Victor Jory (November 23, 1902 - February 12, 1982) was a Canadian-born American actor of stage, film, and television. He initially played romantic leads, but later was mostly cast in villainous or sinister roles, like Jonas Wilkerson in Gone with the Wind and Oberon in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Later he had a lead role in the 78-episode television police drama Manhunt

Biography

Born in Dawson City, Yukon, of American parents, he was the boxing and wrestling champion of the United States Coast Guard during his military service, and he kept his burly physique. He toured with theater troupes and appeared on Broadway, before making his Hollywood debut in 1930. He initially played romantic leads, but later was mostly cast as the villain, likely due to his distinctive seemingly coal-black eyes that might be perceived as 'threatening'. He made over 150 films and dozens of TV episodes, as well as writing two plays. His long career in radio included starring in the series Dangerously Yours.

He is remembered for his roles as malevolent Injun Joe in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938), Jonas Wilkerson, the brutal and opportunistic overseer, in Gone with the Wind and as Lamont Cranston, aka 'The Shadow', in the 1942 serial film The Shadow. He also portrayed Oberon in Max Reinhardt's 1935 film adaptation of Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream.

In 1946 he narrated "Tubby the Tuba" for children, which was inducted in 2005 in the National Recording Registry and also introduces the orchestra to young listeners. The story tells of a tuba who doesn't fit in. He also narrated "Bumpo the Ballerina", whose title character is an elephant.

From 1959 to 1961, he appeared with Patrick McVey in the 78-episode syndicated television police drama, Manhunt. Jory played the lead role of Detective Lieutenant Howard Finucane. McVey was cast as police reporter Ben Andrews.

In 1957, Jory was cast in the role of the Southern Baptist pastor George Washington Truett of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas, in the episode "Lone Star Preacher" of the syndicated religion anthology series, Crossroads.

In 1962, Jory was cast as Deacon Lee in the two-part episode, "Policemen Die Alone" of Leslie Nielsen's ABC crime drama, The New Breed. That same year, Jory guest starred as Mike Dahlback in the episode "Ride to a Fall" in the NBC modern western series, Empire, starring Richard Egan as rancher Jim Redigo. He also played Helen Keller's father in The Miracle Worker, for which his costars Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke won Academy Awards.

In 1964, along with actresses Coleen Gray and Susan Seaforth, Jory testified before the United States Congress as part of "Project Prayer," arguing in favor of an amendment to the United States Constitution to restore school prayer, which the United States Supreme Court struck down in two decisions in 1962 and 1963.

In 1977, near the end of his career, Jory guest starred as an aging Federal Bureau of Investigation agent in James Garner's The Rockford Files episode, "The Attractive Nuisance."

For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Victor Jory has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6605 Hollywood Blvd.

Family

Jory had two children, Jon and Jean. Jon Jory headed the Actors Theater of Louisville, Kentucky, for thirty-one years, which he helped to build into one of America's most respected regional theater companies. He left the job in 2000 to become professor of drama at the University of Washington in Seattle.

Partial TV and filmography

• State Fair (1933)
• Infernal Machine (1933)
• Madame DuBarry (1934)
• Murder in Trinidad (1934)
• Party Wire (1935)
• A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935)
• Too Tough to Kill (1935)
• White Lies (1935)
• Rangle River (1936)
• Meet Nero Wolfe (1936)
• The King Steps Out (1936)
• Hell-Ship Morgan (1936)
• First Lady (1937)
• Glamorous Night (1937)
• Bulldog Drummond at Bay (1937)
• The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938)
• Dodge City (1939)
• Susannah of the Mounties (1939)
• Each Dawn I Die (1939)
• I Stole a Million (1939)
• Gone with the Wind (1939)
• The Shadow (serial, 1940)
• The Green Archer (serial, 1940)
• Lady with Red Hair (1940)
• The Lone Wolf Meets a Lady (1940)
• Cherokee Strip (1940)
• Charlie Chan in Rio (1941)
• Secrets of the Lone Wolf (1941)
• Tulips Shall Grow (1942)
• Tombstone, the Town Too Tough to Die (1942)
• The Kansan (1943)
• The Loves of Carmen (1948)
• Fighting Man of the Plains (1949)
• The Capture (1950)
• The Cariboo Trail (1950)
• Cave of Outlaws (1951)
• Flaming Feather (1952)
• Cat-Women of the Moon (1953)
• The Man from the Alamo (1953)
• Valley of the Kings (1954)
• Blackjack Ketchum, Desperado (1956)
• The Man Who Turned to Stone (1957)
• The Last Stagecoach West (1957)
• The Fugitive Kind (1959)
• Wanted: Dead or Alive as Sam McGarrett in "The Legend" (CBS-TV, 1959)
• The Miracle Worker (1962)
• 87th Precinct Episode "The Last Stop" (NBC-TV series, 1962)
• Alfred Hitchcock Presents Episode 32, Season 1: "Death of a Cop" (CBS-TV, 1963)
• Cheyenne Autumn (1964)
• I Spy (TV series) (1966) NBC series in the episode "Return to Glory"
• The Legend of Jesse James (1966) ABC series, as Judge Parker in the episode "Things Don't Just Happen"
• The Green Hornet (1966 TV series)
• F Troop as Chief Mean Buffalo in the episode "Indian Fever", ABC series (1966)
• The Road West in episode "Beyond the Hill", NBC series (1967)
• The Time Tunnel in episode "Pirates Of Deadman's Island", ABC series (1967)
• Mannix Episode "Return to Summer Grove" (CBS-TV series, 1969)
• Mackenna's Gold as Narrator (1969)
• A Time for Dying (1969)
• Banacek - Season 1, episode 3 - "No Sign of the Cross", TV series (1972)
• Papillon (1973)
• Kolchak: The Night Stalker - Season 1, episode 9 - "Bad Medicine", 1974
• Nakia, ABC series (1974), recurring role as Ben Redearth
• The Mountain Men (1980)
• The Puppetoon Movie (1987)

Radio appearances

[ Source: Wikipedia ]