Carver Dana Andrews (January 1, 1909 – December 17, 1992) was an American film actor who became a major star in what is now known as

film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American '' ...

. A leading man during the 1940s, he continued acting in less prestigious roles and

character Character or Characters may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk * ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to The ...

parts into the 1980s. He is best known for his portrayal of obsessed police detective Mark McPherson in the noir '' Laura'' (1944) and his critically acclaimed performance as

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

veteran Fred Derry in '' The Best Years of Our Lives'' (1946).

Early life

Andrews was born on a farmstead near Collins in southern

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

, the third of 13 children of Charles Forrest Andrews, a

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul c ...

minister, and his wife Annis (''née'' Speed). The family subsequently relocated to Huntsville, Texas, the birthplace of his younger siblings, including fellow Hollywood actor Steve Forrest (born William Forrest Andrews). Andrews attended college at

Sam Houston State University Sam Houston State University (SHSU or Sam) is a public university in Huntsville, Texas. It was founded in 1879 and is the third-oldest public college or university in Texas. It is one of the first normal schools west of the Mississippi River and ...

in Huntsville and studied business administration in

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 ...

. During 1931, he traveled to Los Angeles to pursue opportunities as a singer. He worked various jobs, such as at a gas station in the nearby community of

Van Nuys Van Nuys () is a neighborhood in the central San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Home to Van Nuys Airport and the Valley Municipal Building, it is the most populous neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley. History In 1909, ...

. To help the struggling Andrews study music at night, "The station owners stepped in ... with a deal: $50 a week for full-time study, in exchange for a five-year share of possible later earnings", which he started repaying after signing with Goldwyn.

Career

Sam Goldwyn and 20th Century Fox

Virginia Gilmore-Dana Andrews in Swamp Water

In 1938, Andrews was spotted in the play ''Oh Evening Star'' and Samuel Goldwyn signed the promising actor to a contract, but felt he needed time to develop experience. Andrews continued at the Pasadena Playhouse, working in over 20 productions and proposed to second wife Mary Todd. After twelve months, Goldwyn sold part of Andrews' contract to

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Disn ...

, where he was put to work on the first of two

B pictures A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double feature ...

; his first role was in '' Lucky Cisco Kid'' (1940). He then appeared in '' Sailor's Lady'' (1940), developed by Goldwyn, but released by Fox. Andrews was loaned to

Edward Small Edward Small (born Edward Schmalheiser, February 1, 1891, Brooklyn, New York – January 25, 1977, Los Angeles) was a film producer from the late 1920s through 1970, who was enormously prolific over a 50-year career. He is best known for the movi ...

to appear in '' Kit Carson'' (1940), before Goldwyn used him for the first time in a Goldwyn production:

William Wyler William Wyler (; born Willi Wyler (); July 1, 1902 – July 27, 1981) was a Swiss-German-American film director and producer who won the Academy Award for Best Director three times, those being for '' Mrs. Miniver'' (1942), '' The Best Years o ...

's '' The Westerner'' (1940), featuring

Gary Cooper Gary Cooper (born Frank James Cooper; May 7, 1901May 13, 1961) was an American actor known for his strong, quiet screen persona and understated acting style. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice and had a further three nominations, a ...

. Andrews had supporting roles in Fox films '' Tobacco Road'' (1941), directed by John Ford; '' Belle Starr'' (1941), with

Randolph Scott George Randolph Scott (January 23, 1898 – March 2, 1987) was an American film actor whose career spanned the years from 1928 to 1962. As a leading man for all but the first three years of his cinematic career, Scott appeared in a variety of ...

and Gene Tierney, billed third; and ''

Swamp Water ''Swamp Water'' is a 1941 American film noir crime film directed by Jean Renoir and starring Walter Brennan and Walter Huston. Based on the novel by Vereen Bell, it was produced at 20th Century Fox. The film was shot on location at Okefenokee Sw ...

