Shepperd Strudwick (September 22, 1907 – January 15, 1983) was an American actor of film, television, and stage. He was also billed as John Shepperd for some of his films and for his acting on stage in New York.

Early years

Strudwick was born in Hillsborough, North Carolina. He attended Virginia Episcopal School in

Lynchburg, Virginia Lynchburg is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. First settled in 1757 by ferry owner and Abolitionism, abolitionist John Lynch (1740–1820), J ...

, and the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the Public university, public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referre ...

. At the university, he played football and basketball and ran the mile in track. He gained early acting experience in a summer stock theatre company in Maine.

Career

He began his film career as the

title character The title character in a narrative work is one who is named or referred to in the title of the work. In a performed work such as a play or film, the performer who plays the title character is said to have the title role of the piëce. The title o ...

in the short film ''Joaquin Murrieta'' (1938), credited as Sheppard Strudwick. He appeared as Yugoslav guerrilla leader Lt. Aleksa Petrovic, an aide to General Draza Mihailovich, in the 20th Century Fox war film '' Chetniks! The Fighting Guerrillas'' in 1943, credited as John Shepperd. During World War II, Strudwick served in the Navy. He played

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic who is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales involving mystery and the macabre. He is widely re ...

in '' The Loves of Edgar Allan Poe'' (1942) and also appeared in '' Strange Triangle'' (1946), ''Fighter Squadron'' (1948), '' The Reckless Moment'' (1949), '' The Red Pony'' (1949), '' Under the Gun'' (1951), and '' A Place in the Sun'' (1951), starring

Elizabeth Taylor Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was an English and 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 19 ...

and Montgomery Clift, as the Taylor character's father. He portrayed Adam Stanton, the idealistic doctor who finally kills Willie Stark (played by Broderick Crawford) in the classic film ''

All the King's Men ''All the King's Men'' is a 1946 novel by Robert Penn Warren. The novel tells the story of charismatic populist governor Willie Stark and his political machinations in the Depression-era Deep South. It was inspired by the real-life story of U. ...

'' (1949). Another notable role was Father Jean Massieu in ''

Joan of Arc Joan of Arc ( ; ; – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the Coronation of the French monarch, coronation of Charles VII o ...

'' (1948), starring Ingrid Bergman as Joan. Strudwick made many appearances on television, including the role of Dr. Charles Morris in the 1958 '' Perry Mason'' episode, "The Case of the Fugitive Nurse." He also appeared on ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology series, anthology television series created by Rod Serling in which characters find themselves dealing with often disturbing or unusual events, an experience described ...

'', (in the episode " Nightmare as a Child") and several roles on the soap operas ''

As the World Turns ''As the World Turns'' (often abbreviated as ''ATWT'') is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS for 54 years from April 2, 1956, to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created ''As the World Turns'' as a sister show to her other so ...

'' (Dr. Fields), '' Another World'' (Jim Matthews), ''

One Life to Live ''One Life to Live'' (often abbreviated as ''OLTL'') is an American soap opera broadcast on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television network for more than 43 years, from July 15, 1968, to January 13, 2012, and then on the internet as ...

'' ( Victor Lord), and ''

Love of Life ''Love of Life'' is an American soap opera televised on CBS from September 24, 1951, to February 1, 1980. It was created by Roy Winsor, whose previous creation '' Search for Tomorrow'' premiered three weeks before ''Love of Life''; he created ...

'' (Timothy McCauley). In 1981, he starred as the voice of Homer in the National Radio Theater's

Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Foster Peabody, George Peabody, honor what are described as the most powerful, enlightening, and in ...

-winning radio dramatization of the

Odyssey The ''Odyssey'' (; ) is one of two major epics of ancient Greek literature attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest surviving works of literature and remains popular with modern audiences. Like the ''Iliad'', the ''Odyssey'' is divi ...

. His last appearance on film was in 1981's ''Kent State'', a TV film. That same year, he was nominated for the

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 Best Actor (Featured Role – Play) for the Broadway play ''To Grandmother's House We Go''. Strudwick acted in at least 30 Broadway plays, beginning with ''The Yellow Jacket'' (1929), and ending with ''To Grandmother's House We Go'' (1981).

Personal life

Strudwick married Helen Wynn, (born Helen R. Sims), with whom he acted in stock theatre in Maine, on May 10, 1936, in New York City. They had a son in 1944. In 1949, he was married to Jean Mead, who had worked for the British Information Service. Strudwick was married to Mary Jeffrey from 1977 until his death. He died in New York City from

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

on January 15, 1983, at the age of 75.

Filmography

Film

*''

Fast Company ''Fast Company'' is an American business magazine published monthly in print and online, focusing on technology, business, and design. It releases six print issues annually. History ''Fast Company'' was founded in November 1995 by Alan Webb ...

'' (1938) as Ned Morgan (film debut) *'' Old Glory'' (1939, Short) as

Paul Revere Paul Revere (; December 21, 1734 O.S. (January 1, 1735 N.S.)May 10, 1818) was an American silversmith, military officer and industrialist who played a major role during the opening months of the American Revolutionary War in Massachusetts, ...

