Tod Andrews (born Theodore Edwin Anderson; November 9, 1914 – November 7, 1972) was an American stage, screen, and television actor.

Early years

Tod Andrews was born as Theodore Edwin Anderson in

El Paso El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the seat of El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the 23rd-largest city in the U.S., the s ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

, to Henry Anderson and Lydia A. Anderson (''née'' Apodaca; later Silverman, who wed in

Pima, Arizona Pima is a town in Graham County, Arizona, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 2,387, up from 1,989 in 2000. The estimated population in 2018 was 2,512. Pima is part of the Safford Micropolitan Statistical Area ...

, on November 18, 1913. Tod and his sister, Gertrude Anderson Pierucci, were raised in

southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban a ...

; both suffered untimely deaths, predeceasing their mother, Lydia.Aaker, Everett (2006), ''Encyclopedia of Early Television Crime Fighters'' (pp. 19-20), McFarland & Company, Inc. Andrews graduated from

Los Angeles High School Los Angeles High School is the oldest public high school in the Southern California Region and in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Its colors are royal blue and white and the teams are called the Romans. Los Angeles High School is a pub ...

and

Washington State College Washington State University (Washington State, WSU, or informally Wazzu) is a public land-grant research university with its flagship, and oldest, campus in Pullman, Washington. Founded in 1890, WSU is also one of the oldest land-grant univer ...

Career

Stage

Andrews began his career as Michael Ames at the

Pasadena Playhouse The Pasadena Playhouse is a historic performing arts venue located 39 S. El Molino Avenue in Pasadena, California, United States. The 686-seat auditorium produces a variety of cultural and artistic events, professional shows, and community engage ...

and moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

to appear onstage. Andrews acted with the

Margo Jones Margo Jones (December 12, 1911 – July 24, 1955), nicknamed the "Texas Tornado", was an American stage director and producer, best known for launching the American regional theater movement and for introducing the theater-in-the-round concept ...

Company in

from 1944 to 1948, when he was spotted by Joshua Logan. When

Henry Fonda Henry Jaynes Fonda (May 16, 1905 – August 12, 1982) was an American actor. He had a career that spanned five decades on Broadway and in Hollywood. He cultivated an everyman screen image in several films considered to be classics. Born and ra ...

left the title role in '' Mister Roberts'', Logan gave Andrews the part in the road production. On

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

, Andrews played in ''

Summer and Smoke ''Summer and Smoke'' is a two-part, thirteen-scene play by Tennessee Williams, completed in 1948. He began working on the play in 1945 as ''Chart of Anatomy'', derived from his short stories "Oriflamme" and the then-work-in-progress "Yellow Bir ...

'' (1948-1949) and ''A Girl Can Tell''. Billed as Michael Ames, he was in ''Quiet, Please!'' (1940), '' My Sister Eileen'' (1940-1943), ''Storm Operation'' (1944), ''Mrs. Kimball Presents'' (1944), ''Public Relations'' (1944), and ''That Old Devil'' (1944).

Film

He returned to films in 1965, appearing as Captain Tuthill in

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 ...

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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

action blockbuster ''

In Harm's Way ''In Harm's Way'' is a 1965 American epic war film produced and directed by Otto Preminger and starring John Wayne, Kirk Douglas and Patricia Neal, with a supporting cast featuring Henry Fonda in a lengthy cameo, Tom Tryon, Paula Prentiss, Stanle ...

''. In 1968, Andrews appeared on film in

Ted Post Theodore I. Post (March 31, 1918 – August 20, 2013) was an American director of film and television. Highly prolific, Post directed numerous episodes of well-known television series including '' Rawhide'', ''Gunsmoke'', and ''The Twilight Zone'' ...

's ''

Hang 'Em High ''Hang 'Em High'' is a 1968 American DeLuxe Color revisionist Western film directed by Ted Post and written by Leonard Freeman and Mel Goldberg. It stars Clint Eastwood as Jed Cooper, an innocent man who survives a lynching; Inger Stevens ...

