Humbert Allen Astredo
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Humbert Allen "Bud" Astredo, Jr. (April 4, 1929 – February 19, 2016) was an American stage, film, and television actor. He made several notable Broadway and
Off Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...
theatrical performances, but was best known for the numerous roles he performed on the daytime
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soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...
''
Dark Shadows ''Dark Shadows'' is an American gothic soap opera that aired weekdays on the ABC television network, from June 27, 1966, to April 2, 1971. The show depicted the lives, loves, trials, and tribulations of the wealthy Collins family of Collinsport ...
'', most notably that of the warlock Nicholas Blair.


Early life

Astredo was born on April 4, 1929, in
Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. I ...
to Humbert Allen and Bess Houston ( Alley) Astredo. His early childhood was spent in Pasadena, before the family moved to
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
. His mother taught him to play the
piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...
, and he often performed at parties hosted by friends. His father took him sailboating, hunting, and fishing, and inculcated in him a passion for the arts. From an early age, his nickname was "Bud". After graduating from high school, Astredo studied law at the
University of San Francisco The University of San Francisco (USF) is a private Jesuit university in San Francisco, California. The university's main campus is located on a setting between the Golden Gate Bridge and Golden Gate Park. The main campus is nicknamed "The Hil ...
, but dropped out after discovering he hated public speaking. He then sold home-care products for the Fuller Brush Company door-to-door. A woman he'd contacted during a sales pitch suggested he go into acting. She arranged for him to meet a talent agent, who took him on a tour of the
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studio. The tour convinced Astredo that acting was something he wanted to do, and in 1950 he enrolled at the Pasadena Playhouse. Astredo was drafted into the
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
during the
Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
, and served in the Special Services of the Eighth United States Army, an entertainment unit. Astredo became well known in the Army for his acting, song, and dance skills, particularly for his comedy routines.


Early career

He left the military after the war ended, and returned to
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
to take up acting. In 1957, he helped co-found the Hollywood Center Theatre there. He later managed the Los Angeles Repertory Theater Company from 1962 to 1963.


Broadway and ''Dark Shadows''

Astredo made his Broadway debut in the role of Cassio in ''
Othello ''Othello'' (full title: ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'') is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, probably in 1603, set in the contemporary Ottoman–Venetian War (1570–1573) fought for the control of the Island of Cypru ...
'' at the
Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...
Martinique Theater in 1964, in which
James Earl Jones James Earl Jones (born January 17, 1931) is an American actor. He has been described as "one of America's most distinguished and versatile" actors for his performances in film, television, and theater, and "one of the greatest actors in America ...
played the title role. He then studied at the
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 founded ...
under Lee Strasberg. His big break came in June 1967, when he played Sergius in
Joseph Papp Joseph Papp (born Joseph Papirofsky; June 22, 1921 – October 31, 1991) was an American theatrical producer and director. He established The Public Theater in what had been the Astor Library Building in Lower Manhattan. There Papp created a y ...
's Shakespeare in the Park production of ''
Arms and the Man ''Arms and the Man'' is a comedy by George Bernard Shaw, whose title comes from the opening words of Virgil's ''Aeneid'', in Latin: ''Arma virumque cano'' ("Of arms and the man I sing"). The play was first produced on 21 April 1894 at the Aven ...
''. Later that same year, he appeared Off-Broadway with
Gene Hackman Eugene Allen Hackman (born January 30, 1930) is an American retired actor and former novelist. In a career that has spanned more than six decades, Hackman has won two Academy Awards, four Golden Globes, one Screen Actors Guild Award, two BAFTAs ...
in Murray Schisgal's comedy ''Fragments'' at the
Cherry Lane Theater The Cherry Lane Theatre is the oldest continuously running off-Broadway theater in New York City. The theater is located at 38 Commerce Street between Barrow and Bedford Streets in the West Village neighborhood of Greenwich Village, Manhattan, N ...
. Astredo auditioned for the highly popular Gothic soap opera ''
Dark Shadows ''Dark Shadows'' is an American gothic soap opera that aired weekdays on the ABC television network, from June 27, 1966, to April 2, 1971. The show depicted the lives, loves, trials, and tribulations of the wealthy Collins family of Collinsport ...
'' in either December 1967 or January 1968. The producers didn't hire him for the role he tried out for, but were so impressed with him that they decided to write a bigger part for him to play. On June 25, 1968, Astredo made his first appearance on ''Dark Shadows'', performing the role of the warlock Nicholas Blair. He appeared in 100 episodes, also appearing as the character Charles Dawson (who lived, in the show's timeline, in the 1840s) and as the character Evan Hanley (who lived, in the show's timeline, in the 1890s). His last appearance on the series was on January 25, 1971. During his time on ''Dark Shadows'', Astredo was known for his backstage wit, and he became close friends with his co-star,
Lara Parker Mary Lamar Rickey (born October 27, 1938), better known as Lara Parker, is an American television, stage, and film actress known for her role as Angelique on the ABC-TV serial ''Dark Shadows'' which aired from 1966 to 1971. Early life Parker ...
. Astredo played the role of "Dr. Forbes" in the 1970 ''Dark Shadows'' feature film, '' House of Dark Shadows''. While continuing to appear on ''Dark Shadows'', Astredo also performed the role of the Belgian doctor in Lorraine Hansberry's '' Les Blancs'', produced on Broadway at the
Longacre Theatre The Longacre Theatre is a Broadway theatre, Broadway theater at 220 West 48th Street (Manhattan), 48th Street in the Theater District, Manhattan, Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States. Opened in 1913, it was desi ...
, and starring James Earl Jones,
Lili Darvas Lili Darvas (born Lili Sára Darvas; April 10, 1902 – July 22, 1974) was a Hungarian actress noted for her stage work in Europe and the United States and, later in her career, in films and on television.Wolfgang Saxon"Lili Darvas, Actress of St ...
, and Earle Hyman. It was a triumphant performance for him. Theater critic
Walter Kerr Walter Francis Kerr (July 8, 1913 – October 9, 1996) was an American writer and Broadway theatre critic. He also was the writer, lyricist, and/or director of several Broadway plays and musicals as well as the author of several books, genera ...
called Astredo's performance "impressively dimensional, rich in overtone". Critic Clayton Riley praised his performance as "the finest work among the secondary players", and "splendidly conceived and executed". At the end of the year, Kerr named Astredo as the "Most Promising Newcomer on Broadway".


