Jay Jostyn (December 13, 1901 – June 25, 1976) was an actor in the era of

old-time radio The Golden Age of Radio, also known as the old-time radio (OTR) era, was an era of radio in the United States where it was the dominant electronic home entertainment medium. It began with the birth of commercial radio broadcasting in the earl ...

. He is best known for portraying the title role in '' Mr. District Attorney'' on radio.DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . p. 144. An article in '' Radio-TV Mirror'' in 1952 reported, "He is so generally believed to be a real life lawyer that he frequently receives mail from listeners inviting him to move to certain cities where they feel crimes are going unsolved."

Early years

Jostyn was born Eugene Josten, the son of George and Mary Josten of

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

. He attended St. Joseph's parochial school, Marquette Academy,

Marquette University Marquette University () is a Private university, private Jesuit research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. It was established as Marquette College on August 28, 1881, by John Henni, the first Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Ar ...

, and the

Wisconsin Conservatory of Music The Wisconsin Conservatory of Music is an independent music school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It teaches classical, jazz, rock, folk, and blues and hosts musical concerts throughout the year. It is housed in a Neoclassical-style mansion built in ...

. Before going into acting full-time, he had a job with a telephone company.

Stage

In 1948, Jostyn had the lead in a touring company that performed '' The Trial of Mary Dugan''. 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 Stre ...

, he played District Attorney McDonough in ''Deadfall'' (1955).

Radio

Jostyn's career in radio began at

WLW WLW (700 AM broadcasting, AM) is a commercial radio, commercial news/talk radio station city of license, licensed to Cincinnati, Ohio. Owned by iHeartMedia, WLW is a clear-channel station, often identifying itself as "The Big One". Its studios ...

in Cincinnati, Ohio, when he was the first poetry reader for the station's late-night ''Moon River'' program. Jostyn's roles as a regular cast member included those shown in the table below. Jostyn was also in the casts of ''This Small Town'', '' Silver Theater'', ''The Top Guy'', and ''Mystery Man''.

Television

Jostyn's roles as a regular cast member included those show in the table below. Jostyn also starred in '' Night Court U.S.A.'' a syndicated series that dramatized actual court cases.McNeil, Alex (1996). ''Total Television''. Penguin Books USA, Inc. . p. 183. Additionally, he was also seen in episodes of ''The Doctor'', and ''

The Philco Television Playhouse ''The Philco Television Playhouse'' is an American television anthology series that was broadcast live on NBC from 1948 to 1955. Produced by Fred Coe, the series was sponsored by Philco. It was one of the most respected dramatic shows of the ...

''.

Other professional activities

In November 1943, Jostyn was elected to a one-year term as third vice-president of the New York local of the American Federation of Radio Artists. In 1944, he was one of seven people elected to AFRA's national board.

Personal life

On October 17, 1928, Jostyn married Ruth Hill in Pasadena, California. She was an actress whom he met when they performed together in a play. They had two sons, Jean Charles and Jon George.

Death

Jostyn died June 25, 1976, in Los Angeles, California.Aaker, Everett (2006). ''Encyclopedia of Early Television Crime Fighters''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 296.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jostyn, Jay 1901 births 1976 deaths American male radio actors American male television actors 20th-century American male actors Male actors from Milwaukee Marquette University alumni Wisconsin Conservatory of Music alumni