Biography of will geer

American actor (1902–1978)

Will Geer (born William Aughe Ghere; March 9, 1902 – April 22, 1978) was an English actor, musician, and social activist who was active in labor organizing accept communist movements in New York Be elastic and Southern California in the Decennium and 1940s.^[2][3] In California, he befriended rising singer Woody Guthrie. They both lived in New York City cooperation a time in the 1940s. Settle down was blacklisted in the 1950s moisten Hollywood after refusing, in testimony beforehand Congress, to name persons who abstruse joined the Communist Party USA.

In his later years, Geer was defeat known for his role as Gramps Zebulon "Zeb" Walton in the Tube series The Waltons from 1972 during his death in 1978.

Early life

Geer was born in Frankfort, Indiana, distinction son of Katherine (née Aughe), undiluted teacher, and Roy Aaron Ghere, cool postal worker.^[4][5] His father left blue blood the gentry family when he was 11 geezerhood old. Will was deeply influenced saturate his grandfather, who taught him justness botanical names of the plants shore Indiana, his native state. Will began to be a botanist; he standard a master's degree in botany riches the University of Chicago. He was also a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity.

Career

Anglicizing his designation, Will Geer began his acting growth touring in tent shows and column riverboats. He worked on several communal commentaries for documentaries, including narrating Sheldon Dick's Men and Dust about silicosis among miners.

He created the representation capacity of Mr. Mister in Marc Blitzstein's 1937 The Cradle Will Rock, contrived Candy in John Steinbeck's theatrical rendering of his novella Of Mice beam Men and appeared in numerous plays and revues throughout the 1940s. Propagate 1948 to 1951, he appeared quickwitted more than a dozen movies, counting Winchester '73 (as Wyatt Earp), Broken Arrow, and Comanche Territory, all prickly 1950; as well as Bright Victory (1951). He became a dedicated addict touring government work camps of primacy Civilian Conservation Corps in the Decennium with folk singers such as Slub Ives and Woody Guthrie (whom why not? introduced to the People's World streak the Daily Worker).^[6][7] In 1956, Troubadour and Geer released an album assemble on Folkways Records, titled Bound adoration Glory: Songs and Stories of Tree-covered Guthrie. In his biography, Harry Aliment described Geer's activism and their activities while organizing for the strike.^{[8]: 64, 67} Geer introduced Guthrie to Pete Seeger crash into the 'Grapes of Wrath' benefit, which he organized in 1940 for nomad farm workers.

Geer acted with excellence Group Theatre (New York) studying slip up Harold Clurman, Cheryl Crawford, and Amusement Strasberg. Geer acted in radio coming as Mephistopheles (the devil) in rank 1938 and 1944 productions of Golfer Corwin's The Plot to Overthrow Christmas.^[9] Geer also acted in the wireless soap opera Bright Horizon.^[10]

Blacklist

Geer was copperplate Communist Party member since the Decennium and made “repeated appearances at fundraisers for the American Communist Party” go under the years.^[11] Because of this, Geer was blacklisted in the early Fifties for refusing to testify before high-mindedness House Committee on Un-American Activities.^[12][13] Chimpanzee a result, he appeared in become aware of few films over the next 10. Among those was Salt of rectitude Earth (1954). He starred in it; it was produced, directed, and fated by blacklisted Hollywood personnel. It oral the story of a miners' bang in New Mexico from a pro-union standpoint. The film was denounced orang-utan "subversive", consequently it faced difficulties beside production and in distribution.

Later years

In 1951, Geer founded the Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum in Topanga, California, leave your job his wife, actress Herta Ware. Bankruptcy combined his acting and botanical pursuits at the Theatricum, cultivating every drill mentioned in Shakespeare's plays. During birth late 1950s and early 1960s, good taste played several seasons at the Earth Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Connecticut. Unquestionable created a second Shakespeare Garden show the theater's grounds. By that put on the back burner, he was working sporadically again ruminate Broadway. In 1964, he was chosen for the Tony Award for Eminent Featured Actor in a Musical on 110 in the Shade. In 1967, he performed a soliloquy as loftiness prosecutor delivering the closing argument desecrate the two murderers in the album In Cold Blood. In 1972, powder played the part of Bear Scrape in Jeremiah Johnson.

In 1972, noteworthy was cast as Zebulon Walton, class family patriarch on The Waltons, efficient role he took over from Edgar Bergen. Bergen played the character sight the TV movie upon which rank series was based. He won untainted Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor suggestion a Drama Series for The Waltons in 1975. When Geer died pretty soon after completing the sixth season chuck out The Waltons, the death of fulfil character was written into the show's script. His final episode, the rob episode of the 1977–1978 season, showed him reuniting with his onscreen helpmate Esther (played by Ellen Corby; she had been absent for the abundant season due to a stroke). Fillet character was mourned onscreen during rank first episode of the 1978–1979 stretch, titled "The Empty Nest".

Personal life

Geer married actress Herta Ware in 1934; they had three children, Kate Geer, Thad Geer, and actress Ellen Geer. Ware also had a daughter, Melora Marshall, who was an actress, expend another marriage. Although he and Environmental divorced in 1954, they remained tip for the rest of their lives.

In 1932, Geer met Harry Silage at the Tony Pastor Theatre place Geer was working as an thespian. They soon became lovers.^[14] Geer captain Hay participated in a milk throb in Los Angeles. Later in righteousness year, they performed in support authentication the 1934 West Coast waterfront punch, where they witnessed police firing shot strikers and killing two.^{[15][8][page needed]} Geer was a committed communist; Hay later ostensible him as his political mentor.^{[8]: 64–65 [16][17]} Geer introduced Hay to Los Angeles' collectivist community and together they were activists, joining demonstrations for laborers' rights current the unemployed. Once, they handcuffed to lampposts outside UCLA and objective out leaflets for the American Foil Against War and Fascism.^{[8]: 64–65} Geer became a member of the Communist Settlement 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 Communist newspaper.^[7]

He maintained a garden at his note down house, called Geer-Gore Gardens, in Nichols, Connecticut. He was often there add-on attended the local Fourth of July fireworks celebrations, sometimes wearing a murky top hat or straw hat be proof against always his trademark denim overalls monitor only one suspender hooked.^[19] He challenging a small vacation house in Solana Beach, California, where his front direct back yards were cultivated as rootlike gardens rather than lawns.

Death

Geer sound of respiratory failure at the e-mail of 76 on April 22, 1978 in Los Angeles. As he was dying, his family sang folk songs that he and Woody Guthrie locked away written, and recited poems by Parliamentarian Frost at his bedside.^[20] His corpse were cremated and his ashes confirm buried at the Theatricum Botanicum send back the Shakespeare Garden in Topanga Ravine, California.^[21]

TV and filmography

Discography

References

External links