sophomore'' (1929) as Sophomore Fraternity Brother (uncredited) * '' Big News'' (1929) as Copyboy (uncredited) * '' The Kiss'' (1929) as Pierre * '' All Quiet on the Western Front'' (1930) as Paul * '' Common Clay'' (1930) as Hugh Fullerton * '' The Doorway to Hell'' (1930) as Louie * '' East Is West'' (1930) as Billy Benson * '' Many a Slip'' (1931) as Jerry Brooks * ''

'' (1931) as Kid Mason * '' Up for Murder'' (1931) as Robert Marshall * '' The Spirit of Notre Dame'' (1931) as Bucky O'Brien * '' Heaven on Earth'' (1931) as States * ''

The Impatient Maiden ''The Impatient Maiden'' is a 1932 American pre-Code drama film directed by James Whale, starring Lew Ayres and Mae Clarke, and released by Universal Pictures. The screenplay was written by Richard Schayer and Winifred Dunn, based on the nove ...

'' (1932) as Dr. Myron Brown * ''

The Cohens and Kellys in Hollywood ''The Cohens and Kellys in Hollywood'' is a 1932 American pre-Code comedy film directed by John Francis Dillon and written by Howard J. Green. The film stars George Sidney, Charles Murray, June Clyde, Norman Foster, Esther Howard, and Emma ...

'' (1932) as Himself * '' Night World'' (1932) as Michael Rand * '' Okay, America!'' (1932) as Larry Wayne * ''

'' (1933) as Pat Gilbert * ''

'' (1933) as Bill McCaffery * '' My Weakness'' (1933) as Ronnie Gregory * '' Cross Country Cruise'' (1934) as Norman Winthrop * '' Let's Be Ritzy'' (1934) as Jimmy Sterling * '' She Learned About Sailors'' (1934) as Larry Wilson * '' Servants' Entrance'' (1934) as Erik Landstrom * '' Lottery Lover'' (1935) as Cadet Frank Harrington * ''

Spring Tonic ''Spring Tonic'' is a 1935 American comedy film adapted from the 1927 play ''The Man-Eating Tiger'' by Ben Hecht and Rose Caylor. It was directed by Clyde Bruckman and stars Lew Ayres, Claire Trevor, Walter Woolf King, Jack Haley, ZaSu Pitts and ...

'' (1935) as Caleb Enix * '' Silk Hat Kid'' (1935) as Eddie Howard * '' The Leathernecks Have Landed'' (1936) as Woodruff 'Woody' Davis * ''

Panic on the Air Panic is a sudden sensation of fear, which is so strong as to dominate or prevent reason and logical thinking, replacing it with overwhelming feelings of anxiety, uncertainty and frantic Psychomotor agitation, agitation consistent with a Fig ...

'' (1936) as Jerry Franklin * '' Shakedown'' (1936) as Bob Sanderson * '' Lady Be Careful'' (1936) as Chester aka Dynamite * '' Murder with Pictures'' (1936) as Kent Murdock * '' The Crime Nobody Saw'' (1937) as Nick Milburn * '' The Last Train from Madrid'' (1937) as Bill Dexter * '' Hold 'em Navy'' (1937) as Tommy Graham * '' Scandal Street'' (1938) as Joe McKnight * ''

King of the Newsboys ''King of the Newsboys'' is a 1938 American drama film directed by Bernard Vorhaus. Plot Jerry Flynn's girlfriend leaves him for a gangster with power and money, in order to show her that she made a mistake, Jerry starts his newspaper distrib ...

'' (1938) as Jerry Flynn * ''

'' (1938) as Ned Seton * '' Rich Man, Poor Girl'' (1938) as Henry Thayer * '' Young Dr. Kildare'' (1938) as Dr. James Kildare * '' Spring Madness'' (1938) as Sam Thatcher * '' The Ice Follies of 1939'' (1939) as Eddie Burgess * '' Broadway Serenade'' (1939) as James Geoffrey Seymour * '' Calling Dr. Kildare'' (1939) as Dr. James Kildare * '' These Glamour Girls'' (1939) as Philip S. Griswold * '' The Secret of Dr. Kildare'' (1939) as Dr. James 'Jimmy' Kildare * '' Remember?'' (1939) as Sky Ames * '' Dr. Kildare's Strange Case'' (1940) as Dr. James 'Jimmy' Kildare * '' The Golden Fleecing'' (1940) as Henry Twinkle * ''

Dr. Kildare Goes Home ''Dr. Kildare Goes Home'' is a 1940 American drama film directed by Harold S. Bucquet, starring Lew Ayres, Lionel Barrymore and Laraine Day. It is the fifth in the MGM series of nine films with Lew Ayres as Dr. Kildare made from 1938–1942. P ...

'' (1940) as Dr. James Kildare * '' Dr. Kildare's Crisis'' (1940) as Dr. James 'Jimmy' Kildare * '' Maisie Was a Lady'' (1941) as Bob Rawlston * '' The People vs. Dr. Kildare'' (1941) as Dr. James Kildare * '' Dr. Kildare's Wedding Day'' (1941) as Dr. James Kildare * '' Dr. Kildare's Victory'' (1942) as Dr. James Kildare * '' Fingers at the Window'' (1942) as Oliver Duffy * '' The Dark Mirror'' (1946) as Dr. Scott Elliott * '' The Unfaithful'' (1947) as Larry Hannaford * '' The Way of Peace'' (1947, Short) as Narrator (voice) * '' Johnny Belinda'' (1948) as Dr. Robert Richardson * '' The Capture'' (1950) as Vanner * ''

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

'' (1951) as Capt. Hunt * '' No Escape'' (1953) as John Howard Tracy * '' Donovan's Brain'' (1953) as Dr. Patrick Cory * '' The Ford Show with Tennessee Ernie Ford'' (1958, TV series) as Father John Gerald * ''

The DuPont Show with June Allyson ''The DuPont Show with June Allyson'' (also known as ''The June Allyson Show'') is an American anthology drama series which aired on CBS from September 21, 1959, to April 3, 1961, with rebroadcasts continuing until June 12, 1961. The series w ...

