Melvyn Douglas (born Melvyn Edouard Hesselberg, April 5, 1901 – August 4, 1981) was an American actor. Douglas came to prominence in 1929 as a suave
leading man, perhaps best typified by his performance in the romantic comedy ''
Ninotchka'' (1939) with
Greta Garbo. Douglas later played mature and fatherly characters, as in his Academy Award-winning performances in ''
Hud'' (1963) and ''
Being There
''Being There'' is a 1979 American satirical comedy-drama film starring Peter Sellers, Shirley MacLaine, and Melvyn Douglas. Directed by Hal Ashby, it is based on the 1971 novel '' Being There'' by Jerzy Kosiński, and adapted for the scr ...
'' (1979) and his Academy Award–nominated performance in ''
I Never Sang for My Father'' (1970). Douglas was one of 24 performers to win the
Triple Crown of Acting. In the last few years of his life Douglas appeared in films with supernatural stories involving ghosts, including ''
The Changeling'' in 1980 and ''
Ghost Story'' in 1981, his last completed film role.
Douglas was a member of the executive committee of the Writers and Artists for Peace in the Middle East, a pro-Israel group.
Early life
Douglas was born in
Macon, Georgia
Macon ( ), officially Macon–Bibb County, is a consolidated city-county in Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. Situated near the Atlantic Seaboard fall line, fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is southeast of Atlanta and near the ...
, the son of Lena Priscilla (
née
The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...
Shackelford) and
Edouard Gregory Hesselberg, a
concert pianist and
composer
A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music.
Etymology and def ...
. His father was a Jewish
emigrant from
Riga
Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...
, Latvia, then part of the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
. His mother, a native of
Tennessee
Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...
, was Protestant and a
''Mayflower'' descendant.
Douglas, in his
autobiography
An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life, providing a personal narrative that reflects on the author's experiences, memories, and insights. This genre allows individuals to share thei ...
, ''See You at the Movies'' (1987), wrote that he was unaware of his Jewish background until later in his youth: "I did not learn about the non-Christian part of my heritage until my early teens." His parents preferred to hide his Jewish heritage. His aunts, on his father's side, told him "the truth" when he was 14. He wrote that he "admired them unstintingly"; they in turn, treated him like a son.
[
Though his father, a prominent concert pianist, taught music at a succession of colleges in the U.S. and Canada, Douglas never graduated from high school. He took the surname of his maternal grandmother and became known as Melvyn Douglas.
]
Career
Douglas developed his acting skills in Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...
an repertory while in his teens and with stock companies in Sioux City, Iowa
Sioux City () is a city in Woodbury County, Iowa, Woodbury and Plymouth County, Iowa, Plymouth counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 85,797 in the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Iowa, fo ...
, Evansville, Indiana
Evansville is a city in Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 118,414 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is Indiana's List of cities in Indiana, third-most populous city after India ...
, Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the List of municipalities in Wisconsin by population, second-most populous city in the state, with a population of 269,840 at the 2020 Uni ...
and Detroit, Michigan
Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
. He served in the United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
in World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. He established an outdoor theatre in Chicago. He had a long theatre, film and television career as a lead player, stretching from his 1930 Broadway role in ''Tonight or Never'' (opposite his future wife, Helen Gahagan) until just before his death. Douglas shared top billing with Boris Karloff
William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), known professionally as Boris Karloff () and occasionally billed as Karloff the Uncanny, was a British actor. His portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in the horror film ''Frankenstei ...
and Charles Laughton in James Whale
James Whale (22 July 1889 – 29 May 1957) was an English film director, theatre director and actor, who spent the greater part of his career in Cinema of the United States, Hollywood. He is best remembered for several horror films: ''Fra ...
's sardonic horror classic '' The Old Dark House'' in 1932.
Douglas appeared as the hero in the 1932 horror film '' The Vampire Bat'' and the sophisticated leading man in '' She Married Her Boss'' (1935). He appeared with Joan Crawford
Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur; March 23, 190? was an American actress. She started her career as a dancer in traveling theatrical companies before debuting on Broadway theatre, Broadway. Crawford was signed to a motion-picture cont ...
in several films, most notably '' A Woman's Face'' (1941), and starred opposite Greta Garbo in three films: '' As You Desire Me'' (1932), '' Ninotchka'' (1939) and Garbo's final film '' Two-Faced Woman'' (1941). One of his most sympathetic roles was as the belatedly attentive father in '' Captains Courageous'' (1937).
