William Redfield (actor)

For other people named William Redfield, see William Redfield (disambiguation).
William Redfield
Born (1927-01-26)January 26, 1927
New York City, New York, U.S.
Died August 17, 1976(1976-08-17) (aged 49)
New York City, New York, U.S.
Occupation Actor and writer
Years active 1939-1976
Spouse(s) Betsy Redfield, Linda Redfield
Children Liza Redfield (b. 1957) Adam Redfield (b. 1959)

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

Acting career

Born in New York City, Redfield appeared in the original 1938 Broadway production of Our Town. A founding member of New York's Actors Studio,[1] Redfield's additional theatre credits include A Man for All Seasons, Hamlet, You Know I Can't Hear You When the Water's Running, and Dude. He also sang & danced the role of "Mercury" in Cole Porter'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, For Pete's Sake, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

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, The United States Steel Hour, Studio One, As the World Turns, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Naked City, Maude, Rich Man, Poor Man Book II, and The Bob Newhart Show. He is best known as Floyd, the younger brother of Felix Unger (played by Tony Randall), on The Odd Couple.

Author

In his book Letters from an Actor, Redfield published a colorful and personal recollection of his work in the renowned 1964 international stage production of Hamlet, starring Richard Burton and directed by Sir John Gielgud.[2]

Death

Redfield's best known film appearance was as Dale Harding in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. It was during the filming of the Oscar-winning movie that Redfield was diagnosed with leukemia. He died on August 17, 1976 at age 49, less than a year after the film was released.[3]

Selected Filmography

Radio appearances

Year Program Episode/source
1952 Grand Central Station It Makes a Difference[4]

References

  1. ↑ Garfield, David (1980). "Birth of The Actors Studio: 1947-1950". A Player's Place: The Story of the Actors Studio. New York: MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc. p. 52. ISBN 0-02-542650-8. Lewis' class included Herbert Berghof, Marlon Brando, Montgomery Clift, Mildred Dunnock, Tom Ewell, John Forsythe, Anne Jackson, Sidney Lumet, Kevin McCarthy, Karl Malden, E.G. Marshall, Patricia Neal, William Redfield, Jerome Robbins, Maureen Stapleton, Beatrice Straight, Eli Wallach, and David Wayne.
  2. ↑ "Letters from an Actor". amazon.com. Retrieved December 7, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Leukemia kills actor Redfield". Eugene Register-Guard. August 18, 1976. p. 6A. Retrieved December 7, 2014.
  4. ↑ Kirby, Walter (March 2, 1952). "Better Radio Programs for the Week". The Decatur Daily Review. p. 42. Retrieved May 28, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
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