(voice, uncredited) *'' Congo Maisie'' (1940) as Dr. John McWade *'' Mighty Hunters'' (1940, Short) as Narrator (voice, uncredited) *'' Dr. Kildare's Strange Case'' (1940) as Dr. Gregory 'Greg' Lane *'' Tom Thumb in Trouble'' (1940, Short) as Narrator/Tom Thumb's Father (voice, uncredited) *'' The Mortal Storm'' (1940) as Narrator (uncredited) *'' Flight Command'' (1940) - Lieut. Jerry Banning *'' Belle Starr'' (1941) as Ed Shirley *'' The Men in Her Life'' (1941) as Roger Chevis *'' Cadet Girl'' (1941) as Bob Mallory *'' Remember the Day'' (1941) as Dewey Roberts *'' Rings on Her Fingers'' (1942) as Tod Fenwick *'' Ten Gentlemen from West Point'' (1942) as

Henry Clay Henry Clay (April 12, 1777June 29, 1852) was an American lawyer and statesman who represented Kentucky in both the United States Senate, U.S. Senate and United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives. He was the seventh Spea ...

*'' The Loves of Edgar Allan Poe'' (1942) as

*'' Dr. Renault's Secret'' (1942) as Dr. Larry Forbes *'' Chetniks! The Fighting Guerrillas'' (1943) as Lt. Aleksa Petrovic *'' Strange Triangle'' (1946) as Earl Huber *'' Home, Sweet Homicide'' (1946) as Mr.Wallace Sanford *''

'' (1948) as Father Massieu (Joan's bailiff) *'' Fighter Squadron'' (1948) as Brig. Gen. Mel Gilbert *'' Enchantment'' (1948) as Marchese Del Laudi *'' The Red Pony'' (1949) as Mr. Fred Tiflin *''

Reign of Terror The Reign of Terror (French: ''La Terreur'', literally "The Terror") was a period of the French Revolution when, following the creation of the French First Republic, First Republic, a series of massacres and Capital punishment in France, nu ...

'' (1949) as

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

(voice, uncredited) *'' The Reckless Moment'' (1949) as Ted Darby *'' Chicago Deadline'' (1949) as Edgar 'Blacky' Franchot *''

'' (1949) as Adam Stanton *'' The Kid from Texas'' (1950) as Roger Jameson *'' Let's Dance'' (1950) as Timothy Bryant *'' Three Husbands'' (1950) as Arthur Evans *'' A Place in the Sun'' (1951) as Anthony "Tony" Vickers *'' Under the Gun'' (1951) as Milo Bragg *''

The Eddy Duchin Story ''The Eddy Duchin Story'' is a 1956 American biopic film of band leader and pianist Eddy Duchin starring Tyrone Power and Kim Novak. Filmed in CinemaScope, the Technicolor production was directed by George Sidney and written by Samuel A. T ...

'' (1956) as Sherman Wadsworth *'' Autumn Leaves'' (1956) as Dr. Malcolm Couzzens *''

Beyond a Reasonable Doubt Beyond (a) reasonable doubt is a legal standard of proof required to validate a criminal conviction in most adversarial legal systems. It is a higher standard of proof than the standard of balance of probabilities (US English: preponderance of t ...

'' (1956) as Jonathan Wilson *'' That Night!'' (1957) as Dr. Bernard Fischer *''

The Sad Sack ''The Sad Sack'' is a 1957 American comedy film based on the Harvey Comics character of the same title, created by George Baker. The film stars Jerry Lewis and Peter Lorre and was released by Paramount Pictures. Plot Private Meredith Bixby ...

'' (1957) as Major General Vanderlip *'' Girl on the Run'' (1958) as James McCullough/Ralph Graham *'' Violent Midnight'' (1963) as Adrian Benedict *'' Daring Game'' (1968) as Dr. Henry L. Carlyle *''

Slaves Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...

'' (1969) as Mr. Stillwell *'' The Monitors'' (1969) as Tersh Jeterax *'' Cops and Robbers'' (1973) as Mr. Eastpoole (final film)

Television

*''

Wagon Train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western television series that aired for eight seasons, first on the NBC television network (1957–1962) and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and reached the top of the ...

'' (1957) as Colonel Charles E. Beauchamp *'' Perry Mason'' (1958) as Dr. Charles Morris *'' Have Gun - Will Travel'' (1960) as Colonel Benjamin Nunez *'' 77 Sunset Strip'' (1960) as James McCullough *'' Thriller'' (1960) as Douglas Kilburn *'' The Barbara Stanwyck Show'' (1960) as Bill Mowry *''

'' (1961) as Peter Selden ("Nightmare as a Child" episode) *''

'' (1968) as Victor Lord *'' McMillan & Wife'' (1971) as Rudolph Dimrose *'' The Adams Chronicles'' (1976) as Dr. Hooper *''

'' (1980) as Timothy McCauley *''

Nurse Nursing is a health care profession that "integrates the art and science of caring and focuses on the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and human functioning; prevention of illness and injury; facilitation of healing; and alle ...

'' (1982) as William Mercier (final appearance)

Radio

*National Radio Theater: ''Odyssey'' as Homer

Stage

*''To Grandmother's House We Go'', Broadway play

Awards

*1981 Tony Award for Best Actor (Featured Role – Play): **''To Grandmother's House We Go'' - Nominated

References

External links

* * * * *
Shepperd Strudwick papers, 1927-1983
held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division,

New York Public Library for the Performing Arts The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center, is located at 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, in the Lincoln Center complex on the Upper West Side in Manhattan, New York City. Situated between the Metropolitan O ...

Shepperd Strudwick
at the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

'
Actors Studio audio collection
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Strudwick, Shepperd 1907 births 1983 deaths American male film actors American male soap opera actors American male stage actors American male television actors People from Hillsborough, North Carolina Deaths from cancer in New York (state) Male actors from North Carolina 20th-century American male actors University of North Carolina alumni