During World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, Douglas served first as a director of the Arts Council in the Office of Civilian Defense, and he then again served in the United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
rising to the rank of major in the Special Services Entertainment Production Unit. According to his granddaughter Illeana Douglas, Melvyn Douglas first met Peter Sellers
Peter Sellers (born Richard Henry Sellers; 8 September 1925 – 24 July 1980) was an English actor and comedian. He first came to prominence performing in the BBC Radio comedy series ''The Goon Show''. Sellers featured on a number of hit comi ...
, his future ''Being There
''Being There'' is a 1979 American satirical comedy-drama film starring Peter Sellers, Shirley MacLaine, and Melvyn Douglas. Directed by Hal Ashby, it is based on the 1971 novel '' Being There'' by Jerzy Kosiński, and adapted for the scr ...
'' co-star while in Burma
Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and ha ...
, when Sellers was serving in the Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...
during the war. After the war, Douglas returned to films and more mature roles in '' The Sea of Grass'' (1947) and '' Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House'' (1948).
From 1952 to 1961, Douglas made no film appearances, concentrating instead on stage and television work. During November 1952 to January 1953, Douglas starred in the DuMont detective show '' Steve Randall'' (''Hollywood Off Beat'') which then moved to CBS. In the summer of 1953, he briefly hosted the DuMont game show
A game show (or gameshow) is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment where contestants compete in a game for rewards. The shows are typically directed by a game show host, host, who explains the rules of the program as well as commentating a ...
'' Blind Date''. In the summer of 1959, Douglas hosted eleven original episodes of a CBS Western
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
*Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that id ...
anthology
In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and g ...
television series
A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...
called '' Frontier Justice'', a production of Dick Powell's Four Star Television.
Douglas returned to films in the 1960s. As he aged, he took on older-man and fatherly roles in movies such as '' Hud'' (1963), for which he won his first Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 9th Academy Awards to an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in ...
, '' The Americanization of Emily'' (1964), the American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
comedy '' Advance to the Rear'' (1964), an episode of '' The Fugitive'' (1966), '' I Never Sang for My Father'' (1970), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor
The Academy Award for Best Actor is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 1st Academy Awards to an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading ...
and '' The Candidate'' (1972). He won his second Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 9th Academy Awards to an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in ...
for the comedy
Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium.
Origins
Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...
-drama
Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...
''Being There
''Being There'' is a 1979 American satirical comedy-drama film starring Peter Sellers, Shirley MacLaine, and Melvyn Douglas. Directed by Hal Ashby, it is based on the 1971 novel '' Being There'' by Jerzy Kosiński, and adapted for the scr ...
'' (1979). However, Douglas confirmed in one of his final interviews that he refused to attend the 52nd Academy Awards ceremony because he could not bear having to compete against child actor Justin Henry for '' Kramer vs. Kramer''.
In addition to his Academy Awards, Douglas won a Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...
for his Broadway lead role in the 1960 '' The Best Man'' by Gore Vidal
Eugene Luther Gore Vidal ( ; born Eugene Louis Vidal, October 3, 1925 – July 31, 2012) was an American writer and public intellectual known for his acerbic epigrammatic wit. His novels and essays interrogated the Social norm, social and sexual ...
and an Emmy for his 1967 role in '' Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night''.
Douglas' final complete screen appearance was in the 1981 horror film '' Ghost Story''. He died before completing all of his scenes for the film ''The Hot Touch
''The Hot Touch'' (also credited as ''Hot Touch'') is a 1981 Canadian crime comedy film directed by Roger Vadim.
This caper film is set in the world of art forgery. An accomplished art forger and a businessman have for many years been successful ...
'' (1982); the film had to be edited to compensate for Douglas' incomplete role.
Douglas has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...
; one for movies located at 6423 Hollywood Boulevard and another for television at 6601 Hollywood Boulevard.
Personal life
Douglas, as Hesselberg, was married briefly to artist Rosalind Hightower, and they had one child, (Melvyn) Gregory Hesselberg, in 1926. Hesselberg, an artist, is the father of actress Illeana Douglas.
In 1931, Douglas married actress-turned-politician Helen Gahagan. They traveled to Europe that same year, and "were horrified by French and German anti-Semitism". As a result, they became outspoken anti-fascists. Douglas was also an active New Deal Democrat, serving on the State Central Committee of the California Democratic Party in the 1930s and 40s.
