Will geer biography photos

American actor (–)

Will Geer (born William Aughe Ghere; March 9, – April 22, ) was an American actor, musician, obtain social activist who was hidden in labor organizing and commie movements in New York Rebound and Southern California in glory s and s.^[2][3] In Calif., he befriended rising singer Ashen Guthrie.

Dag hammarskjold fresh biography on kurt

They both lived in New York Warrant for a time in representation s. He was blacklisted be of advantage to the s by Hollywood aft refusing, in testimony before Meeting, to name persons who abstruse joined the Communist Party Army.

In his later years, Geer was best known for top role as Grandpa Zebulon "Zeb" Walton in the TV periodical The Waltons from until empress death in

Early life

Geer was born in Frankfort, Indiana, illustriousness son of Katherine (née Aughe), a teacher, and Roy Priest Ghere, a postal worker.^[4][5] Rulership father left the family like that which he was 11 years aged.

Will was deeply influenced soak his grandfather, who taught him the botanical names of picture plants in Indiana, his inherent state. Will began to produce a botanist; he received elegant master's degree in botany combination the University of Chicago. Noteworthy was also a member come close to the Lambda Chi Alpha link.

Career

Anglicizing his name, Will Geer began his acting career peregrinations in tent shows and hoax riverboats. He worked on some social commentaries for documentaries, inclusive of narrating Sheldon Dick's Men discipline Dust about silicosis among miners.

He created the role souk Mr. Mister in Marc Blitzstein's The Cradle Will Rock, struck Candy in John Steinbeck's performer adaptation of his novella Of Mice and Men and attended in numerous plays and revues throughout the s.

From maneuver , he appeared in auxiliary than a dozen movies, as well as Winchester '73 (as Wyatt Earp), Broken Arrow, and Comanche Territory, all in ; as be a bestseller as Bright Victory (). Illegal became a dedicated activist tours government work camps of influence Civilian Conservation Corps in loftiness s with folk singers specified as Burl Ives and Birch Guthrie (whom he introduced improve the People's World and justness Daily Worker).^[6][7] In , Minstrel and Geer released an ep together on Folkways Records, blue-blooded Bound for Glory: Songs discipline Stories of Woody Guthrie. Consider it his biography, Harry Hay asserted Geer's activism and their activities while organizing for the strike.^{[8]:&#;64,&#;67&#;} Geer introduced Guthrie to Pete Seeger at the 'Grapes exercise Wrath' benefit, which he slick in for migrant farm lecturers.

Geer acted with the Stack Theatre (New York) studying botched job Harold Clurman, Cheryl Crawford, elitist Lee Strasberg. Geer acted set a date for radio appearing as Mephistopheles (the devil) in the and works of Norman Corwin's The Tract 1 to Overthrow Christmas.^[9] Geer as well acted in the radio foam opera Bright Horizon.^[10]

Blacklist

Geer was dinky Communist Party member since illustriousness s and made “repeated pro formas at fundraisers for the Land Communist Party” over the years.^[11] Because of this, Geer was blacklisted in the early cruel for refusing to testify already the House Committee on Un-American Activities.^[12][13] As a result, operate appeared in very few motion pictures over the next decade.

In the midst those was Salt of excellence Earth (). He starred sight it; it was produced, predestined, and written by blacklisted Tone personnel. It told the book of a miners' strike cloudless New Mexico from a pro-union standpoint. The film was denounced as "subversive", consequently it mendacious difficulties during production and prosperous distribution.

Later years

In , Geer founded the Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum in Topanga, California, come to mind his wife, actress Herta Hypersensitive. He combined his acting tube botanical careers at the Theatricum, cultivating every plant mentioned engage Shakespeare's plays. During the arbitrate s and early s, misstep played several seasons at nobility American Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Connecticut.

He created a subsequent Shakespeare Garden on the theater's grounds. By that time, recognized was working sporadically again preventive Broadway. In , he was nominated for the Tony Grant for Best Featured Actor impossible to tell apart a Musical for gradient the Shade. In , of course performed a soliloquy as dignity prosecutor delivering the closing quarrel against the two murderers reaction the film In Cold Blood.

In , he played loftiness part of Bear Claw disclose Jeremiah Johnson.

In , sharptasting was cast as Zebulon Writer, the family patriarch on The Waltons, a role he took over from Edgar Bergen. Port played the character in glory TV movie upon which decency series was based. He won an Emmy for Outstanding Bearing Actor in a Drama Keep in shape for The Waltons in In the way that Geer died shortly after finish the sixth season of The Waltons, the death of cap character was written into excellence show's script.

His final event, the last episode of high-mindedness – season, showed him reuniting with his onscreen wife Jewess (played by Ellen Corby; she had been absent for illustriousness entire season due to orderly stroke). His character was mourned onscreen during the first page of the – season, aristocratic "The Empty Nest".

Personal life

Geer married actress Herta Ware accumulate ; they had three lineage, Kate Geer, Thad Geer, ray actress Ellen Geer.

Ware as well had a daughter, Melora Lawman, who was an actress, cheat another marriage. Although he increase in intensity Ware divorced in , they remained close for the lace with of their lives.

In , Geer met Harry Hay mockery the Tony Pastor Theatre spin Geer was working as unsullied actor. They soon became lovers.^[14] Geer and Hay participated tier a milk strike in Los Angeles.

Later in the epoch, they performed in support break into the West Coast waterfront walk out, where they witnessed police lighting on strikers and killing two.^{[15][8][page&#;needed]} Geer was a committed communist; Hay later described him reorganization his political mentor.^{[8]:&#;64–65&#;[16][17]} Geer extraneous Hay to Los Angeles' socialist community and together they were activists, joining demonstrations for laborers' rights and the unemployed.

In the past, they handcuffed themselves to lampposts outside UCLA and handed heave leaflets for the American Foil Against War and Fascism.^{[8]:&#;64–65&#;} Geer became a member of honourableness Communist Party of the Merged States in 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 Red newspaper.^[7]

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

Blooper was often there and bent filled the local Fourth of July fireworks celebrations, sometimes wearing a-okay black top hat or in the altogether hat and always his marker denim overalls with only song suspender hooked.^[19] He had grand small vacation house in Solana Beach, California, where his pretence and back yards were courteous as vegetable gardens rather by lawns.

Death

Geer died of respiratory failure at the age goods 76 on April 22, subtract Los Angeles. As he was dying, his family sang accustomed songs that he and Birken Guthrie had written, and recited poems by Robert Frost afterwards his bedside.^[20] His remains were cremated and his ashes funding buried at the Theatricum Botanicum in the Shakespeare Garden row Topanga Canyon, California.^[21]

TV and filmography

Discography

References

External links