Richard Whorf
Richard Whorf (June 4, 1906 – December 14, 1966) was an American actor, author, director, and designer.
Richard Whorf | |
---|---|
Born | Winthrop, Massachusetts, U.S. | June 4, 1906
Died | December 14, 1966 60) Santa Monica, California, U.S. | (aged
Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) |
Occupation | Film and television actor, director, and author |
Years active | 1927-1966 |
Spouse(s) | Margaret Harriet Smith (1929-1966) (his death) (2 children)[1] |
Relatives | Benjamin Lee Whorf (brother) |
Life and career
Whorf was born in Winthrop, Massachusetts to Harry and Sarah (née Lee) Whorf. His older brother was linguist Benjamin Lee Whorf.[2] Whorf began his acting career on the Boston stage as a teenager, then moved to Broadway at age 21. He had a role in a production of Taming of the Shrew at the Globe Theatre in New York City. He moved to Hollywood and became a contract player in films of the 1930s and 1940s before becoming a director in 1944.
He played a famous painter who had resorted to drinking in the 1960 episode "The Illustrator" of The Rifleman, starring Chuck Connors and Johnny Crawford. He directed a number of television programs in the 1950s and 1960s, including early episodes of Gunsmoke and The Beverly Hillbillies (most if not all of the first two seasons), and the entire second season of My Three Sons. He directed the short-lived series Border Patrol, and the 1964–1965 ABC sitcom Mickey, starring Mickey Rooney. In the summer of 1960, he guest-starred in one episode and directed other segments of the short-lived western series Tate.
Whorf directed the unsuccessful 1961 stage comedy Julia, Jake and Uncle Joe.[3] His hobby was painting; he sold his first painting at the age of 15 for $100.
Whorf died at age 60 on December 14, 1966. His grave site is at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, in Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles.[4]
Partial filmography
As director
- Blonde Fever (1944)
- The Hidden Eye (1945)
- The Sailor Takes a Wife (1945)
- Till the Clouds Roll By (1946)
- It Happened in Brooklyn (1947)
- Love from a Stranger (1947)
- Luxury Liner (1948)
- Champagne for Caesar (1950)
- The Groom Wore Spurs (1951)
- Gunsmoke (1958)
As actor
- Midnight (1934) - Arthur Weldon
- Blues in the Night (1941) - Jigger Pine
- Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) - Sam Harris
- Juke Girl (1942) - Danny Frazier
- Keeper of the Flame (1943) - Clive Kerndon
- Assignment in Brittany (1943) - Jean Kerenor
- The Cross of Lorraine (1943) - François
- The Impostor (1944, aka Strange Confession) - Lt. Varenne
- Christmas Holiday (1944) - Simon Fenimore
- Blonde Fever (1944) - Chef (uncredited)
- Chain Lightning (1950) - Carl Troxell
- The Groom Wore Spurs (1951) - Film Director Richard Whorf (uncredited)
As producer
- The Burning Hills (1956)
- Shoot-Out at Medicine Bend (1957)
- Bombers B-52 (1957)
References
- https://www.myheritage.com/names/richard_whorf
- Carrol, John B. (1956) "Introduction" in "Language, Thought and Reality: Selected Writings of Benjamin Lee Whorf". MIT Press. pp. 2-3
- Julia, Jake and Uncle Joe at the Internet Broadway Database
- Richard Whorf at Find a Grave