Don McGuire (born Don Rose; February 28, 1919 – April 13, 1999) was an American actor, director,

screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

, and producer known for his roles such as playing

Congo Bill Congorilla (originally in human: William "Congo Bill" Glenmorgan) is a superhero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics and Vertigo Comics. Originally co-created by writer Whitney Ellsworth and artist George Papp, he was later transfor ...

from

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

in the 1948 ''Congo Bill'' serial.

Early years

The son of Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin C. Rose, McGuire graduated from Senn High School, where he participated in four sports. Following studies at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

, he played semi-pro baseball in

Evansville, Indiana Evansville is a city in Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 118,414 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is Indiana's List of cities in Indiana, third-most populous city after India ...

, for a year, after which he began working at a newspaper as a copy boy. He progressed from that job to become a photographer and a reporter.

Career

McGuire worked at a newspaper in Chicago but left that job to enlist in the Army in 1941. He was a

military police Military police (MP) are law enforcement agencies connected with, or part of, the military of a state. Not to be confused with civilian police, who are legally part of the civilian populace. In wartime operations, the military police may supp ...

first sergeant, serving in the

Aleutian Islands The Aleutian Islands ( ; ; , "land of the Aleuts"; possibly from the Chukchi language, Chukchi ''aliat'', or "island")—also called the Aleut Islands, Aleutic Islands, or, before Alaska Purchase, 1867, the Catherine Archipelago—are a chain ...

until 1944. Back injuries ended his military service, and when he returned to civilian life, he worked in public relations in Hollywood, eventually opening his own business. While he was trying to secure a film role for his girlfriend, the director offered him a job instead. McGuire's acting debut came in ''

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

''. He went on to act in '' The Fuller Brush Man'' and '' Armored Car Robbery'', among other films. While acting, he also worked on several screenplays including '' Meet Danny Wilson'' and '' Bad Day at Black Rock''. In the early 1960s, he created, produced or co-produced, directed, and wrote scripts for the television series '' Hennesey'' (1959–1962) and '' Don't Call Me Charlie!'' (1962–1963), and he guest-starred as

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

Nuxhall in the 1962 episode "Play It, Sam" of the latter show. Towards the end of his career, he directed three films: '' Johnny Concho'', '' The Delicate Delinquent'', and '' Hear Me Good''.

Personal life

McGuire married and divorced twice. One of his wives was Karen X. Gaylord, whom he had married on August 15, 1948.

Death

Don McGuire died on April 13, 1999, aged 80, of complications from an unspecified illness, in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. He was survived by two nieces, Mary Beth Rose and Patty Rose.

Recognition

McGuire was nominated for the

Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay The Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay is the Academy Award (also known as an Oscar) for the best screenplay not based upon previously published material. It was created in 1940 as a separate writing award from the Academy Award for Best ...

for co-writing ''

Tootsie ''Tootsie'' is a 1982 American satirical romantic comedy film directed by Sydney Pollack from a screenplay by Larry Gelbart and Murray Schisgal and a story by Gelbart and Don McGuire. It stars Dustin Hoffman, Jessica Lange, Teri Garr, D ...

''. He won Screenwriters Guild Awards for his work on that film and on ''Bad Day at Black Rock''.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McGuire, Don 1919 births 1999 deaths Film directors from Illinois American male screenwriters 20th-century American male actors American male film actors Male actors from Chicago 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters Writers Guild of America Award winners