Actors and actresses
Listed below are some of the most influential actors and actresses of the 1950s who can be attributed to the rise and popularization of film and television.
John Wayne
"Born Marion Robert Morrison on May 26, 1907, in Winterset, Iowa. (Some sources also list him as Marion Michael Morrison and Marion Mitchell Morrison.) One of the most popular film actors of the twentieth century, John Wayne remains a popular American icon to this day.
Out of school, Wayne worked as an extra and a prop man in the film industry. He first met director John Ford while working as an extra on Mother Machree (1928). With The Big Trail (1930), Wayne received his first leading role, thanks to director Raoul Walsh. Walsh is often credited with helping him create his now legendary screen name, John Wayne. Unfortunately, the western was a box office dud.
For nearly a decade, Wayne toiled in numerous B movies-mostly westerns-for different studios. He even played a singing cowboy named Sandy Saunders among his many roles. During this time period, however, Wayne started developing his man of action persona, which would serve as the basis of many popular characters later on. Working with Ford, he got his next big break in Stagecoach (1939).
[At the end of his career] Wayne portrayed an aging gunfighter dying of cancer in his final film, The Shootist (1976), with Jimmy Stewart and Lauren Bacall. His character, John Bernard Books, hoped to spend his final days peacefully, but got involved one last gunfight. In 1978, life imitated art with Wayne being diagnosed with stomach cancer. Wayne died on June 11, 1979, in Los Angeles, California." (A&E, 2013).
Perhaps Wayne's greatest acheivement was inspiring and partaking in the rise and popularization of the western genre.
Out of school, Wayne worked as an extra and a prop man in the film industry. He first met director John Ford while working as an extra on Mother Machree (1928). With The Big Trail (1930), Wayne received his first leading role, thanks to director Raoul Walsh. Walsh is often credited with helping him create his now legendary screen name, John Wayne. Unfortunately, the western was a box office dud.
For nearly a decade, Wayne toiled in numerous B movies-mostly westerns-for different studios. He even played a singing cowboy named Sandy Saunders among his many roles. During this time period, however, Wayne started developing his man of action persona, which would serve as the basis of many popular characters later on. Working with Ford, he got his next big break in Stagecoach (1939).
[At the end of his career] Wayne portrayed an aging gunfighter dying of cancer in his final film, The Shootist (1976), with Jimmy Stewart and Lauren Bacall. His character, John Bernard Books, hoped to spend his final days peacefully, but got involved one last gunfight. In 1978, life imitated art with Wayne being diagnosed with stomach cancer. Wayne died on June 11, 1979, in Los Angeles, California." (A&E, 2013).
Perhaps Wayne's greatest acheivement was inspiring and partaking in the rise and popularization of the western genre.
Lucille Ball
"Born on August 6, 1911 in Jamestown, NY, Lucille Ball was a pioneer in comedic acting and production in the television industry. Desilu, the company she formed with her then husband, is credited with introducing the 3 camera angle and live audience participation in situation comedies. Her television shows such as "I Love Lucy" are still viewed by millions of viewers each day.
On October 15, 1951 I Love Lucy made its debut and to the television viewing audience across the country it was immediately apparent this was a sitcom like no other.
Her genius did not go unrecognized. During its six-year run, I Love Lucy's success was unmatched. For four of its seasons, the sitcom was the number one show in the country.
Bombastic and daring, the show, which co-starred Vivian Vance and William Fawley as Lucy and Desi's two best friends, set the stage for a generation of family-related sitcoms to come. The program included story lines that dealt with marital issues, women in the workplace, and suburban living.
... On April 26, 1989, she died from a ruptured aorta following open-heart surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles." (A&E, 2013).
On October 15, 1951 I Love Lucy made its debut and to the television viewing audience across the country it was immediately apparent this was a sitcom like no other.
Her genius did not go unrecognized. During its six-year run, I Love Lucy's success was unmatched. For four of its seasons, the sitcom was the number one show in the country.
Bombastic and daring, the show, which co-starred Vivian Vance and William Fawley as Lucy and Desi's two best friends, set the stage for a generation of family-related sitcoms to come. The program included story lines that dealt with marital issues, women in the workplace, and suburban living.
... On April 26, 1989, she died from a ruptured aorta following open-heart surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles." (A&E, 2013).
Marlon Brando
"Marlon Brando was born March 4th, 1924. Brando had a somewhat lonely childhood, since his father was often away working, and his mother was an alcoholic. After his two older sisters had left home, Brando was often left on his own in the house whilst his mother went out drinking. As a child, Brando developed his acting skills from a young age, as he would play-act in an attempt to amuse his drunken mother, hoping that she wouldn’t leave the house in search of alcohol. But sometimes he would have to go out and find her in one of the local bars, or even the local jail, as the police sometimes picked her up drunk. Given the neglect he suffered as a child, it was hardly surprising that young Brando “acted out” and was constantly in trouble with his schoolteachers for bad behaviour.
Brando made his debut on the New York stage in October 1944 in a play called 'I Remember Mama', which was very well received. By the time he acted with director Elia Kazan, in a play called 'Truckline Café', he was already attracting widespread attention, thanks to his magnetic stage presence. At the tender age of 20, Brando had already been spotted by several Hollywood talent scouts, but he turned these first movie offers down, since he didn’t want to be committed to the seven-year contracts that the film studios were then offering.
These early films included 'Viva Zapata!' (1952), 'Julius Caesar' (1953), and 'The Wild One' (1953), in which Brando played the quintessential rebel-without-a-cause called Johnny Strabler. When asked, “What are you rebelling against?”, Johnny replies, “What have ya got?”. This movie became a cult classic, and helped create the “street rebel” image that was so widely copied by rock-n’roll stars of the Fifties, in particular Elvis Presley, who is said to have drawn the inspiration for his stage act directly from Marlon Brando.
Brando bounced back with a vengeance, however, in the early 1970s, when he took the role of Vito Corleone in Francis Ford Coppola’s 'The Godfather' (1972).
On 1 July 2004, Marlon Brando died in hospital from respiratory failure, although he had also been suffering from heart failure and diabetes. He was 80. His ashes were scattered partly in Tahiti, and partly in Death Valley. He is widely considered to be the greatest film actor of the twentieth century." (AETN, 2011).
Brando made his debut on the New York stage in October 1944 in a play called 'I Remember Mama', which was very well received. By the time he acted with director Elia Kazan, in a play called 'Truckline Café', he was already attracting widespread attention, thanks to his magnetic stage presence. At the tender age of 20, Brando had already been spotted by several Hollywood talent scouts, but he turned these first movie offers down, since he didn’t want to be committed to the seven-year contracts that the film studios were then offering.
These early films included 'Viva Zapata!' (1952), 'Julius Caesar' (1953), and 'The Wild One' (1953), in which Brando played the quintessential rebel-without-a-cause called Johnny Strabler. When asked, “What are you rebelling against?”, Johnny replies, “What have ya got?”. This movie became a cult classic, and helped create the “street rebel” image that was so widely copied by rock-n’roll stars of the Fifties, in particular Elvis Presley, who is said to have drawn the inspiration for his stage act directly from Marlon Brando.
Brando bounced back with a vengeance, however, in the early 1970s, when he took the role of Vito Corleone in Francis Ford Coppola’s 'The Godfather' (1972).
On 1 July 2004, Marlon Brando died in hospital from respiratory failure, although he had also been suffering from heart failure and diabetes. He was 80. His ashes were scattered partly in Tahiti, and partly in Death Valley. He is widely considered to be the greatest film actor of the twentieth century." (AETN, 2011).
Image credits to: (NNBD, 2013)