Tom Drake (born Alfred Sinclair Alderdice, August 5, 1918August 11, 1982) was an American actor. Drake made films starting in 1940 and continuing until the mid-1970s, and also made TV acting appearances.
Retrieved 11th December 2008

Early life and career

Drake was born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York, and attended

Iona Preparatory School Iona Preparatory School, or simply Iona Prep, is an independent, Roman Catholic, all-male, college-preparatory school located in the north end of New Rochelle, New York, in suburban Westchester County. It consists of the Upper School for Grade ...

and graduated from

Mercersburg Academy Mercersburg Academy (formerly Marshall College and Mercersburg College) is an independent selective college-preparatory boarding & day high school in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania in the United States. Founded in 1893, the school enrolls approximat ...

. He was excused from serving in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

due to heart problems. Despite this limitation, he did act in British

training film A training film is a form of educational film – a short subject documentary movie, that provides an introduction to a topic. Both narrative documentary and dramatisation styles may be used, sometimes both in the same production. While most ...

s. Billed as Alfred Alderdice, Drake appeared on Broadway in ''Run Sheep Run'' (1938) and ''Clean Beds'' (1939). After appearing in the film ''The Howards of Virginia'' (billed as Richard Alden), he got his break after starring in the 1942

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 ...

smash ''Janie'', after which he was signed to a contract with

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by amazon (company), Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded o ...

MGM

Tom Drake in Meet Me in St Louis trailer

MGM started Drake in a supporting role in ''

Two Girls and a Sailor ''Two Girls and a Sailor'' is a 1944 American musical film directed by Richard Thorpe and starring Van Johnson, June Allyson and Gloria DeHaven. Set on the American homefront during World War II, it's about two singing sisters who create a lavish ...

'' (1944). He was third billed in a "B", ''

Maisie Goes to Reno ''Maisie Goes to Reno'' is the eighth film starring Ann Sothern as Maisie Ravier, preceded by '' Swing Shift Maisie'' and followed by ''Up Goes Maisie''. John Hodiak plays her love interest in this 1944 romantic comedy. Plot Overworked World Wa ...

'' (1944) then had small roles in some "A" pictures, ''

Marriage Is a Private Affair ''Marriage is a Private Affair'' is a 1944 war-comedy film, directed by Robert Z. Leonard, based on novel ''Marriage Is a Private Affair'' (1941) by Judith Kelly. It stars Lana Turner, Frances Gifford and James Craig. Plot During World War II T ...

'' (1944) and ''

Mrs. Parkington ''Mrs. Parkington'' is a 1944 drama film. It tells the story of a woman's life, told via flashbacks, from boarding house maid to society matron. The movie was adapted by Polly James and Robert Thoeren from the novel by Louis Bromfield. It was ...

'' (1944). He was more prominently featured in his role as

Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in '' The ...

's leading man in 1944's ''

Meet Me in St. Louis ''Meet Me in St. Louis'' is a 1944 American Christmas film, Christmas musical film made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Divided into a series of seasonal vignettes, starting with Summer 1903, it relates the story of a year in the life of the Smith famil ...

''. He played John Truitt, the "boy next door". MGM promoted him to leading roles with ''

This Man's Navy ''This Man's Navy'' (aka ''Airship Squadron No. 4.'' and ''Lighter Than Air'') is a 1945 World War II film about U.S. Navy blimps directed by William A. Wellman and starring Wallace Beery, Tom Drake, Jan Clayton and James Gleason. The supporting ...

'' (1944) co starring

Wallace Beery Wallace Fitzgerald Beery (April 1, 1885 – April 15, 1949) was an American film and stage actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Bill in ''Min and Bill'' (1930) opposite Marie Dressler, as General Director Preysing in ''Grand Hotel'' (193 ...

. MGM gave Drake the star role in ''

The Green Years ''The Green Years'' is a 1944 novel by A. J. Cronin which traces the formative years of an Irish orphan, Robert Shannon, who is sent to live with his draconian maternal grandparents in Scotland. An introspective child, Robert forms an attachme ...

'' (1946), which was a huge hit.. It was followed by ''

Courage of Lassie ''Courage of Lassie'' is a 1946 Technicolor MGM feature film starring Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Morgan, and dog actor Pal in a story about a collie named Bill and his young companion, Kathie Merrick. When Bill is separated from Kathie followin ...

