Ned Wever (born Edward Hooper Weaver; April 27, 1902 – May 6, 1984) was an actor on stage and on

old-time radio The Golden Age of Radio, also known as the old-time radio (OTR) era, was an era of radio in the United States where it was the dominant electronic home entertainment medium. It began with the birth of commercial radio broadcasting in the early ...

. Garyn G. Roberts wrote in his book, ''Dick Tracy and American Culture: Morality and Mythology, Text and Context'', "Wever's most famous role was probably that of H.C. McNeile's British detective and adventurer Bulldog Drummond for the program of the same name."

Early years

The son of a New York attorney, Wever was born on April 27, 1902, in New York City.DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 281. He graduated from the Pawling School and Princeton University, where he was president of the Triangle Club dramatic organization in his senior year and was a member of the staff of ''

The Daily Princetonian ''The Daily Princetonian'', originally known as ''The Princetonian'' and nicknamed the Prince, is the independent daily student newspaper of Princeton University. Founded on June 14, 1876 as ''The'' ''Princetonian'', it changed its name to ''T ...

'' newspaper and the Nassau Literary Magazine.

Radio

Wever's roles on radio programs included those shown in the table below. He also had leads on ''True Detective'', ''The True Story Hour'', ''Angel of Mercy'' and ''Manhattan Mother'' and was heard frequently on ''The Wonder Show'', ''

Grand Central Station Grand Central Terminal (GCT; also referred to as Grand Central Station or simply as Grand Central) is a commuter rail terminal located at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Grand Central is the southern terminus ...

'', ''Perry Mason'' and ''The Cavalcade of America''.

Stage

Wever's initial professional stage work came with Stewart Walker's stock theater company in Indianapolis, Indiana. His

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 ...

credits include ''Days to Come'' (1936), '' The Second Little Show'' (1930) and ''The Grab Bag'' (1924).

Musical composition

In his book, ''The Great Radio Soap Operas'', Jim Cox called Wever "as talented a musician as he was an actor". Cox added, "He composed show tunes for Broadway productions featuring Billy Rose and Ed Wynn." Wever's compositions included "Spellbound", "I Can't Resist You", "Trouble in Paradise" and "Trust in Me".

Television

Wever was credited with more than 70 appearances on television programs, including ''

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 ...

'', ''

Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 13, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 432 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running western, the second-longest-running western series on U ...

'', ''

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 ...

'', ''

Get Smart ''Get Smart'' is an American comedy television series parodying the secret agent genre that had become widely popular in the first half of the 1960s, with the release of the ''James Bond'' films. It was created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, an ...

'' and ''

The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show ''The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show'', sometimes called ''The Burns and Allen Show'', was a half-hour television situation comedy broadcast from 1950 to 1958 on CBS. It starred George Burns and Gracie Allen, one of the most enduring acts in ...

''.

Personal life

Wever and his wife, Carla, had two daughters, Patricia and Pamela.

Death

Wever died of heart failure May 6, 1984, in a convalescent home in Laguna Hills, California.

Filmography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wever, Ned 1902 births 1984 deaths American male film actors American male radio actors American male television actors 20th-century American male actors