Pat Hingle
(1923 - 2009)Even when he was cast as a surly, mean spirited type you couldn't help but like Pat Hingle. Tall, stocky and intense looking with a built-in scowl and folksy twang he was a gifted scene stealer. He could play heroes or villains with equal panache. He most often played authoritative types: Judges, Military Officers, Police Officials domineering fathers, etc. Born Martin Patterson Hingle on July 19, 1923 in Denver, Colorado, the son of a construction worker, he was educated at the University of Texas after a hitch in the Navy during World War II. Although he worked other jobs including laborer, waiter and construction worker, like his father, he was very serious about acting as a career and he studied at the Theatre Wing, the Berghof studio and the Actors Studio in New York. In the 1950s he starred in theatre on Broadway and later appeared in films. Although he preferred the stage to films and TV, he did fine work in all media. On Broadway he starred in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof", "The Odd Couple", "The Prize" and "Dark at the Top of the Stairs". His film credits include: "On the Waterfront" (1954) in a bit part as a Bartender, his film debut; "The Strange One" (1957) with Ben Gazzara, as Cadet Harold 'Harry' Koble; "No Down Payment" (1957) as Herman Kreitzer; "Splendor in the Grass" (1961) with Natalie Wood, as Ace Stamper, one of my favorite Hingle roles; "The Ugly American" (1962) as Homer Atkins; "All the Way Home" (1963) as Ralph Follet; "Invitation to a Gunfighter" (1964) as Sam Brewster; "Nevada Smith" (1966) with Steve McQueen, as Big Foot; "Hang 'em High" (196) as Judge Adam Fenton; "Sol Madrid" (1968) as Harry Mitchell; "Jigsaw" (1968) as Lew Haley; "Bloody Mama" (1970) as Sam Adams Pendlebury; "WUSA" (1970) as Bingamon; "Norwood" (1970) as Grady Fring; "The Carey Treatment" (1972) as Capt. Pearson; "Nightmare Honeymoon" (1973) as Mr. Binghamton; "One Little Indian" (1973) as Capt. Stewart; "Running Wild" (1973) as Quentin Hogue; "Happy as the Grass Was Green" (1973) as Eli; "The Super Cops" (1974) as Novick; "Independence" (1976) as John Adams; "The Gauntlet" (1977) as Josephson; "When You Comin' Back Red Ryder" (1979) as Lyle Striker; "Norma Rae" (1979) with Sally Field, as Vernon; "Running Scared" (1980) as Sgt. McClain; "Going Berserk" (1983) as Ed Reese; "Running Brave" (1983) as Coach Bill Easton; "Sudden Impact" (1983) as Chief Jannings; "The Act" (1984) as Frank Boda; "The Falcon and the Snowman" (1984) as Mr. Boyce; "Brewster's Millions" (1985) as Edward Roundfield; "Maximum Overdrive" (1986) as Hendershot; "Baby Boom" (1987) as Hughes Larrabee; "The Land Before Time" (1988) as Voice of Narrator; "Batman" (1989) as Commissioner Gordon, which he played in the sequels also; "The Grifters" (1990) as Bobo Justus; "Batman Returns" (1992) as Commr. Gordon; "Lightning Jack" (1994) as U.S. Marshal Dan Kurtz; "The Quick and the Dead" (1995) as Horace; "Batman Forever" (1995) as Commr. Gordon; "Larger Than Life" (1996) as Vernon; "Bastard Out of Carolina" (1996) as Mr. Waddell; "Horror Story" (1997) as Judge Caldwell; "A Thousand Acres" (1997) as Harold Clark; "Batman and Robin" (1997) as Commr. Gordon; "The Hunter's Moon" (1999) as Judge Tully; "Muppets in Space" (1999) as Gen. Luft; "Morning" (2000) as Major Sonny; "Shaft" (2000) as Judge Dennis Bradford; "The Greatest Adventure of My Life" (2001) as Gen J.T. Boone; "Road to Redemption" (2001) as Grandpa Nathan Tucker; The Angel Doll" (2002) as Noah Roudabush; "Two Tickets to Paradise" (2006) as Mark's Dad; "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" (2006) as Mr. Dennit Sr.; "Waltzing Anna" (2006) as Mo Kegley; "The List" (2007) as Gus Eicholtz and his last film "Undoing Time" (2008) as Judge. He was also very prolific on TV appearing as a regular on: "Gunsmoke" (1971) as Dr. John Chapman, replacing Milburn Stone temporarily; "Stone" (1980) as Chief Paulton and he excelled in roles in numerous made for TV movies including: "The Last Angry Man" (1974) another of my favorite Hingle roles; "Elvis" (1979) with Kurt Russell, as Col. Tom Parker; "Off the Minnesota Strip" (1980); "Of Mice and Men" (1986) and the mini-series: "War and Remembrance" (1989) as Adm. William F. 'Bull' Halsey; "The Kennedys of Massachusetts" (1990) as P.J. Kennedy; "Truman" (1995) as Boss Pendergast and "The Shining" (1997) as Bill Watson. He also guest starred on many TV series including: "Alfred Hitchcock Presents"; "Twilight Zone"; "The Fugitive"; "Mission: Impossible"; "Hawaii 5-0"; "Murder She Wrote"; "Wings"; "Matlock"; "Cheers"; "In the Heat of the Night"; "The Equalizer"; "Homicide: Life on the Street" and "Touched by an Angel." He was married to Alyce Dorsey in 1947 and they had three children but were later divorced. His career was interrupted for a few years due to a near fatal accident where he suffered severe injuries after falling 54 feet down an elevator shaft. He remarried in 1979 to Julia Wright and they lived in North Carolina thru to his death. He died of blood cancer on January 3, 2009 in Carolina Beach, North Carolina at age 84.
From Great Character Actors, Page 3.
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