'' (1941), starring Walter Brennan and Walter Huston and directed by

Jean Renoir Jean Renoir (; 15 September 1894 – 12 February 1979) was a French film director, screenwriter, actor, producer and author. As a film director and actor, he made more than forty films from the silent era to the end of the 1960s. His films '' ...

. His next film for Goldwyn was the

Howard Hawks Howard Winchester Hawks (May 30, 1896December 26, 1977) was an American film director, producer and screenwriter of the classic Hollywood era. Critic Leonard Maltin called him "the greatest American director who is not a household name." A ...

comedy '' Ball of Fire'' (1941), again teaming with Cooper, with Andrews playing the villain, a gangster.

Leading man

Dana Andrews Richard Loo Purple Heart 1944

Back at Fox, Andrews was given his first lead, in the

B-picture A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double featur ...

war movie '' Berlin Correspondent'' (1942). He was second lead to

Tyrone Power Tyrone Edmund Power III (May 5, 1914 – November 15, 1958) was an American actor. From the 1930s to the 1950s, Power appeared in dozens of films, often in swashbuckler roles or romantic leads. His better-known films include ''Jesse James (193 ...

in '' Crash Dive'' (1943) and then appeared in the 1943 film adaptation of ''

The Ox-Bow Incident ''The Ox-Bow Incident'' is a 1943 American Western film directed by William A. Wellman, starring Henry Fonda, Dana Andrews and Mary Beth Hughes, with Anthony Quinn, William Eythe, Harry Morgan and Jane Darwell. Two cowboys arrive in a ...

'' with Henry Fonda, in a role often cited as one of his best in which he played a

lynching Lynching is an extrajudicial killing by a group. It is most often used to characterize informal public executions by a mob in order to punish an alleged transgressor, punish a convicted transgressor, or intimidate people. It can also be an ex ...

victim. Andrews then went back to Goldwyn for '' The North Star'' (1943), directed by

Lewis Milestone Lewis Milestone (born Leib Milstein (Russian: Лейб Мильштейн); September 30, 1895 – September 25, 1980) was a Moldovan-American film director. He is known for directing '' Two Arabian Knights'' (1927) and ''All Quiet on the Weste ...

. He worked on a government propaganda film '' December 7th: The Movie'' (1943), then was used by Goldwyn again in '' Up in Arms'' (1944), supporting

Danny Kaye Danny Kaye (born David Daniel Kaminsky; yi, דוד־דניאל קאַמינסקי; January 18, 1911 – March 3, 1987) was an American actor, comedian, singer and dancer. His performances featured physical comedy, idiosyncratic pantomimes, and ...

. Andrews was reunited with Milestone at Fox for '' The Purple Heart'' (1944), then was in '' Wing and a Prayer'' (1944) for Henry Hathaway.

Critical success and noir

One of his most famous roles was as a detective infatuated with a presumed murder victim, played by Gene Tierney, in '' Laura'' (1944), produced at Fox and directed by

Otto Preminger Otto Ludwig Preminger ( , ; 5 December 1905 – 23 April 1986) was an Austrian-American theatre and film director, film producer, and actor. He directed more than 35 feature films in a five-decade career after leaving the theatre. He first gai ...

. He co-starred with Jeanne Crain in the movie musical '' State Fair'' (1945), a huge hit, and was reunited with Preminger for the film noir '' Fallen Angel'' (1945). Andrews made another war movie with Milestone, '' A Walk in the Sun'' (1945), then was loaned to

Walter Wanger Walter Wanger (born Walter Feuchtwanger; July 11, 1894 – November 18, 1968) was an American film producer active from the 1910s, his career concluding with the turbulent production of ''Cleopatra,'' his last film, in 1963. He began at Param ...

for a western, '' Canyon Passage'' (1946), directed by

Jacques Tourneur Jacques Tourneur (; November 12, 1904 – December 19, 1977) was a French film director known for the classic film noir ''Out of the Past'' and a series of low-budget horror films he made for RKO Studios, including '' Cat People'', ''I Walked w ...

and co-featuring

Susan Hayward Susan Hayward (born Edythe Marrenner; June 30, 1917 – March 14, 1975) was an American film actress, best known for her film portrayals of women that were based on true stories. After working as a fashion model for the Walter Thornton Model A ...

