Burgess Meredith: Actor of Stage and Screen
Burgess Meredith (November 16, 1907 – September 9, 1997) was an American actor and filmmaker whose career encompassed radio, theater, film, and television. He won a Primetime Emmy Award, was the first male actor to win the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor twice, and received two Academy Award nominations.
Early Life and Education
Meredith was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the son of Ida Beth Burgess and William George Meredith, a Canadian-born physician of English descent. His mother descended from a long line of Methodist revivalists, a faith he maintained throughout his life. Known informally as “Buzz” to friends, he graduated from Hoosac School in 1926 and attended Amherst College, graduating in 1931. After leaving Amherst, he worked as a reporter for the Stamford Advocate.
Career and Achievements
In 1929, Meredith joined Eva Le Gallienne’s Civic Repertory Theatre company in New York City. He made his Broadway debut as Peter in Le Gallienne’s production of Romeo and Juliet in 1930 and became a star in Maxwell Anderson’s Winterset in 1935, reprising the role of Mio Romagna in the 1936 film adaptation. His early work earned a profile in The New Yorker.
Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, Meredith established himself as a leading man in Hollywood. His critically acclaimed film roles included George Milton in Of Mice and Men (1939) and Ernie Pyle in The Story of G.I. Joe (1945). Unlike most actors of his era, he never signed a long-term studio contract, preferring to work on individual projects. He appeared in numerous 1940s films, including three co-starring his then-wife Paulette Goddard: Second Chorus (1940), Diary of a Chambermaid (1946), and On Our Merry Way (1948).
In 1950, Meredith was among 151 entertainment professionals accused of communist sympathies in the anti-communist pamphlet Red Channels, citing his support for Spanish pro-democracy groups and humanitarian relief efforts in Yugoslavia, as well as his participation in anti-censorship protests. He was subsequently blacklisted and largely absent from film for the next decade, though he remained active in theater and radio.
Meredith’s Broadway roles spanned decades and included Van van Dorn in High Tor (1937), Liliom in Liliom (1940), Christy Mahon in The Playboy of the Western World (1946), and Adolphus Cusins in Major Barbara (1956). He created the role of Erie Smith in the English-language premiere of Eugene O’Neill’s Hughie at the Theatre Royal in Bath, England in 1963. As a director, he earned a Tony Award nomination for his 1974 Broadway staging of Ulysses in Nighttown and shared a Special Tony Award with James Thurber for their collaboration on A Thurber Carnival (1960). In the late 1970s, he directed Fionnula Flanagan’s one-woman play James Joyce’s Women.
Director Otto Preminger frequently cast Meredith, featuring him in Advise and Consent (1962), The Cardinal (1963), In Harm’s Way (1965), Hurry Sundown (1967), Skidoo (1968), and Such Good Friends (1971). He also appeared in Madame X (1966) and Stay Away Joe (1968), playing Elvis Presley’s character’s father. Later in his career, Meredith became known for his television roles, particularly as The Penguin in the 1960s Batman series and as boxing trainer Mickey Goldmill in the Rocky film series.
Notable Events and Milestones
Meredith’s 1935 performance in the Broadway revival of The Barretts of Wimpole Street, starring Katharine Cornell, generated enthusiastic critical reviews and led Cornell to cast him in several of her later productions. For his performances in The Day of the Locust (1975) and Rocky (1976), he received Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor. He appeared in the comedy Foul Play (1978) and the fantasy film Clash of the Titans (1981). Throughout his long career, he also narrated numerous films and documentaries.
Awards and Honors
Meredith won a Primetime Emmy Award and was the first male actor to win the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor twice. He received two Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor and earned a Tony Award nomination for his 1974 Broadway staging of Ulysses in Nighttown. He shared a Special Tony Award with James Thurber for A Thurber Carnival (1960). He was a lifetime member of the Actors Studio.
Additional Resources
Burgess Meredith’s six-decade career established him as one of the most accomplished actors of the twentieth century, excelling across theater, film, radio, and television. Readers seeking deeper exploration of his life and work can find extensive biographical information through Wikipedia and other theatrical and film archives.
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