'' (1960, TV series) as Howard Moon * '' The Barbara Stanwyck Show'' (NBC, 1961, TV series) as Dr. Paul Harris * '' Advise & Consent'' (1962) as the (U.S.) Vice President – Harley Hudson * ''

'' (1964) as 'Mac' McAllister * ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centered on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central charact ...

'' (1967, TV series) as Cole in "The Prodigal" * ''

The Big Valley ''The Big Valley'' is an American Western television series that originally aired from September 15, 1965, to May 19, 1969 on ABC. The series is set on the fictional Barkley Ranch in Stockton, California, from 1884 to 1888. The one-hour epis ...

'' (1967–1968, TV series) as Jason Fleet / Sheriff Roy Kingston * '' Hawaii Five-O'' (1968, TV series pilot) as Governor Paul Jameson * ''

The Doris Day Show ''The Doris Day Show'' is an American sitcom which was originally broadcast on CBS from September 1968 until March 1973, remaining on the air for five seasons and 128 episodes. The series is remembered for its multiple format and cast chang ...

'' (1970, TV series) as William Tyler * ''

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 ...

'' (1970, TV series) Professor Harper * '' Earth II'' (1971, TV movie) as U.S. President Charles Carter Durant * '' The Biscuit Eater'' (1972) as Mr. Ames * '' The Man'' (1972) as U.S. Vice President Noah Calvin * '' The Stranger'' (1973, TV movie) as Prof. Dylan MacAuley * '' Battle for the Planet of the Apes'' (1973) as Mandemus * ''Hawaii Five-O'' (1973, TV series) as Dr. Elias Haig in "Anybody Can Build a Bomb" (S6/Ep12) * '' Hawkins'' (1973, TV series) in "Blood Feud" (S1/Ep4) * '' The Questor Tapes'' (1974, TV movie) as Vaslovik * '' The Magician'' (1974, TV series) as Max Braden in "The Illusion Of The Evil Spikes" * '' Heat Wave!'' (1974, TV movie) as Dr. Grayson * '' Columbo: Mind over Mayhem'' (NBC, 1974, TV series) as Dr. Howard Nicholson * ''

'' (ABC, 1974) as Beaumont. Nominated for an Emmy, Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Comedy or Drama Series - 1975. * ''

Little House on the Prairie The ''Little House on the Prairie'' books comprise a series of American children's novels written by Laura Ingalls Wilder (b. Laura Elizabeth Ingalls). The stories are based on her childhood and adulthood in the Midwestern United States, Americ ...

'' (NBC, 1976) * ''

'' (1977, TV series) as Dr. Elijah Cooper * ''

The New Adventures of Wonder Woman ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

'' (1977, TV series) as Dr. Kenneth Wilson * ''

The Mary Tyler Moore Show ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (also known simply as ''Mary Tyler Moore'') is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns and starring actress Mary Tyler Moore. The show originally aired on CBS from September 19, 1970 ...

'' (1977, TV series) as Doug Booth * '' End of the World'' (1977) as Beckerman * '' Damien - Omen II'' (1978) as Bill Atherton * '' Battlestar Galactica: Saga of a Star World'' (1978) as Twelve Colonies President Adar * '' Salem's Lot'' (1979, TV movie) as Jason Burke *''Little House a new Beginning'' (1983) as Mr McCarey * '' The World of Don Camillo'' (1984) as Doc * '' Lime Street'' (1985–1986) as Henry Wade Culver * ''

The A-Team ''The A-Team'' is an American Action television, action television series that ran on NBC from January 23, 1983, to March 8, 1987, about a fictional team of former United States Army Special Forces who work as mercenaries while on the run from ...

'' (1986) as Bernie Greene * '' Highway to Heaven'' (1985–1989, TV series) as Ivan Zelenka / Frank Worton / Harry Haynes

Radio

* '' Philip Morris Playhouse''—episode ''

Dark Victory ''Dark Victory'' is a 1939 American melodrama film directed by Edmund Goulding, starring Bette Davis, and featuring George Brent, Humphrey Bogart, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Ronald Reagan, Henry Travers, and Cora Witherspoon. The screenplay by Casey ...

'' (1952) * ''The Story of Dr. Kildare'' (1949–1951 series)

References

;General sources * Coffin, Lesley L. (2012). ''Lew Ayres: Hollywood's Conscientious Objector''. Jackson:

University Press of Mississippi The University Press of Mississippi (UPM), founded in 1970, is a university press that is sponsored by the eight state universities in Mississippi (i.e., Alcorn State University, Delta State University, Jackson State University, Mississippi Sta ...

. . .

External links

*
Classic ImagesPhotographs of Lew Ayres
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ayres, Lew 1908 births 1996 deaths 20th-century American male actors 20th-century Lutherans American conscientious objectors American Lutherans American male film actors American male radio actors American male television actors Burials at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery California Republicans Combat medics Male actors from Minneapolis Male actors from San Diego Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract players Military personnel from Minneapolis United States Army personnel of World War II United States Army soldiers Universal Pictures contract players