. Andrews' second film with William Wyler, also for Goldwyn, became his best known: '' The Best Years of Our Lives'' (1946). It was both a popular and critical success. Upon release, the topical film about American society's problems in re-integrating military veterans after World War II outgrossed the longstanding box office success of '' Gone with the Wind'' (1939) in the U.S. and Britain. In 2007, the film ranked number 37th on AFI's Top 100 Years...100 Movies. Andrews appeared in ''

Boomerang! ''Boomerang!'' is a 1947 American crime semidocumentary film based on the true story of a vagrant accused of murder who is found not guilty through the efforts of the prosecutor. It stars Dana Andrews, Lee J. Cobb, Karl Malden, Arthur Kennedy a ...

'' (1947), directed by

Elia Kazan Elia Kazan (; born Elias Kazantzoglou ( el, Ηλίας Καζαντζόγλου); September 7, 1909 – September 28, 2003) was an American film and theatre director, producer, screenwriter and actor, described by ''The New York Times'' as "one o ...

; '' Night Song'' (1947), at RKO; and '' Daisy Kenyon'' (1947) for Preminger. In 1947, he was voted the 23rd most popular actor in the U.S. Andrews starred in the anti-communist ''

The Iron Curtain The Iron Curtain was the political boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991. The term symbolizes the efforts by the Soviet Union (USSR) to block itself and it ...

'' (1948), reuniting him with Gene Tierney, then '' Deep Waters'' (1948). He made a comedy for Lewis Milestone at Enterprise Pictures, ''

No Minor Vices ''No Minor Vices'' is a 1948 American black-and-white comedy film written by Arnold Manoff and directed by Lewis Milestone with Robert Aldrich as 1st assistant director. Created for David Loew's Enterprise Productions, it was the first of thr ...

'' (1948), then traveled to England for ''

Britannia Mews ''The Forbidden Street'' is a 1949 British melodrama film directed by Jean Negulesco and starring Dana Andrews, Maureen O'Hara, Sybil Thorndike, Fay Compton and A. E. Matthews. Set in Victorian London, it tells the story of a wealthy young woma ...

'' (1949). Andrews was in '' Sword in the Desert'' (1949), then Goldwyn cast him in '' My Foolish Heart'' (1949) with

. He played a fast-fisted police officer in the film noir ''

Where the Sidewalk Ends ''Where the Sidewalk Ends'' is a 1974 children's poetry collection written and illustrated by Shel Silverstein. It was published by Harper and Row Publishers. The book's poems address many common childhood concerns and also present purely fanc ...

'' (1950), also with Tierney and Preminger. Around this time,

alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomi ...

began to damage Andrews's career, and on two occasions it nearly cost him his life behind the wheel. ''

Edge of Doom ''Edge of Doom'' is a 1950 black-and-white film noir directed by Mark Robson and starring Dana Andrews, Farley Granger, and Joan Evans. Plot The story concerns a young mentally disturbed man, Martin Lynn (Farley Granger), who goes on a rampage ...

'' (1950), another film noir for Goldwyn, was a flop. Andrews was then loaned to RKO to make '' Sealed Cargo'' (1951), in which his brother Steve Forrest has an uncredited role. (In
"Word of Mouth" commentary
for

Turner Classic Movies Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie-oriented pay-TV network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasting campus in the Midtown business district of ...

, Forrest stated, "I'd have given my eye teeth to have worked with him.") Back at Fox, Andrews was in '' The Frogmen'' (1951), then Goldwyn cast him in '' I Want You'' (1951), an overwrought attempt to repeat the success of ''The Best Years of Our Lives'', during the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because t ...

era

Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top:{ ...