Gahagan Douglas (she began using her husband's name when she entered politics), as a three-term congresswoman, was Richard M. Nixon's unsuccessful opponent for the United States Senate
The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...
seat from California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
in 1950
Events January
* January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed.
* January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 ...
.[ Nixon accused Gahagan Douglas of being soft on Communism because of her opposition to the ]House Un-American Activities Committee
The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HCUA), popularly the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), was an investigative United States Congressional committee, committee of the United States House of Representatives, created in 19 ...
. Nixon went so far as to infamously call her "pink right down to her underwear". It was Gahagan Douglas who popularized Nixon's epithet nickname "Tricky Dick".
Melvyn and Helen Gahagan Douglas hired architect Roland Coate to design a home for them in 1938 on a lot they owned in Outpost Estates, Los Angeles. The result was a one-story, home.
The Douglases had two children: Peter Gahagan Douglas (1933) and Mary Helen Douglas (1938). The couple remained married until Helen Gahagan Douglas's death in 1980 from cancer. Melvyn Douglas died a year later, in 1981, aged 80, from pneumonia
Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...
and cardiac complications in New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
at Sloan Kettering Hospital.
Broadway roles
Sources: Internet Broadway Database and ''Playbill
''Playbill'' is an American monthly magazine for Audience, theatergoers. Although there is a subscription issue available for home delivery, most copies of ''Playbill'' are printed for particular productions and distributed at the door as the ...
''
* '' A Free Soul'' (1928) as Ace Wilfong
* ''Back Here'' (1928) as Sergeant "Terry" O'Brien
* ''Now-a-Days'' (1929) as Boyd Butler
* ''Recapture'' (1930) as Henry C. Martin
* ''Tonight or Never'' (1931) as the Unknown Gentleman
* '' No More Ladies'' (1934) as Sheridan Warren
* ''Mother Lode'' (1934) as Carey Ried (also staged)
* ''De Luxe'' (1935) as Pat Dantry
* ''Tapestry In Gray'' (1935) as Erik Nordgren
* ''Two Blind Mice'' (1949) as Tommy Thurston
* ''The Bird Cage'' (1950) as Wally Williams
* ''The Little Blue Light'' (1951) as Frank
* ''Glad Tidings'' (1951) as Steve Whitney
* '' Time Out for Ginger'' (1952) as Howard Carol
* '' Inherit the Wind'' (1955) as Henry Drummond (replacement)
* ''The Waltz of the Toreadors'' (1958) as General St. Pé
* ''Juno'' (1959) as "Captain" Jack Boyle
* ''The Gang's All Here'' (1959) as Griffith P. Hastings
* '' The Best Man'' (1960) as William Russell
* ''Spofford'' (1967) as Spofford
Douglas also staged ''Moor Born'' (1934), ''Mother Lode'' (1934) and ''Within the Gates'' (1934-1935) and produced ''Call Me Mister'' (1946-1948).
Filmography
Partial television credits
Source: Internet Movie Database
Radio appearances
References
Sources
*
External links
"Melvyn Douglas (1901–1981)"
at the New Georgia Encyclopedia ;
Melvyn Douglas
at ''Virtual-History.com'' : Photographs and literature
Papers
Melvyn Douglas Papers
at the Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research
The Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research (WCFTR) is a major archive of motion picture, television, radio, and theater research materials. Located in the headquarters building of the Wisconsin Historical Society in Madison, Wisconsin, th ...
;
Metadata
*
Melvyn Douglas
- AFI Catalog - American Film Institute
The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the History of cinema in the United States, motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private fu ...
Melvyn Douglas
at Turner Classic Movies
Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie channel, movie-oriented pay television, pay-TV television network, network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcas ...
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Douglas, Melvyn
1901 births
1981 deaths
20th-century American male actors
American male film actors
American male stage actors
American male television actors
American people of English descent
American people of Russian-Jewish descent
Best Supporting Actor Academy Award winners
Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe (film) winners
Deaths from pneumonia in New York City
Jewish American military personnel
Male actors from Georgia (U.S. state)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract players
Military personnel from Georgia (U.S. state)
Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie Primetime Emmy Award winners
Spouses of California politicians
Tony Award winners
United States Army officers
United States Army personnel of World War I
United States Army personnel of World War II
Upper Canada College alumni