'' as a defense attorney. Two years later, he worked again with Post in ''

Beneath the Planet of the Apes ''Beneath the Planet of the Apes'' is a 1970 American science fiction film directed by Ted Post and written by Paul Dehn. It is the second of five films in the original ''Planet of the Apes'' series produced by Arthur P. Jacobs. The film stars Ja ...

'', as

James Franciscus James Grover Franciscus (January 31, 1934 – July 8, 1991) was an American actor, known for his roles in feature films and in six television series: '' Mr. Novak'', '' The Naked City'', '' The Investigators'', '' Longstreet'', '' Doc Elliot'', ...

's dying commanding officer, Colonel 'Skipper' Maddox. His final screen appearance was as a doctor in 1973's '' The Baby'', also directed by Post.

Television

Andrews' television performances included a starring role from 1957 to 1958 in the syndicated series of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

, '' The Gray Ghost'', based on the heroic Confederate

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

John Singleton Mosby John Singleton Mosby (December 6, 1833 – May 30, 1916), also known by his nickname "Gray Ghost", was a Confederate army cavalry battalion commander in the American Civil War. His command, the 43rd Battalion, Virginia Cavalry, known as Mosby's ...

. In 1959, he starred in the 13-episode ''Counterthrust'', a syndicated series "in which he played a secret agent in the Far East battling Communism". Andrews did a screen test for the ''

Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a c ...

'' 1950s TV series playing Perry Mason opposite

Raymond Burr Raymond William Stacy Burr (May 21, 1917September 12, 1993) was a Canadian actor known for his lengthy Hollywood film career and his title roles in television dramas ''Perry Mason'' and '' Ironside''. Burr's early acting career included roles ...

as Hamilton Burger. This and other screen tests for that show were released on the Perry Mason 50th Anniversary 3-DVD set from 2008. Andrews was cast as Captain Lynn Parker in the 1960 episode, "Yankee Confederate," on the syndicated

anthology series An anthology series is a radio, television, video game or film series that spans different genres and presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a dif ...

, ''

Death Valley Days ''Death Valley Days'' is an American old-time radio and television anthology series featuring true accounts of the American Old West, particularly the Death Valley country of southeastern California. Created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman, the program ...

'', hosted by

Stanley Andrews Stanley Andrews (born Stanley Martin Andrzejewski; August 28, 1891 – June 23, 1969) was an American actor perhaps best known as the voice of Daddy Warbucks on the radio program ''Little Orphan Annie'' and later as "The Old Ranger", the first ...

. In the story line, Parker is assigned by

General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

Ulysses Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

( Stan Jones) to infiltrate a Confederate spy ring masterminded by Belle Waverly (

Elaine Devry Elaine Devry (born Thelma Elaine Mahnken) is an American actress. Early life Devry was born Thelma Elaine Mahnken to Fred P. and Hortense Mahnken in Compton, California, where she was raised. Her brother, Jeff, was three years her senior. She b ...

Gavin MacLeod Gavin MacLeod () (born Allan George See; February 28, 1931 – May 29, 2021) was an American actor best known for his roles as news writer Murray Slaughter on ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' and ship's captain Merrill Stubing on ABC's '' The Love ...

played Belle's fiancé, Dandy Martin, who shoots her to death because she developed romantic feelings for Captain Parker. He was cast in two episodes of the CBS sitcom, ''

The Andy Griffith Show ''The Andy Griffith Show '' is an American situation comedy television series that aired on CBS from October 3, 1960, to April 1, 1968, with a total of 249 half-hour episodes spanning eight seasons—159 in black and white and 90 in color. The ...

'' and in the 1962 series finale, "The Hoax," of the ABC adventure series, '' Straightaway'', starring Brian Kelly and John Ashley. In 1962, he portrayed the part of Holt in the episode "The Devil and the Deep Blue" on CBS's '' Rawhide''. In 1964, he appeared in " The Bewitchin' Pool", the last original broadcast episode of ''

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 ...

''. In 1973, Andrews played the U.S. President in the made-for-TV political thriller, '' The President's Plane is Missing''.