'' (1946), another big hit, and ''

Faithful in My Fashion ''Faithful in My Fashion'' is a 1946 American comedy film directed by Sidney Salkow and starring Donna Reed, Tom Drake and Edward Everett Horton. Plot Jeff (Tom Drake) arrives home to New York City after being away in the Army for several years. ...

'' (1946), which lost money. Universal borrowed him to play

Deanna Durbin Edna Mae Durbin (December 4, 1921 – April 17, 2013), known professionally as Deanna Durbin, was a Canadian-born actress and singer, who moved to the USA with her family in infancy. She appeared in musical films in the 1930s and 1940s. With t ...

's leading man in ''

I'll Be Yours ''I'll Be Yours'' is a 1947 American musical comedy film directed by William A. Seiter and starring Deanna Durbin. Based on the play '' A jó tündér'' by Ferenc Molnár, the film is about a small-town girl who tells a fib to a wealthy business ...

'' (1947). Back at MGM Drake was a support in ''

The Beginning or the End ''The Beginning or the End'' is a 1947 American docudrama film about the development of the atomic bomb in World War II, directed by Norman Taurog, starring Brian Donlevy, Robert Walker, and Tom Drake, and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. T ...

'' (1947) and '' Cass Timberlane'' (1947), and teamed with Beery again in ''

Alias a Gentleman ''Alias a Gentleman'' is a 1948 American romantic comedy film directed by Harry Beaumont and starring Wallace Beery. The supporting cast includes Dorothy Patrick, Tom Drake, Gladys George and Sheldon Leonard. Plot Jim Breedin has been in priso ...

'' (1948). He did another Lassie film, '' Hills of Home'' (1948) and played composer

Richard Rodgers Richard Charles Rodgers (June 28, 1902 – December 30, 1979) was an American Musical composition, composer who worked primarily in musical theater. With 43 Broadway musicals and over 900 songs to his credit, Rodgers was one of the most ...

in the loosely-based biography '' Words and Music'' (1948). ''Cass Timberlane'' was popular but the other films all lost money. Drake was borrowed by Fox to play the romantic lead in ''

Mr. Belvedere Goes to College ''Mr. Belvedere Goes to College'' is a 1949 American comedy film directed by Elliott Nugent. The screenplay written by Mary Loos, Mary C. McCall, Jr., and Richard Sale was based on characters created by Gwen Davenport. It follows on from '' Sitti ...

'' (1949) then at MGM was in '' Scene of the Crime'' (1949) with

Van Johnson Charles Van Dell Johnson (August 25, 1916 – December 12, 2008) was an American film, television, theatre and radio actor. He was a major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer during and after World War II. Johnson was described as the embodiment o ...

. He made ''

The Great Rupert ''The Great Rupert'' is a 1950 comedy family film starring Jimmy Durante, Tom Drake and Terry Moore, produced by George Pal and directed by Irving Pichel. It is based on a story written by Ted Allan that has also been published as a children's ...

'' (1950) for

George Pal George Pal (born György Pál Marczincsak; ; February 1, 1908 – May 2, 1980) was a Hungarian-American animator, film director and producer, principally associated with the fantasy and science-fiction genres. He became an American citizen after ...

Later career

Drake began appearing on episodes of TV shows such as ''

The Ford Theatre Hour ''Ford Theatre'', spelled ''Ford Theater'' for the original radio version and known, in full, as ''The Ford Television Theatre'' for the TV version, is a radio and television anthology series broadcast in the United States in the 1940s and 1950 ...

'', ''Suspense'', ''Lights Out'', ''Tales of Tomorrow'', ''The Unexpected'' He went to Columbia for ''

Never Trust a Gambler ''Never Trust a Gambler'' is a 1951 American film noir crime film directed by Ralph Murphy and starring Dane Clark, Cathy O'Donnell and Tom Drake. Plot Steve Garry, insisting he has quit gambling, asks his ex-wife Virginia Merrill if he can lay ...

'' (1951) and to Allied Artists for ''

Disc Jockey A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music f ...

'' (1951). He appeared in '' F.B.I. Girl'' (1951), and '' Sangaree'' (1953). After television jobs for actors transitioned from live telecasts from New York to shows that were filmed in California, Drake had roles 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 ...

series '' Lassie'',

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

's ''

Cimarron City Cimarron City is a town in Logan County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 150 at the 2010 census, a 39.4 percent gain over the figure of 110 in 2000.

'',

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

's ''

77 Sunset Strip ''77 Sunset Strip'' is an American television Private investigator#PIs in fiction, private detective drama series created by Roy Huggins and starring Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Roger Smith (actor), Roger Smith, Richard Long (actor), Richard Long (fr ...

