Myron McCormick

Myron McCormick (February 8, 1908 – July 30, 1962) was an American actor of stage, radio and film.

Myron McCormick
Ilka Chase, Myron McCormick, and Robert Middlemass in 1934 stage production
Small Miracle
Born
Walter Myron McCormick

(1908-02-08)February 8, 1908
Albany, Indiana, U.S.
DiedJuly 30, 1962(1962-07-30) (aged 54)
New York City, New York, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1936–1962

Early life and education

Born in Albany, Indiana, in 1908, Walter Myron McCormick was the middle child of Walter P. and Bessie M. McCormick's three children.[1] His father, according to the federal census of 1920, was a native of Illinois and a manufacturer of tinware.[1] He attended New Mexico Military Institute and Princeton University.[2] At the latter he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa Society, gained experience in musical theater, and graduated magna cum laude.[3]

Stage

McCormick was the only cast member of the Broadway smash South Pacific to remain with the show for all 1,925 performances. He won a Best Supporting Performance (Actor) Donaldson Award for 1948-1949[4] and a 1950 Tony Award for Actor, Supporting or Featured (Musical)[5] for his portrayal of sailor Luther Billis. He later was featured on Broadway from 1955-1957 in the military comedy No Time for Sergeants and repeated his role as Sergeant King for the 1958 film version starring Andy Griffith.

His other Broadway credits include 27 Wagons Full of Cotton (1954), Joy to the World (1947), Soldier's Wife (1944), Storm Operation (1943), The Damask Cheek (1942), Lily of the Valley (1941), Thunder Rock (1939), In Clover (1937), The Wingless Victory (1936), Hell Freezes Over (1935), How Beautiful with Shoes (1935), Substitute for Murder (1935), Paths of Glory (1935), and Carry Nation (1932).[6]

Film

McCormick portrayed Charlie, the partner of pool shark "Fast Eddie" Felson (Paul Newman) in The Hustler (1961). He also appeared in The Man Who Understood Women, Jigsaw, Jolson Sings Again and The Fight for Life. His screen debut came in Winterset.[7]

Radio and television

McCormick became a featured performer in the soap opera Buck Private and His Girl[8] and in many popular radio dramas of the 1940s. He also made guest appearances on numerous television programs of the 1950s/early 1960s, including The Untouchables, Naked City, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Donna Reed Show, Way Out and The Iceman Cometh (1960 TV production). McCormick was also known for his portrayal of "Colonel Ralph Bryant" in the 1949 movie Jolson Sings Again. In 1959 for The Play of the Week television series, he played Joe Saul in Steinbeck's Burning Bright.

Personal life

McCormick was married to actress Martha Hodge[2] and to Barbara MacKenzie.[9]

Death

McCormick died at New York–Presbyterian Hospital in New York City on July 30, 1962, from cancer, aged 54. He was survived by his wife, a son, and a daughter.[9]

Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
1936WintersetCarr
1939...One Third of a Nation...Sam Moon
1940The Fight for LifeThe Interne
1942China GirlShorty McGuire
1942USS VD: Ship of ShameExec. Officer McGregorUncredited
1949JigsawCharles Riggs
1949Jolson Sings AgainRalph Bryant
1955Three for the ShowMike Hudson
1955Not as a StrangerDr. Snider
1958No Time for SergeantsSgt. Orville C. King
1959The Man Who Understood WomenPreacher
1961The HustlerCharlie Burns
1962A Public AffairSam Clavell
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References
  1. Digital copy of original enumeration page from "The Fourteenth Census of the United States, 1920, Albany Town, Delaware County, Indiana, January 2, 1920. United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Washington, D.C. FamilySearch, a genealogical on-line database and public service provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
  2. "Myron McCormick Is One of Princeton School of Actors". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. New York, Brooklyn. January 25, 1942. p. 34. Retrieved September 28, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Myron McCormick Says Once He Was Five Men in One Play". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. New York, Brooklyn. November 29, 1942. p. 27. Retrieved September 29, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Winners: The Sixth Annual Donaldson Awards 1948-1949". Billboard. July 16, 1949. p. 46. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  5. "("Myron McCormick" search results)". Tony Awards. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  6. "("Myron McCormick" search results)". Playbill Vault. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  7. "Noted Actor McCormick Dies At 54". Tucson Daily Citizen. Arizona, Tucson. Associated Press. July 31, 1962. p. 32. Retrieved September 28, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (Revised ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. p. 122. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3. Retrieved 2019-09-13. Buck Private and His Girl, soap opera.
  9. "Myron McCormick, Actor, Dies of Cancer". The Terre Haute Star. Indiana, Terre Haute. Associated Press. July 31, 1962. p. 8. Retrieved September 28, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
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