''.'' From 1952 to 1954, Andrews was featured in the radio series '' I Was a Communist for the FBI'', about the experiences of

Matt Cvetic Matthew Cvetic (March 4, 1909 – July 26, 1962) was a Pittsburgh native who was a spy and informant working for the Federal Bureau of Investigation inside the Communist Party of the United States (CPUSA) during the 1940s. He told his story in a ...

, an FBI informant who infiltrated the Communist Party of the United States of America.

Career decline

Andrews' film career waned in the 1950s. '' Assignment: Paris'' (1952) was not widely seen. He made ''

Elephant Walk ''Elephant Walk'' is a 1954 American drama film produced by Paramount Pictures, directed by William Dieterle, and starring Elizabeth Taylor, Dana Andrews, Peter Finch and Abraham Sofaer.It is based upon the 1948 novel '' Elephant Walk'' by "Rob ...

'' (1954) in

Ceylon Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

, a film better known for

Vivien Leigh Vivien Leigh ( ; 5 November 1913 – 8 July 1967; born Vivian Mary Hartley), styled as Lady Olivier after 1947, was a British actress. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress twice, for her definitive performances as Scarlett O'Hara in '' Go ...

's nervous breakdown and replacement by Elizabeth Taylor. '' Duel in the Jungle'' (1954) was an adventure tale, ''

Three Hours to Kill ''Three Hours to Kill'' is a 1954 American Western film directed by Alfred L. Werker and starring Dana Andrews, Donna Reed and Dianne Foster.

'' (1954) and ''

Smoke Signal The smoke signal is one of the oldest forms of long-distance communication. It is a form of visual communication used over a long distance. In general smoke signals are used to transmit news, signal danger, or to gather people to a common area ...

'' (1955) were Westerns, ''

Strange Lady in Town ''Strange Lady in Town'' is a 1955 American Western film directed by Mervyn LeRoy and starring Greer Garson. She plays a doctor who plans to introduce modern techniques of medicine to old Santa Fe in 1880, but is opposed by an established docto ...

'' (1955) was a Greer Garson vehicle, and ''

Comanche The Comanche or Nʉmʉnʉʉ ( com, Nʉmʉnʉʉ, "the people") are a Native American tribe from the Southern Plains of the present-day United States. Comanche people today belong to the federally recognized Comanche Nation, headquartered in ...

'' (1956) another Western. By the mid-1950s, Andrews was acting almost exclusively in B-movies. However, his acting in two late-cycle film noirs for

Fritz Lang Friedrich Christian Anton Lang (; December 5, 1890 – August 2, 1976), known as Fritz Lang, was an Austrian film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in Germany and later the United States.Obituary '' Variety'', August 4, 1976, p. ...

during 1956, '' While The City Sleeps'', ''

Beyond a Reasonable Doubt Beyond a reasonable doubt is a legal standard of proof required to validate a criminal conviction in most adversarial legal systems. It is a higher standard of proof than the balance of probabilities standard commonly used in civil cases, becau ...

'', and a

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, ap ...

, '' Curse of the Demon'' (1957), and a noir, ''

The Fearmakers ''The Fearmakers'' is a 1958 American film noir crime film directed by Jacques Tourneur and starring Dana Andrews. The screenplay is based on the 1945 novel of the same name by Darwin Teilhet. The film centers on seemingly nonpartisan political m ...

'' (1958), for

, are well regarded. Around this time, he also appeared in ''

Spring Reunion ''Spring Reunion'' is a 1956 American drama film that centers on the fifteen-year reunion of the fictional Carson High School class of 1941. It was the second film produced by Kirk Douglas' film production company Bryna Productions. ''Spring Re ...