After ''Dark Shadows''

After leaving ''Dark Shadows'' (the series left the air on April 2, 1971), Astredo appeared in Gore Vidal's '' An Evening with Richard Nixon'' on Broadway in May 1972 at the Shubert Theater as the Vidal-like character, for which critic Clive Barnes had positive remarks. Throughout the 1970s, Astredo appeared in a number of television commercials and stage productions throughout the country, as well as short runs in various roles in the daytime soap operas ''
One Life to Live ''One Life to Live'' (often abbreviated as ''OLTL'') is an American soap opera broadcast on the ABC television network for more than 43 years, from July 15, 1968, to January 13, 2012, and then on the internet as a web series on Hulu and iTunes ...
'', '' Another World'', '' The Edge of Night'', '' The Guiding Light'', '' Love of Life'', and '' Loving''. In 1981, Astredo appeared in the original Broadway cast of ''
The Little Foxes ''The Little Foxes'' is a 1939 play by Lillian Hellman, considered a classic of 20th century drama. Its title comes from Chapter 2, Verse 15 of the Song of Solomon in the King James version of the Bible, which reads, "Take us the foxes, the litt ...
'', appearing with
Elizabeth Taylor Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was a British-American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 1950s. ...
, and traveled to
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for the West End production in 1982. In 1985, Astredo performed the role of Dr. Abraham Van Helsing in the national touring company production of ''
Dracula ''Dracula'' is a novel by Bram Stoker, published in 1897. As an epistolary novel, the narrative is related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist, but opens with solicitor Jonathan Harker taking ...
'', opposite
Martin Landau Martin James Landau (; June 20, 1928 – July 15, 2017) was an American actor, acting coach, producer, and editorial cartoonist. His career began in the 1950s, with early film appearances including a supporting role in Alfred Hitchcock's ''North ...
in the title role.


Retirement and death

Astredo continued acting in plays on Broadway, Off Broadway, and in regional productions until his retirement in 1990. After leaving acting, he indulged his passion for boating by sailing up and down the
East Coast of the United States The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, the Atlantic Coast, and the Atlantic Seaboard, is the coastline along which the Eastern United States meets the North Atlantic Ocean. The eastern seaboard contains the coa ...
for several years before retiring in 2000 to a home in
Guilford, Connecticut Guilford is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, that borders Madison, Branford, North Branford and Durham, and is situated on I-95 and the Connecticut seacoast. The population was 22,073 at the 2020 census. History Guilfo ...
. Humbert Allen Astredo, Jr. died in Guilford on February 19, 2016, at the age of 86.


Personal life

Astredo married some time between 1953 and 1960. He and his wife divorced about 1964. Astredo's daughter, Jennifer MacFarland Astredo, was born in 1961. She died of breast cancer in 2008.


References


Bibliography

* * * * * * * *


External links

* *
Humbert Allen Astredo
at the
Internet Off-Broadway Database The Internet Off-Broadway Database (IOBDB), also formerly known as the Lortel Archives, is an online database that catalogues theatre productions shown off-Broadway. The IOBDB was funded and developed by the non-profit Lucille Lortel Foundation ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Astredo, Humbert Allen 1929 births 2016 deaths 20th-century American male actors American male soap opera actors American male stage actors American male television actors Male actors from Pasadena, California People from Guilford, Connecticut Male actors from San Francisco Burials at Woodlawn Memorial Park Cemetery (Colma, California)