Rudolph Bond (October 10, 1912 – March 29, 1982) was an American actor who was active from 1947 until his death. His work spanned Broadway, films and television.

Early life

Bond was born in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, the second youngest of five children. He was raised in urban Philadelphia by his mother. He was educated in Philadelphia schools, and eventually received a BA degree from Central High, the only school in the nation certificated to grant such degrees. Bond was introduced to the world of acting at the age of 16. He was playing basketball with a group of friends when Julie Sutton, the director of a city amateur acting group (Neighborhood Players, which performed in the same building as the basketball area) approached the group and asked if anybody wanted to be in an upcoming play. He volunteered, and acted in several plays before leaving Philadelphia to join 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 ...

. He spent four years in the army, was wounded while serving in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, and returned to Philadelphia upon his discharge.

Career

He continued acting in the Neighborhood Players until 1945, when he won second prize in the John Golden Award for Actors, which allowed him to enroll in

Elia Kazan Elias Kazantzoglou (, ; September 7, 1909 – September 28, 2003), known as Elia Kazan ( ), was a Greek-American film and theatre director, producer, screenwriter and actor, described by ''The New York Times'' as "one of the most honored and inf ...

's Actors Studio in New York City. Kazan got him a substantial role in two stage productions. After his success in the second ''( A Streetcar Named Desire''), he was invited to Hollywood to recreate his stage role in the movie version. In 1951, he appeared in "Romeo and Juliet" at the Broadhurst Theatre in New York and in 1960 he toured in "Fiorello" (which starred Tom Bosley). He spent the next thirty years bouncing between California and New York, and between movie and television work.

Personal life

Bond met Alma Halbert when she auditioned for a Neighborhood Players role. He was 25, she was 15. They were married in 1948. They had three children: fraternal twins Jonathan and Janet rs. Brill and Zane. Alma went on to have a successful career on her own, as an analytical psychologist and author. She published sixteen books, and numerous articles both about psychiatry and about her Hollywood experiences. Rudy Bond died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

Denver, Colorado Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

, outside the box office of a theater where the next day he was scheduled to begin appearing in a production of ''What the Babe Said'' (he was to portray Babe Ruth). Bond wrote an autobiography but it was not completed before he died. Alma completed it, added an introduction, and had it published in 2000.

Acting credits

Film

*1950: '' With These Hands'' - Business Agent (uncredited) *1951: '' A Streetcar Named Desire'' - Steve Hubbell *1953: '' Miss Sadie Thompson'' - Pvt. Hodges *1954: ''

On The Waterfront ''On the Waterfront'' is a 1954 American crime drama film, directed by Elia Kazan and written by Budd Schulberg. It stars Marlon Brando, and features Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb, Rod Steiger, Pat Henning and Eva Marie Saint in her film de ...

'' - Moose *1957: '' Nightfall'' - Red *1957: '' 12 Angry Men'' - Judge (uncredited) *1957: '' The Brothers Rico'' - Charlie Gonzales *1957: '' The Hard Man'' - John Rodman *1958: '' Run Silent, Run Deep'' - Sonarman 1st Class Cullen *1959: '' Middle of the Night'' - Gould *1960: '' Because They're Young'' - Chris *1960: '' The Mountain Road'' - Sgt. Miller *1960: ''

BUtterfield 8 ''BUtterfield 8'' is a 1960 American drama film directed by Daniel Mann, starring Elizabeth Taylor and Laurence Harvey. Taylor won her first Academy Award for her performance in a leading role. The film was based on a 1935 novel of the same ...

'' - Big Man (uncredited) *1970: '' Hercules in New York'' - Ship's Captain *1970: '' Move'' - Detective Sawyer *1971: '' Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me?'' - News Dealer *1971: '' Mr. Forbush and the Penguins'' - 3rd Pilot *1972: ''

The Godfather ''The Godfather'' is a 1972 American Epic film, epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo's best-selling The Godfather (novel), 1969 novel. The film stars an ensemble cast inc ...

'' - Don Carmine Cuneo *1974: '' The Super Cops'' - Policeman (uncredited) *1974: '' The Taking of Pelham One Two Three'' - Phil, Police Commissioner *1979: '' The Rose'' - Monty

Television credits

Bond appeared in over 100 TV shows. Episodes in which he is credited include: *1952: 2 series *1954: 2 series *1955: 2 series *1956: 6 series *1957: 2 series *1958: 5 series *1959: 3 series *1961: 1 series *1962: 1 series *1963: 5 series *1964: 3 series *1966: 1 series *1967: 1 series *1969: 2 series *1973: 1 series *1974: 2 series *1976: 1 series *1977: 2 series *1978: 3 series *1979: 3 series

New York stage credits

*1947: O'Daniel * A Streetcar Named Desire *1950: The Bird Cage *1951:

Romeo and Juliet ''The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet'', often shortened to ''Romeo and Juliet'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare about the romance between two young Italians from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's ...

* Glad Tidings *1952: Golden Boy * Fiorello!''Alma H. Bond'', p. 10 * After the Fall *1967:

Illya Darling ''Illya Darling'' is a musical theatre, musical with a book by Jules Dassin, music by Manos Hadjidakis, and lyrics by Joe Darion, based on Dassin's 1960 film ''Never on Sunday''. Production The show previewed in a tour of Philadelphia, Toronto an ...

*1968: A Mother's Kisses *1972: Night Watch

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bond, Rudy 1912 births 1982 deaths Male actors from Philadelphia American male film actors American male stage actors American male television actors Writers from Pennsylvania United States Army personnel of World War II 20th-century American male actors