'' (1957), ''

Zero Hour! ''Zero Hour!'' is a 1957 drama film directed by Hall Bartlett from a screenplay by Bartlett, Arthur Hailey, and John Champion. It stars Dana Andrews, Linda Darnell, and Sterling Hayden and features Peggy King, Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch, Ge ...

'' (1957), and '' Enchanted Island'' (1958). In 1952, Andrews toured with his wife, Mary Todd, in '' The Glass Menagerie'', and in 1958, he replaced Henry Fonda (his former co-star in ''

The Oxbow Incident ''The Ox-Bow Incident'' is a 1943 American Western film directed by William A. Wellman, starring Henry Fonda, Dana Andrews and Mary Beth Hughes, with Anthony Quinn, William Eythe, Harry Morgan and Jane Darwell. Two cowboys arrive in a Weste ...

'' and '' Daisy Kenyon'') on Broadway in '' Two for the Seesaw''.

Television

Andrews began appearing on television on such shows as ''

Playhouse 90 ''Playhouse 90'' was an American television anthology drama series that aired on CBS from 1956 to 1960 for a total of 133 episodes. The show was produced at CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California. Since live anthology drama series of th ...

'' ("Right Hand Man", "Alas, Babylon"), '' General Electric Theatre'', '' The Barbara Stanwyck Show'', ''Checkmate'', '' The DuPont Show of the Week'', ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, sup ...

'' (" No Time Like the Past"), ''

The Dick Powell Theatre ''The Dick Powell Show'' is an American television anthology series that ran on NBC from September 26, 1961, until September 17, 1963, primarily sponsored by the Reynolds Metals Company. Overview The series was an anthology of various drama ...

'', '' Alcoa Premiere'', '' Ben Casey'', and ''

Theatre of Stars ''Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre'' is an American anthology series, sponsored by Chrysler Corporation, which ran on NBC from 1963 through 1967. The show was hosted by Bob Hope, but it had a variety of formats, including musical, dramatic ...

''. Andrews continued to make films like ''

The Crowded Sky ''The Crowded Sky'' is a 1960 Technicolor drama film distributed by Warner Bros., produced by Michael Garrison, directed by Joseph PevneyMadison Avenue Madison Avenue is a north-south avenue in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, United States, that carries northbound one-way traffic. It runs from Madison Square (at 23rd Street) to meet the southbound Harlem River Drive at 142nd Str ...

'' (1961). He then went to Broadway for ''The Captains and the Kings'', which had a short run in 1962. In 1963, he was elected president of the

Screen Actors Guild The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) was an American labor union which represented over 100,000 film and television principal and background performers worldwide. On March 30, 2012, the union leadership announced that the SAG membership voted to me ...

. In 1965, Andrews resumed his film work with support roles in ''

The Satan Bug ''The Satan Bug'' is a 1965 American crime science fiction suspense film from United Artists, produced and directed by John Sturges, that stars George Maharis, Richard Basehart, Anne Francis, and Dana Andrews. The screenplay by James Clavell a ...

'' and '' In Harm's Way''. Although he had the lead in films such as ''

Crack in the World ''Crack in the World '' is a 1965 American science-fiction doomsday disaster movie filmed in Spain. It is about scientists who launch a nuclear missile into the Earth's crust, to release the geothermal energy of the magma below; but accidentally ...

'' (1965), '' Brainstorm'' (1965), and ''

Town Tamer ''Town Tamer'' is a 1965 American Western film directed by Lesley Selander, written by Frank Gruber, and starring Dana Andrews, Terry Moore, Pat O'Brien, Lon Chaney Jr., Bruce Cabot, Lyle Bettger and Richard Arlen. It was released on July ...

'' (1965), he was increasingly cast in supporting roles: ''

Berlin, Appointment for the Spies ''Berlin, Appointment for the Spies'' ( Italian: ''Berlino - Appuntamento per le spie'') is a 1965 Italian Eurospy film directed by Vittorio Sala and starring Dana Andrews. The film is also known as ''Bang You're Dead''. It was retitled ''Spy ...

