Burl Ives
(1909 - 1995)He was not only a great character actor but also one of the most talented musicians and singers in the world. His honey smooth singing voice had long been admired before we ever witnessed his immense acting talents. A man of great stature, rotund with a very jolly face framed by white hair and a goatee, with twinkling eyes, rosy cheeks and that very soothing tenor voice he looked a lot like Santa Claus. He started acting late in life and played mostly aging characters: uncles, doctors, politicians, patriarchs, sheriffs and other authority types. He was born Burle Icle Ivanhoe Ives on June 14, 1909 in Hunt Township, Illinois, the youngest of six children of a Scottish-Irish farm couple. He grew up in Jasper County, Illinois and as a youngster he sang in church and at town gatherings. He learned folk songs and ballads from his pipe-smoking grandmother as a boy. He attended Illinois State Teacher's College in the late 1920s but dropped out and roamed the country working odd jobs and singing with the likes of Josh White and Woody Guthrie. As his music became popular through radio and recordings his fame grew. One story claims that after a fight over his music with a man who claimed it was sissified, he ended up with bruises, abrasions and two black eyes. This caught the eye of director Elia Kazan who cast him in his famous role as 'Big Daddy' in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" on Broadway. This led to a successful career on stage and then to movies. Among his film credits are: "Smoky" (1946) as Bill, his film debut; "Station West" (1948) as Hotel Clerk; "Green Grass of Wyoming" (1948) as Gus; Disney's "So Dear to My Heart" (1949) as Uncle Hiram; "Sierra" (1950) as Lonesome; "East of Eden" (1955) with James Dean, as Sam; "The Power and the Prize" (1956) as George Salt; "A Face in the Crowd" (1957) with Andy Griffith, uncredited as Himself; "The Big Country" (1958) as Rufus Hannassey, a role which won him an Oscar as Best Supporting Actor; "Wind Across the Everglades" (1958) as Cottonmouth; "Desire Under the Elms" (1958) as Ephraim Cabot; "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" (1958) with Paul Newman, reprising his stage role as Big Daddy; "Day of the Outlaw" (1959) as Jack Bruhn; "Our Man in Havana" (1960) as Dr. Hasselbacher; "Let No Man Write My Epitaph" (1960) as Judge Bruce M. Sullivan; "The Spiral Road" (1962) as Dr. Brits Jansen; "Summer Magic" (1963) as Osh Popham; "The Brass Bottle" (1964) as Fakrash; "Ensign Pulver" (1964) as The Captain; "Rocket to the Moon" (1967) as Phineas T. Barnum; "The McMasters" (1969) as McMasters; "Bakers Hawk" (1976) as Mr. McGraw; "Just You and Me, Kid" (1979) as Max; "Earthbound" (1981) as Ned Anderson; "White Dog" (1982) as Carruthers; "Uphill All the Way" (1985) as Sheriff John Catledge and "Two Moon Junction" (1988) as Sheriff Earl Hawkins, his final film role. On TV he was a regular on the series: "High-Low" (1957) a quiz show, as Panelist; "O.K. Crackerby" (1965-66) as O.K. Crackerby; "The Lawyers" (1969-72) as Walter Nichols; "Captains and Kings" (1976) a mini-series, as Old Syrup and "Roots" (1977) a mini-series, as Sen. Arthur Johnson. He appeared in TV movies including: "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (1964) as Narrator, probably his best known role to most generations of children; "The Sound of Anger" (1968); "The Whole World is Watching" (1969); "The Man Who Wanted to Live Forever" (1970); "The New Adventures of Heidi" (1978) and "Poor Little Rich Girl: The Barbara Hutton Story" (1987). He also guested on such shows as: "Zane Grey Theater"; "The Andy Williams Show"; "Alias Smith and Jones"; "Night Gallery" and "Little House on the Prairie." He alternated his singing and acting careers but never gave up either one. His singing voice was extraordinary and he was one of the great singers of the 20th Century. He was a master of folk/pop music. He was married to Helen Peck Ehrich in 1945 and they had an adopted son. He divorced Helen and later married Dorothy Koster in 1971 and she had three children by a previous marriage. He died of cancer of the mouth on April 14, 1995 in Anacortes, Washington.
From Great Character Actors, Page 8.
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