'', ABC's '' The Rebel'', CBS’ ''

Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a c ...

'', ABC's ''

Combat! ''Combat!'' is an American television drama series that originally aired on ABC from 1962 until 1967. The exclamation point in ''Combat!'' was depicted on-screen as a stylized bayonet. The show covered the grim lives of a squad of American sol ...

'', ABC's ''

Land of the Giants ''Land of the Giants'' is a one-hour American science fiction television series that aired on ABC for two seasons, beginning on September 22, 1968 and ending on March 22, 1970. The show was created and produced by Irwin Allen. ''Land of the Gia ...

'', ''

'', NBC's ''

ADAM-12 ''Adam-12'' is an American television police procedural crime drama television series created by Robert A. Cinader and Jack Webb. The series follows Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers Pete Malloy and Jim Reed as they patrol the stre ...

'', ABC's ''

The Streets of San Francisco ''The Streets of San Francisco'' is a television crime drama filmed on location in San Francisco and produced by Quinn Martin, Quinn Martin Productions, with the first season produced in association with Warner Bros. Television (QM produced the ...

'' and NBC's '' Banacek''. He continued to appear in features, starring in ''The Cyclops'', ''

Date with Disaster ''Date with Disaster'' is a 1957 British crime film directed by Charles Saunders and starring Tom Drake, William Hartnell and Shirley Eaton. It was made at Southall Studios in London. Location shooting took place around Southall and Chiswick ...

'' (1957) (a rare lead), and '' Raintree County'' (1957). He played the leader of a gang of criminals in ''

Warlock A warlock is a male practitioner of witchcraft. Etymology and terminology The most commonly accepted etymology derives ''warlock'' from the Old English '' wǣrloga'', which meant "breaker of oaths" or "deceiver" and was given special applicatio ...

'' (1959) and was in ''

Money, Women and Guns ''Money, Women and Guns'' is a 1958 American Western film directed by Richard Bartlett and written by Montgomery Pittman. The film stars Jock Mahoney, Kim Hunter, Tim Hovey, Gene Evans, Tom Drake, Lon Chaney Jr., William Campbell, Jeffrey S ...

'' (1958). He also had a minor role in the film ''

The Singing Nun Jeanne-Paule Marie "Jeannine" Deckers (17 October 1933 – 29 March 1985), better known as Sœur Sourire () and often called The Singing Nun in English-speaking countries, was a Belgian singer-songwriter and a member of the Dominican Order in ...

'' (1966), playing

Ed Sullivan Edward Vincent Sullivan (September 28, 1901 – October 13, 1974) was an American television personality, impresario, sports and entertainment reporter, and syndicated columnist for the ''New York Daily News'' and the Chicago Tribune New York ...

's producer Mr. Fitzpatrick. His last acting credit was in 1975, according to his obituary in the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

''.

Personal life

Tom Drake was married to Isabelle Dunn during the 1940s. Drake was a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

and supported Adlai Stevenson during the 1952 presidential election.''Motion Picture and Television Magazine'', November 1952, page 33, Ideal Publishers

Death

Drake died of lung cancer at Torrance Memorial Hospital in

Torrance, California Torrance is a city in the Los Angeles metropolitan area located in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city is part of what is known as the South Bay (Los Angeles County), South Bay region of the m ...

(Los Angeles County) on August 11, 1982. His body is interred at Holy Cross Cemetery in

Culver City, California Culver City is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,779. Founded in 1917 as a "whites only" sundown town, it is now an ethnically diverse city with what was called the "third-most d ...

Filmography

Features: *''

Our Town ''Our Town'' is a 1938 metatheatrical three-act play by American playwright Thornton Wilder which won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The play tells the story of the fictional American small town of Grover's Corners between 1901 and 1913 throug ...

'' (1940) - Best Man at Wedding (uncredited) (film debut) *''

The Mortal Storm ''The Mortal Storm'' is a 1940 American drama film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.''Harrison's Reports'' film review; June 22, 1940, page 98. It was directed by Frank Borzage and stars Margaret Sullavan and James Stewart. The film shows the ...

'' (1940) - Student in Second Classroom Scene (uncredited) *''

The Howards of Virginia ''The Howards of Virginia'' is a 1940 American drama war film directed by Frank Lloyd, released by Columbia Pictures, and based on the book ''The Tree of Liberty'' written by Elizabeth Page. The Howards of Virginia live through the American Revo ...