'' (1965), ''

The Loved One ''The Loved One: An Anglo-American Tragedy'' (1948) is a short satirical novel by British novelist Evelyn Waugh about the funeral business in Los Angeles, the British expatriate community in Hollywood, and the film industry. Conception ''The ...

'' (1965), ''

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted from 16 December 1944 to 28 January 1945, towards the end of the war in ...

'' (1965), and '' Johnny Reno'' (1966). He occasionally played leads in low-budget films like '' The Frozen Dead'' (1966), '' The Cobra'' (1967) and ''

Hot Rods to Hell ''Hot Rods to Hell'' is a 1967 American suspense film, the last by director John Brahm. The film was based on a 1956 ''Saturday Evening Post'' story by Alex Gaby, "52 Miles to Terror",p. 170 Goble, Alan ''The Complete Index to Literary Sources i ...

'' (1967), however, by the late 1960s he had evolved into a

character actor A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to b ...

, as in ''The Ten Million Dollar Grab'' (1967), ''

No Diamonds for Ursula ''No Diamonds for Ursula'' (Italian: ''I diamanti che nessuno voleva rubare'') is a 1967 Italian crime film directed by Gino Mangini and starring Jeanne Valérie, Salvo Randone and Dana Andrews.McKay p.191 Cast * Jeanne Valérie as Ursula * ...

'' (1967), and '' The Devil's Brigade'' (1968). By the end of the decade, Andrews returned to television to play the leading role of college president Tom Boswell on the NBC daytime soap opera ''

Bright Promise ''Bright Promise'' is an American daytime soap opera that ran on NBC from September 29, 1969 to March 31, 1972. Synopsis The show revolved around students and faculty at the fictional Bancroft College, located in the community of Bancroft, somew ...

'' from its premiere on September 29, 1969, until March 1971.

Later career

Andrews spent the 1970s in supporting roles of Hollywood films such as ''

The Failing of Raymond ''The Failing of Raymond'' is a 1971 American made-for-television psychological thriller film starring Jane Wyman (in her television film debut), Dean Stockwell, Dana Andrews, Paul Henreid and Murray Hamilton. It aired as the ''ABC Movie of the ...

'' (1971), '' Innocent Bystanders'' (1972), '' Airport 1975'' (1974), ''A Shadow in the Streets'' (1975), ''The First 36 Hours of Dr. Durant'' (1975), ''

Take a Hard Ride ''Take a Hard Ride'' is a 1975 Italian-American Spaghetti Western film directed by Anthony Dawson and starring Jim Brown, Lee Van Cleef, Fred Williamson and Jim Kelly. This was the second of three films Brown, Williamson, and Kelly would star in ...

'' (1975), '' The Last Tycoon'' (1976), '' The Last Hurrah'' (1977), and '' Good Guys Wear Black'' (1978) He also appeared regularly on TV in such shows as '' Ironside'', '' Get Christie Love!'', ''

Ellery Queen Ellery Queen is a pseudonym created in 1929 by American crime fiction writers Frederic Dannay and Manfred Bennington Lee and the name of their main fictional character, a mystery writer in New York City who helps his police inspector father solve ...

'', '' The American Girls'', '' The Hardy Boys'', and '' The Love Boat''. It was at this time, the 1970s, that Andrews became involved in the

real estate Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more genera ...

business, telling one newspaper reporter, for example, that he owned "a hotel that brings in $200,000 a year." Andrews's final roles included ''

Born Again Born again, or to experience the new birth, is a phrase, particularly in evangelicalism, that refers to a "spiritual rebirth", or a regeneration of the human spirit. In contrast to one's physical birth, being "born again" is distinctly and se ...

'' (1978), '' Ike: The War Years'' (1979), ''

The Pilot A pilot is a person who flies or navigates an aircraft. Pilot or The Pilot may also refer to: * Maritime pilot, a person who guides ships through hazardous waters * Television pilot, a television episode used to sell a series to a television netw ...