Recognition

Andrews won a

Theatre World Award The Theatre World Award is an American honor presented annually to actors and actresses in recognition of an outstanding New York City stage debut performance, either on Broadway or Off-Broadway. It was first awarded for the 1945–1946 theatre se ...

in 1949 for his work in ''

''.

Personal life

Andrews was married three times, t
Gloria Eleanor Folland (December 3, 1921 – October 28, 1991)
Alice Kirby Hooker, and Karolyn Rainwater (1943-1993). The first two marriages ended in divorce, and he was married to Rainwater when he died. In early August 1961 Tod Andrews (reference: Tod Andrews Takes Overdose, NY (AP) August 6, 1961) was hospitalized following a suicide attempt. According to an AP article published August 6, 1961, Tod Andrews was hospitalized at Lenox Hill Hospital after an overdose of sleeping pills. It was reported that he had phoned a friend to say he was going to kill himself and was subsequently found slumped in a chair in the apartment of a female friend. He was hospitalized on a Saturday in critical condition but taken off the critical list later the same day. On August 15th 1961, an article by Dorothy Kilgallen in Voice of Broadway noted that friends of Andrews were "still mystified about his headlined suicide attempt." as only hours earlier he had apparently been "having a cheerful time at Danny's Hideaway" talking about the "great year he had coming up on Broadway and in TV and announced his engagement to Valerie Veigal." (ref: Dorothy Kilgallen Voice of Broadway, in Olean Times Herald, Aug 15 1967 page 13)

Death

Andrews died of a heart attack on November 7, 1972, in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

, two days before his 58th birthday. He was buried in Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City. He was survived by, among others, his wife Karolyn, at least two children (some sources indicate three children), and his mother. Some sources indicate his father survived him as well but his father's year of death has not been established.

Filmography

Film

*'' Dive Bomber'' (1941) as Telephone Man (film debut, uncredited) *'' International Squadron'' (1941) as Michele Edmé *''

They Died with Their Boots On ''They Died with Their Boots On'' is a 1941 American black-and-white Western film from Warner Bros. Pictures, produced by Hal B. Wallis and Robert Fellows, directed by Raoul Walsh, that stars Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland. The film's sto ...

'' (1941) as Cadet Brown (uncredited) *'' The Body Disappears'' (1941) as Bill *''

Dangerously They Live ''Dangerously They Live'' is a 1941 American World War II spy film directed by Robert Florey and starring John Garfield, Nancy Coleman and Raymond Massey. The plot concerns Nazi spies who try to pry information out of a British agent. Plot I ...

'' (1941) as Dr. Craig (uncredited) *''

Captains of the Clouds ''Captains of the Clouds'' ( ''Shadows of Their Wings'') is a 1942 American war film in Technicolor, directed by Michael Curtiz and starring James Cagney. It was produced by William Cagney (Cagney's brother), with Hal B. Wallis as executive p ...

'' (1942) as Student Pilot *''

Bullet Scars ''Bullet Scars'' is a 1942 American film produced and distributed by Warner Bros. It was directed by D. Ross Lederman with top-billed stars Regis Toomey, Adele Longmire and Howard DaSilva. Plot Gangster Frank Dillon (Howard Da Silva) is on t ...

'' (1942) as Joe Madison *''

The Male Animal ''The Male Animal'' is a 1942 American comedy-drama film produced by Warner Bros., starring Henry Fonda, Olivia de Havilland and Joan Leslie. The film was based on a hit 1940 Broadway play of the same name written by James Thurber and Elliott ...

'' (1942) as Student (uncredited) *''

I Was Framed ''I Was Framed'' is a 1942 American crime film directed by D. Ross Lederman. According to Warner Bros records the film earned $159,000 domestically and $90,000 foreign. Plot summary Cast * Tod Andrews as Ken Marshall (Scott) (as Michael Ames) ...

'' (1942) as Ken Marshall (Scott) *''

Murder in the Big House ''Murder in the Big House'' is a black-and-white American crime drama, released by Warner Bros in April 1942. Structured as an hour-long second feature, it is directed by the prolific specialist in low-budget action productions, B. Reeves Eason, a ...

