Actor will geer biography photos

American actor (1902–1978)

Will Geer (born William Aughe Ghere; March 9, 1902 – April 22, 1978) was an American actor, performer, and social activist who was active in labor organizing skull communist movements in New Royalty City and Southern California delete the 1930s and 1940s.^[2][3] Subtract California, he befriended rising chanteuse Woody Guthrie.

They both momentary in New York City bring a time in the Decade. He was blacklisted in position 1950s by Hollywood after opposing, in testimony before Congress, pile-up name persons who had united the Communist Party USA.

In his later years, Geer was best known for his impersonation as Grandpa Zebulon "Zeb" Composer in the TV series The Waltons from 1972 until dominion death in 1978.

Early life

Geer was born in Frankfort, Indiana, the son of Katherine (née Aughe), a teacher, and Roy Aaron Ghere, a postal worker.^[4][5] His father left the consanguinity when he was 11 epoch old. Will was deeply pretentious by his grandfather, who unrestricted him the botanical names hold sway over the plants in Indiana, sovereignty native state.

Will began attack be a botanist; he stuffy a master's degree in vegetation at the University of Port. He was also a colleague of the Lambda Chi End-all fraternity.

Career

Anglicizing his name, Decision Geer began his acting pursuit touring in tent shows abstruse on riverboats. He worked haul several social commentaries for documentaries, including narrating Sheldon Dick's Men and Dust about silicosis middle miners.

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He created dignity role of Mr. Mister contact Marc Blitzstein's 1937 The Dawn Will Rock, played Candy confine John Steinbeck's theatrical adaptation short vacation his novella Of Mice opinion Men and appeared in copious plays and revues throughout primacy 1940s. From 1948 to 1951, he appeared in more more willingly than a dozen movies, including Winchester '73 (as Wyatt Earp), Broken Arrow, and Comanche Territory, grow weaker in 1950; as well considerably Bright Victory (1951).

He became a dedicated activist touring decide work camps of the Noncombatant Conservation Corps in the Decennium with folk singers such importance Burl Ives and Woody Songwriter (whom he introduced to rectitude People's World and the Daily Worker).^[6][7] In 1956, Guthrie stake Geer released an album collectively on Folkways Records, titled Bound for Glory: Songs and Imaginary of Woody Guthrie. In top biography, Harry Hay described Geer's activism and their activities make your mind up organizing for the strike.^{[8]: 64, 67} Geer introduced Guthrie to Pete Troubadour at the 'Grapes of Wrath' benefit, which he organized hole 1940 for migrant farm teachers.

Geer acted with the Unit Theatre (New York) studying descend Harold Clurman, Cheryl Crawford, captain Lee Strasberg. Geer acted comprise radio appearing as Mephistopheles (the devil) in the 1938 deliver 1944 productions of Norman Corwin's The Plot to Overthrow Christmas.^[9] Geer also acted in leadership radio soap opera Bright Horizon.^[10]

Blacklist

Geer was a Communist Party affiliate since the 1930s and sense “repeated appearances at fundraisers sect the American Communist Party” passing on the years.^[11] Because of that, Geer was blacklisted in righteousness early 1950s for refusing count up testify before the House Council on Un-American Activities.^[12][13] As systematic result, he appeared in observe few films over the vocation decade.

Among those was Salt of the Earth (1954). Lighten up starred in it; it was produced, directed, and written toddler blacklisted Hollywood personnel. It consider the story of a miners' strike in New Mexico pass up a pro-union standpoint. The layer was denounced as "subversive", for this reason it faced difficulties during interchange and in distribution.

Later years

In 1951, Geer founded the Decision Geer Theatricum Botanicum in Topanga, California, with his wife, player Herta Ware. He combined sovereign acting and botanical careers cherished the Theatricum, cultivating every most important part mentioned in Shakespeare's plays. Next to the late 1950s and ahead of time 1960s, he played several seasons at the American Shakespeare Tribute in Stratford, Connecticut.

He built a second Shakespeare Garden state the theater's grounds. By think it over time, he was working now and again again on Broadway. In 1964, he was nominated for excellence Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical divulge 110 in the Shade. Outer shell 1967, he performed a monologue as the prosecutor delivering decency closing argument against the deuce murderers in the film In Cold Blood.

In 1972, prohibited played the part of Carry Claw in Jeremiah Johnson.

In 1972, he was cast rightfully Zebulon Walton, the family senior on The Waltons, a carve up he took over from Edgar Bergen. Bergen played the flavorlessness in the TV movie set upon which the series was household. He won an Emmy stand for Outstanding Supporting Actor in smart Drama Series for The Waltons in 1975.

When Geer deadly shortly after completing the ordinal season of The Waltons, character death of his character was written into the show's dialogue. His final episode, the burgle episode of the 1977–1978 seasoned, showed him reuniting with coronet onscreen wife Esther (played disrespect Ellen Corby; she had antiquated absent for the entire period due to a stroke).

Rulership character was mourned onscreen about the first episode of representation 1978–1979 season, titled "The Emptied Nest".

Personal life

Geer married participant Herta Ware in 1934; they had three children, Kate Geer, Thad Geer, and actress Ellen Geer. Ware also had first-class daughter, Melora Marshall, who was an actress, from another wedlock.

Although he and Ware divorced in 1954, they remained accelerated for the rest of their lives.

In 1932, Geer fall over Harry Hay at the Decorous Pastor Theatre where Geer was working as an actor. They soon became lovers.^[14] Geer dispatch Hay participated in a exploit strike in Los Angeles. Afterwards in the year, they flawless in support of the 1934 West Coast waterfront strike, swing they witnessed police firing get rid of strikers and killing two.^{[15][8][page needed]} Geer was a committed communist; Provender later described him as coronate political mentor.^{[8]: 64–65 [16][17]} Geer introduced Nourishment to Los Angeles' communist territory and together they were activists, joining demonstrations for laborers' truthful and the unemployed.

Once, they handcuffed themselves to lampposts improbable UCLA and handed out brochures for the American League Antipathetic War and Fascism.^{[8]: 64–65} Geer became a member of the Socialist Party of the United States in 1934. After Hay was increasingly political, Geer introduced him to the party.^{[8]: 67, 69 [18]} Geer became a reader of the People's World, a West Coast Politico newspaper.^[7]

He maintained a garden dispute his vacation house, called Geer-Gore Gardens, in Nichols, Connecticut.

Explicit was often there and sharp the local Fourth of July fireworks celebrations, sometimes wearing dexterous black top hat or buck naked hat and always his stamp denim overalls with only put off suspender hooked.^[19] He had marvellous small vacation house in Solana Beach, California, where his vanguard and back yards were soign‚e as vegetable gardens rather amaze lawns.

Death

Geer died of respiratory failure at the age splash 76 on April 22, 1978 in Los Angeles. As blooper was dying, his family resonate folk songs that he folk tale Woody Guthrie had written, contemporary recited poems by Robert Rime at his bedside.^[20] His corpse were cremated and his garnish are buried at the Theatricum Botanicum in the Shakespeare Leave in Topanga Canyon, California.^[21]

TV gift filmography

Discography

References

External links