'' (1980), ''

Falcon Crest ''Falcon Crest'' is an American prime time television soap opera that aired for nine seasons on CBS from December 4, 1981, to May 17, 1990. The series revolves around the feuding factions of the wealthy Gioberti/Channing family in the California ...

'' (1982–83) and ''

Prince Jack ''Prince Jack'' is a 1985 film from Castle Hill Productions which dramatizes some of the inner workings of the Kennedy administration, including efforts by Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy to address the issues arising from the Civil Rights ...

'' (1985).

Personal life

Andrews marrie
Janet Murray
on December 31, 1932. Murray died in 1935 as a result of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severit ...

. Their uname
baby
was also born and died in the same day, during her illness. Their son
David
was a musician and composer who died from a

cerebral hemorrhage Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), also known as cerebral bleed, intraparenchymal bleed, and hemorrhagic stroke, or haemorrhagic stroke, is a sudden bleeding into the tissues of the brain, into its ventricles, or into both. It is one kind of bleed ...

in 1964 at the age of 30. On November 17, 1939, Andrews married actres
Mary Todd
with whom he had three children: Katharine, Stephen, and Susan. For two decades, the family lived in Toluca Lake, California. Andrews struggled with alcoholism but eventually won the battle and worked actively with the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence. During 1972, he appeared in a television public service advertisement concerning the subject. During the last years of his life, Andrews suffered from

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As ...

. He spent his final years living at the John Douglas French Center for Alzheimer's Disease in Los Alamitos, California. On December 17, 1992, Andrews died of

congestive heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, ...

and

. His wife died in 2003 at the age of 86.

Filmography

*'' Lucky Cisco Kid'' (1940, movie debut) as Sergeant Dunn *'' Sailor's Lady'' (1940) as Scrappy Wilson *'' Kit Carson'' (1940) as Captain John C. Fremont *'' The Westerner'' (1940) as Sergeant Dunn *'' Tobacco Road'' (1941) as Captain Tim *'' Belle Starr'' (1941) as Maj. Thomas Crail *''

'' (1941) as Ben *'' Ball of Fire'' (1941) as Joe Lilac *'' Berlin Correspondent'' (1942) as Bill Roberts *'' Crash Dive'' (1943) as Lt. Cmdr. Dewey Connors *''

'' (1943) as Donald Martin *'' The North Star'' (1943) as Kolya Simonov *''

December 7th Events Pre-1600 *43 BC – Marcus Tullius Cicero is assassinated in Formia on orders of Marcus Antonius. * 574 – Byzantine Emperor Justin II, suffering recurring seizures of insanity, adopts his general Tiberius and proclaims hi ...

'' (1943) as Ghost of US Sailor Killed at Pearl Harbor *'' Up in Arms'' (1944) as Joe *'' The Purple Heart'' (1944) as Capt. Harvey Ross *'' Wing and a Prayer'' (1944) as Lt. Cmdr. Edward Moulton *'' Laura'' (1944) as Det. Lt. Mark McPherson *'' State Fair'' (1945) as Pat Gilbert *'' Fallen Angel'' (1945) as Eric Stanton *'' A Walk in the Sun'' (1945) as Sgt. Bill Tyne *'' Canyon Passage'' (1946) as Logan Stuart *'' The Best Years of Our Lives'' (1946) as Fred Derry *''

Boomerang A boomerang () is a thrown tool, typically constructed with aerofoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight. A returning boomerang is designed to return to the thrower, while a non-returning ...