'' (1942) as Dapper Dan Malloy *''

Spy Ship A spy ship or reconnaissance vessel is a dedicated ship intended to gather intelligence, usually by means of sophisticated electronic eavesdropping. In a wider sense, any ship intended to gather information could be considered a spy ship. Spy ...

'' (1942) as Gordon Morrel *''

Now, Voyager ''Now, Voyager'' is a 1942 American drama film starring Bette Davis, Paul Henreid, and Claude Rains, and directed by Irving Rapper. The screenplay by Casey Robinson is based on the 1941 novel of the same name by Olive Higgins Prouty. Prouty ...

'' (1942) as Dr. Dan Regan (uncredited) *''

Truck Busters ''Truck Busters'' is a 1943 American drama film directed by B. Reeves Eason, written by Robert E. Kent and Raymond L. Schrock, and starring Richard Travis, Virginia Christine, Charles Lang, Ruth Ford, Richard Fraser, Tod Andrews and Frank Wi ...

'' (1943) as Dave Todd *''

Action in the North Atlantic ''Action in the North Atlantic'', also known as ''Heroes Without Uniforms'', is a 1943 American black-and-white war film from Warner Bros. Pictures, produced by Jerry Wald, directed by Lloyd Bacon, that stars Humphrey Bogart and Raymond Massey as ...

'' (1943) as Ahearn (uncredited) *'' Heaven Can Wait'' (1943) as Jack Van Cleve *'' Voodoo Man'' (1944) as Ralph Dawson *''

Return of the Ape Man ''Return of the Ape Man'' is a 1944 American film distributed by Monogram Pictures. It was directed by Philip Rosen with top-billed star Bela Lugosi and supporting actors John Carradine, George Zucco (see note in the Production section), Frank Mo ...

'' (1944) as Steve Rogers *'' The Last Ride'' (1944) as Fritz Hummel *'' Outrage'' (1950) as Rev. Bruce Ferguson *'' Between Heaven and Hell'' (1956) as Lt. Ray Mosby *'' From Hell It Came'' (1957) as Dr. William Arnold *''

'' (1965) as Captain Tuthill *''

'' (1968) as Defense Attorney *''

'' (1970) as Skipper *'' The Baby'' (1973) as Doctor *'' The President's Plane Is Missing'' (1973,TV) (final film)

Television

* '' The Gray Ghost'' (1957-1958) as Maj. John Mosby/The Gray Ghost * '' One Step Beyond'' (1959) as Lt. Cmdr. Stacey * '' Checkmate'' (1960-1962) as George Harris/Dr. James Low * ''

'' (1960-1968) as Captain Lynn Parker/ William C. Ralston * ''

77 Sunset Strip ''77 Sunset Strip'' is an American television private detective drama series created by Roy Huggins and starring Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Roger Smith, Richard Long (from 1960 to 1961) and Edd Byrnes (billed as Edward Byrnes). Each episode was o ...

'' (1961) as Jim Breck * '' Gunsmoke'' (1961) as Myles Cody * '' Frontier Circus'' (1961) as Jeff Andrews * ''

'' (1961-1968) as Ralph Case/Mr. Franklin * '' Rawhide'' (1962) as Holt * ''

'' (1964) as Gil Sharewood * ''

The F.B.I. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...

'' (1969) as Ed Franklin * ''

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 ...

'' (1969) as Dean Henry Pierce #1 * '' The Bold Ones: The Lawyers'' (1970) as Ted Hollister * '' Ironside'' (1970) as Man * '' Ghost Story'' (1972) as Andrew Burgess * '' Banacek'' (1972) as Graves (last appearance)

References

External links

* *
Tod Andrews profile
Answers.com; accessed September 21, 2017.

MovieTome.com; accessed September 21, 2017. {{DEFAULTSORT:Andrews, Tod 1914 births 1972 deaths Male actors from California Male actors from New York (state) American male film actors American male stage actors American male television actors Burials at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City 20th-century American male actors