'' (1940) - James Howard at 16 *''

Northern Pursuit ''Northern Pursuit'' is a 1943 American World War II film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Errol Flynn as a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) who tries to uncover a Nazi plot against the Allied war effort. The film was set in ...

'' (1943) - Heinzmann (uncredited) *''

'' (1944) - Frank Miller *'' The White Cliffs of Dover'' (1944) - Dying American Soldier (uncredited) *''

'' (1944) - Sgt. William (Bill) Fullerton *''

'' (1944) - Bill Rice *''

'' (1944) - Ned Talbot *''

'' (1944) - John Truitt *''

'' (1945) - Jess Weaver *''

Main Street After Dark ''Main Street After Dark'' is a 1945 American drama film directed by Edward L. Cahn and written by John C. Higgins and Karl Kamb. The film stars Edward Arnold, Selena Royle, Tom Trout, Audrey Totter, Dan Duryea, Hume Cronyn and Dorothy Morris. ...

'' (1945) - Radio Broadcaster (voice, uncredited) *''

'' (1946) - Robert Shannon as a Young Man *''

'' (1946) - Sergeant Smitty *''

'' (1946) - Jeff Compton *''

'' (1947) - George Prescott *''

'' (1947) - Matt Cochran *'' Cass Timberlane'' (1947) - Jamie Wargate *''

'' (1948) - Johnny Lorgen *'' Hills of Home'' (1948) - Tammas Milton *'' Words and Music'' (1948) - Richard 'Dick' Rodgers *''

'' (1949) - Bill Chase *'' Scene of the Crime'' (1949) - Detective 'C.C.' Gordon *''

'' (1950) - Peter 'Pete' Dingle *''

'' (1951) - Police Sgt. Ed Donovan *''

'' (1951) - Johnny *''

FBI Girl ''FBI Girl'' is a 1951 American film noir crime film about a female FBI employee who becomes involved in government plot involving corruption and murder. The film was directed by William A. Berke, and stars Cesar Romero, George Brent and Audrey ...

'' (1951) - Carl Chercourt *'' Sangaree'' (1953) - Dr. Roy Darby *''

Betrayed Women ''Betrayed Women'' is a 1955 American crime film directed by Edward L. Cahn and written by Steve Fisher. The film stars Carole Mathews, Beverly Michaels, Peggy Knudsen, Tom Drake, Sara Haden, John Dierkes and Esther Dale. The film was rele ...

'' (1955) - Jeff Darrell *''

Sudden Danger ''Sudden Danger'' is a 1955 American film noir crime drama directed by Hubert Cornfield and starring Bill Elliott, Beverly Garland, and Tom Drake.. Plot Police detective Doyle (Elliott) is investigating the alleged suicide of a woman who heads ...

'' (1955) - Wallace Curtis *'' The Cyclops'' (1957) - Lee Brand *''

'' (1957) - Miles Harrington *'' Raintree County'' (1957) - Bobby Drake *''

'' (1958) - Jess Ryerson *''

'' (1959) - Abe McQuown *'' The Bramble Bush'' (1960) - Larry McFie *''

The Sandpiper ''The Sandpiper'' is a 1965 American drama film directed by Vincente Minnelli and starring Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. Plot Laura Reynolds is a free-spirited, unwed single mother living with her young son Danny in an isolated beach house ...

'' (1965) - Walter Robinson *'' House of the Black Death'' (1965) - Paul Desard *'' Johnny Reno'' (1966) - Joe Conners *''

'' (1966) - Fitzpatrick *''

Red Tomahawk ''Red Tomahawk'' is a 1967 American Western (genre), Western film directed by R. G. Springsteen and written by Steve Fisher (writer), Steve Fisher. The film stars Howard Keel, Joan Caulfield, Broderick Crawford, Scott Brady, Wendell Corey, Rich ...

'' (1967) - Bill Kane *'' Deadly Inheritance'' (1968) - Phil Sutton *'' Warkill'' (1968) - Inspector Gerard Greville *'' Cycle Psycho'' (1973) - Dick Ridelander *''The Spectre of Edgar Allan Poe'' (1974) - Dr. Adam Forrest (final film)

References

External links

* * as (Alfred Alderdice) {{DEFAULTSORT:Drake, Tom 1918 births 1982 deaths American male film actors American male television actors American male stage actors People from Brooklyn Deaths from lung cancer in California Burials at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract players 20th-century American male actors Male actors from New York City California Democrats New York (state) Democrats American Roman Catholics