'' (1947) as State's Atty. Henry L. Harvey *'' Night Song'' (1947) as Dan *'' Daisy Kenyon'' (1947) as Dan O'Mara *''

'' (1948) as Igor Gouzenko *'' Deep Waters'' (1948) as Hod Stillwell *''

'' (1948) as Perry Ashwell *'' The Forbidden Street'' (1949) as Henry Lambert / Gilbert Lauderdale *'' Sword in the Desert'' (1949) as Mike Dillon *'' My Foolish Heart'' (1949) as Walt Dreiser *''

'' (1950) as Det. Mark Dixon *''

'' (1950) as Father Thomas Roth *'' Sealed Cargo'' (1951) as Pat Bannon *'' The Frogmen'' (1951) as Jake Flannigan *'' I Want You'' (1951) as Martin Greer *'' Assignment – Paris!'' (1952) as Jimmy Race *''

'' (1954) as Dick Carver *'' Duel in the Jungle'' (1954) as Scott Walters *''

Three Hours to Kill ''Three Hours to Kill'' is a 1954 American Western film directed by Alfred L. Werker and starring Dana Andrews, Donna Reed and Dianne Foster.

'' (1954) as Jim Guthrie *''

'' (1955) as Brett Halliday *''

'' (1955) as Dr. Rourke O'Brien *''Screen Snapshots: Hollywood Goes a Fishin'' (1956 short) as Himself *''

'' (1956) as Jim Read *'' While the City Sleeps'' (1956) as Edward Mobley *''

'' (1956) as Tom Garrett *''

'' (1957) as Fred Davis *'' Night of the Demon'' (1957) as John Holden *''

'' (1957) as Lt. Ted Stryker *''

'' (1958) as Alan Eaton *'' Enchanted Island'' (1958) as Abner "Ab" Bedford *''

'' (1961) as Clint Lorimer *''

'' (1965) as Gen. Williams *'' In Harm's Way'' (1965) as Admiral Broderick *''

'' (1965) as Dr. Stephen Sorenson *'' Brainstorm'' (1965) as Cort Benson *''

'' (1965) as Tom Rosser *''

'' (1965) as Col. Lancaster *''

'' (1965) as Gen. Buck Brinkman *''

'' (1965) as Col. Pritchard *'' Johnny Reno'' (1966) as Johnny Reno *'' The Frozen Dead'' (1966) as Dr. Norberg *''

'' (1967) as Tom Phillips *''Supercolpo da 7 miliardi'' (''The Ten Million Dollar Grab'') (1967) as George Kimmins *'' The Cobra'' (1967) as Capt. Kelly * ''

'' (1967) as Il gioielliere *'' The Devil's Brigade'' (1968) as Brig. Gen. Walter Naylor *''

'' (1971, TV Movie) as Allan McDonald *'' Innocent Bystanders'' (1972) as Blake *'' Airport 1975'' (1974) as Scott Freeman *''A Shadow in the Streets'' (1975, TV Movie) as Len Raeburn *''The First 36 Hours of Dr. Durant'' (1975 TV movie) as Dr. Hutchins *''

'' (1975) as Morgan *'' The Last Tycoon'' (1976) as Red Ridingwood *'' The Last Hurrah'' (1977 TV movie) as Roger Shanley *'' Good Guys Wear Black'' (1978) as Edgar Harolds *''

'' (1978) as Tom Phillips *''A Tree, a Rock, a Cloud'' (1978 short) *''

'' (1980) as Randolph Evers *'' Ike: The War Years'' (1980 TV movie) as General George C. Marshall *''

'' (1985) as The Cardinal (final film role)

Partial television credits

Radio credits

References

External links

Dana Andrews on ''I Was a Communist for the FBI'' radio program
* * * *

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Photographs and literature

David Murray Andrews, son of Carver Dana and Janet Andrews died of brain hemorrhage
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Wikitree
{{DEFAULTSORT:Andrews, Dana 1909 births 1992 deaths Male actors from Mississippi Male actors from Texas American male film actors American male television actors Presidents of the Screen Actors Guild People from Covington County, Mississippi People from Los Alamitos, California 20th-century American male actors Sam Houston State University alumni 20th Century Studios contract players Deaths from pneumonia in California People from Huntsville, Texas