Will T Hare (March 30, 1916 – August 31, 1997) was an American

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

who appeared on

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

and

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

s, often playing old crusty figures and father/grandpa roles. Hare was born in

Elkins, West Virginia Elkins is a city in and the county seat of Randolph County, West Virginia, United States. The community was incorporated in 1890 and named in honor of Stephen Benton Elkins, a U.S. Senator from West Virginia. The population was 6,950 at the 2020 ...

, the son of Frances Laetitia (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Satterfield) and George Thomas Hare.

Career

Will had appeared on

stage Stage or stages may refer to: Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage" * ''The Stage'', a weekly British theatre newspaper * Sta ...

screen Screen or Screens may refer to: Arts * Screen printing (also called ''silkscreening''), a method of printing * Big screen, a nickname associated with the motion picture industry * Split screen (filmmaking), a film composition paradigm in which mul ...

, and television since he was 15. Becoming a veteran of stage for over a half of a century, Hare's film debut was

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

's ''

The Wrong Man ''The Wrong Man'' is a 1956 American docudrama film noir directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Henry Fonda and Vera Miles. The film was drawn from the true story of an innocent man charged with a crime, as described in the book ''The True Sto ...

'' (1956) and his final theatrical appearance was ''Me and Veronica'' in 1992. Hare's other distinctive film credits include roles in ''

The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds ''The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds'' is a play written by Paul Zindel, a playwright and science teacher. Zindel received the 1971 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and a New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for the work. Productions ...

'' (1972), '' The Rose'' (1979), ''

The Electric Horseman ''The Electric Horseman'' is a 1979 American western comedy-drama film starring Robert Redford and Jane Fonda and directed by Sydney Pollack. The film is about a former rodeo champion who is hired by a cereal company to become its spokesperson a ...

'' (1979), ''

Enter the Ninja ''Enter the Ninja'' is a 1981 American martial arts film directed by Menahem Golan and starring Franco Nero, Susan George, Sho Kosugi and Christopher George. The film is about a martial artist named Cole (Nero) who is visiting his friend Fr ...

'' (1981), '' Eyes of Fire'' (1983), ''

Silent Night, Deadly Night ''Silent Night, Deadly Night'' is a 1984 American slasher film directed by Charles E. Sellier, Jr., and starring Robert Brian Wilson, Lilyan Chauvin, Gilmer McCormick, Toni Nero, Linnea Quigley, Britt Leach, and Leo Geter. The story concerns a ...

'' (1984), '' The Aviator'' (1985), ''

Back to the Future ''Back to the Future'' is a 1985 American science fiction film directed by Robert Zemeckis, and written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale. It stars Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, and Thomas F. Wilson. Set in 1985, ...

'' (1985, as gun-toting farmer "Old Man Peabody"), ''

Vendetta Vendetta may refer to: * Feud or vendetta, a long-running argument or fight Film * ''Vendetta'' (1919 film), a film featuring Harry Liedtke * ''Vendetta'' (1950 film), an American drama produced by Howard Hughes * ''Vendetta'' (1986 film), a ...

'' (1986) and ''

Grim Prairie Tales ''Grim Prairie Tales'' is a 1990 American independent horror Western film, written and directed by Wayne Coe, and starring an ensemble cast including James Earl Jones, Brad Dourif, Will Hare, Marc McClure, William Atherton, and Lisa Eichhorn. ...

'' (1990). Hare was also an active member of the

Screen Actor's Guild The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) was an American labor union which represented over 100,000 film and television principal and background performers worldwide. On March 30, 2012, the union leadership announced that the SAG membership voted to m ...

for several years and also of the

Actors Studio The Actors Studio is a membership organization for professional actors, theatre directors and playwrights at 432 West 44th Street between Ninth and Tenth avenues in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded ...

, where he died of a heart attack on August 31, 1997 during a rehearsal. Hare also appeared in the cover art for the entire

Chessmaster ''Chessmaster'' is a chess-playing computer game series, which is owned and developed by Ubisoft. It is the best-selling chess franchise in history, with more than five million units sold . Timeline *1986: '' The Chessmaster 2000''. First pub ...

franchise of videogames created by

The Software Toolworks The Software Toolworks (commonly abbreviated as Toolworks) was an American software and video game developer based in Novato, California. The company was founded by Walt Bilofsky in 1980 out of his Sherman Oaks, California, Sherman Oaks garage, ...

.The Life, and Death, of PC Gaming's Most Famous Cover Star
''Kotaku'' (August 31, 2012)

Partial filmography

* ''

The Greatest Gift "The Greatest Gift" is a 1943 short story written by Philip Van Doren Stern, loosely based on the Charles Dickens 1843 novella '' A Christmas Carol'', which became the basis for the film ''It's a Wonderful Life'' (1946). It was self-published a ...

'' (1954-1955) — Harold Matthews *''

'' (1956) - Raymond McKaba (uncredited) *''Without Each Other'' (1962) - Father *''

'' (1972) - Junk Man *''

Black Oak Conspiracy ''Black Oak Conspiracy'' is a 1977 American action film directed by Bob Kelljan and written by Hugh Smith. The film stars Jesse Vint, Karen Carlson, Albert Salmi, Seymour Cassel, Douglas Fowley and Robert F. Lyons. The film was released on April ...

'' (1977) - Doc Roades *'' Heaven Can Wait'' (1978) - Team Doctor *'' Butch and Sundance: The Early Days'' (1979) - (uncredited) *'' The Rose'' (1979) - Mr. Leonard *''

'' (1979) - Gus *''

'' (1981) - Dollars *'' Pennies from Heaven'' (1981) - Father Everson *'' Eyes of Fire'' (1983) - Calvin *''

'' (1984) - Grandpa *'' The Aviator'' (1985) - Old Man *''

'' (1985) - Pa Peabody *''

'' (1986) - Judge Waters *''

'' (1990) - Lee *''

Me and Veronica ''Me and Veronica'' is a 1992 American drama film directed by Don Scardino (in his feature directorial debut), written by Leslie Lyles, and starring Elizabeth McGovern, Patricia Wettig and Michael O'Keefe. Plot Cast *Elizabeth McGovern as Fann ...

'' (1993) - Red *''

Mob Queen ''Mob Queen'' is a 1998 American romantic comedy directed by Jon Carnoy and written by Mike Horelick. Plot The film is set in Brooklyn in 1957. After the consigliere (assistant) to the Mafia Don dies, crushed by a crate of tuna-fish cans, small ...

'' (1998) - Father Doyle (final film role)

References

External links

*
Will Hare
at the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

'
Actors Studio audio collection
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hare, Will 1916 births 1997 deaths Male actors from West Virginia American male film actors American male stage actors American male television actors People from Elkins, West Virginia 20th-century American male actors