William Henry Redfield (January 26, 1927 – August 17, 1976) was an American actor and author who appeared in many theatrical, film, radio, and television roles.

Early years

Born in New York City, Redfield was the son of Henry C. Redfield and the former Mareta A. George. His father was a conductor and arranger of music, and his mother was a chorus girl with the

Ziegfeld Follies The ''Ziegfeld Follies'' was a series of elaborate theatrical revue productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 to 1931, with renewals in 1934 and 1936. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as ''The Ziegfeld Follies of the Ai ...

Acting career

Redfield began acting when he was 9 years old, appearing in the Broadway production ''

Swing Your Lady ''Swing Your Lady'' is a 1938 country musical comedy film directed by Ray Enright, starring Humphrey Bogart, Frank McHugh, and Louise Fazenda. Ronald Reagan is also in the cast in one of his early roles. Daniel Boone Savage, a professional wres ...

'' (1936). He appeared in the original 1938 Broadway production of ''

Our Town ''Our Town'' is a 1938 metatheatrical three-act play by American playwright Thornton Wilder which won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The play tells the story of the fictional American small town of Grover's Corners between 1901 and 1913 thr ...

''. A founding member of New York's

Actors Studio The Actors Studio is a membership organization for professional actors, theatre directors and playwrights at 432 West 44th Street between Ninth and Tenth avenues in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It was founde ...

, Redfield's additional theatre credits include '' A Man for All Seasons'', ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

'', '' You Know I Can't Hear You When the Water's Running'', and '' Dude''. He also sang and danced the role of Mercury in

Cole Porter Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway and in film. Born to ...

's '' Out of This World''. Other Broadway credits include ''Excursion'' (1937), ''Virginia'' (1937), ''Stop-over'' (1938), ''Junior Miss'', ''Snafu'', ''U.S.A.'', ''Barefoot Boy With Cheek'' (1947), ''Montserrat'' (1949), ''Misalliance'' (1953), ''Double in Hearts'' (1956), ''Midgie Purvis'' (1961), ''A Minor Adjustment'' (1967) and ''The Love Suicide at Schofield Barracks'' (1972). His film credits include '' The Connection'', '' Such Good Friends'', '' Fantastic Voyage'', '' A New Leaf'' '' and For Pete's Sake''. Redfield's best known film appearance was as Dale Harding in ''

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest may refer to: * ''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' (novel), a 1962 novel by Ken Kesey * ''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' (play), a 1963 stage adaptation of the novel starring Kirk Douglas * ''One Flew Over the ...

''. On television, Redfield played the title role in the DuMont series '' Jimmy Hughes, Rookie Cop'' (1953), and appeared in '' The Philco Television Playhouse'', ''

Lux Video Theatre ''Lux Video Theatre'' is an American television anthology series that was produced from 1950 until 1957. The series presented both comedy and drama in original teleplays, as well as abridged adaptations of films and plays. Overview The ''Lux Vid ...

'', ''

The United States Steel Hour ''The United States Steel Hour'' is an anthology series which brought hour long dramas to television from 1953 to 1963. The television series and the radio program that preceded it were both sponsored by the United States Steel Corporation (U. S ...

'', '' Studio One'', '' As the World Turns'', ''

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, aired on CBS and NBC between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers and mysteries. Between 1962 and 1965 it was r ...

'', ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centers on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central chara ...

'', '' Naked City'', '' Maude'', '' Rich Man, Poor Man Book II'', ''

Bewitched ''Bewitched'' is an American fantasy sitcom television series that originally aired for eight seasons on ABC from September 17, 1964, to March 25, 1972. It is about a witch who marries an ordinary mortal man and vows to lead the life of a typic ...

'', and '' The Bob Newhart Show''. He best known TV appearance was as Floyd, the younger brother of Felix Unger (played by

Tony Randall Anthony Leonard Randall (born Aryeh Leonard Rosenberg; February 26, 1920 – May 17, 2004) was an American actor. He is best known for portraying the role of Felix Unger in a television adaptation of the 1965 play '' The Odd Couple'' by Neil Si ...

), on '' The Odd Couple''.

Quotes

When he was 17, a friend told him, Redfield, William ''Letters from an Actor'' Limelight Editions 1 April 1984

Military service

During his acting career, Redfield served as an infantryman during WWII, holding the rank of technician fifth grade.

Author

In his book ''Letters from an Actor'', Redfield published a colorful and personal recollection of his work in the 1964 international stage production of ''

'', starring Richard Burton and directed by Sir John Gielgud. He also was a columnist for ''Playfare Magazine'' and collaborated with Wally Cox on ''Mr. Peepers'', a book about the television character with that name.

Death

During the filming of ''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'', Redfield was diagnosed with

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ...

, after a doctor on set had noticed he was exhibiting symptoms of the disease. Redfield died at Saint Clare's Hospital on August 17, 1976, at age 49, with the cause of death given as "a respiratory ailment complicated by leukemia." With his wife, he had a son and a daughter. Redfield was buried at Long Island National Cemetery in

Farmingdale, New York Farmingdale is an incorporated village on Long Island within the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, New York. The population was 8,189 as of the 2010 Census. The Lenox Hills neighborhood is adjacent to Bethpage State Park and the rest of the ...

Filmography

Radio appearances

References

External links

* * *
''Letters from an Actor'' on Amazon.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Redfield, William 1927 births 1976 deaths American male stage actors American male film actors American male television actors American male radio actors Burials at Long Island National Cemetery Deaths from leukemia Male actors from New York City Deaths from cancer in New York (state) 20th-century American male actors United States Army personnel of World War II United States Army soldiers