GARY MERRILL BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:
Gary Franklin Merrill was born August 2, 1915 in Hartford, Connecticut. His acting career began with parts in summer stock plays. In 1941 he married actress Barbara Leeds, and then joined the U.S. Army for a brief time. When he returned home from service, the two moved to New York and he began acting on screen. His debut was with a bit part in the musical war comedy "This Is the Army" (1943) also starring George Murphy, Joan Leslie, Alan Hale Sr., Rosemary DeCamp, Ronald Reagan, George Tobias, Victor Moore and Kate Smith. He followed it up with another war film, "Winged Victory" (1944) starring Lon McCallister, Jeanne Crain, Edmond O'Brien, Don Taylor, Judy Holliday, Red Buttons, Lee J. Cobb, Barry Nelson, George Reeves, Peter Lind Hayes, Jane Ball, Jo-Carroll Dennison and Mark Daniels, this time with a credited role. Merrill gained attention when he performed in yet another war picture, the twice Oscar winning "Twelve O' Clock High" (1949) co-starring Gregory Peck, Hugh Marlowe, Millard Mitchell, Dean Jagger, Paul Stewart, Paul Picerni, Harry Lauter, Richard Anderson, Kenneth Tobey and Lawrence Dobkin.
Shortly after, he nabbed the role of hot tempered, but reasonble, stage director Bill Sampson, opposite Bette Davis in another multiple Oscar earning film, "All About Eve" (1950) also starring alongside Anne Baxter, George Sanders, Celeste Holm, Hugh Marlowe, Barbara Bates, Thelma Ritter and Marilyn Monroe. Instantly, the duo hit it off and became a couple. In fact, Merrill divorced his current wife, Leeds, and married Davis on the same day.
A likeable and dependable actor, he continued to appear in various films, mainly with 20th Century Fox. From westerns to medical dramas to war movies, he took mostly secondary roles, but could also be found in a handful of leads. The actor's more notable features include "Mother Didn't Tell Me" (1950) also starring Dorothy McGuire, William Lundigan, June Havoc and Leif Erickson, "The Human Jungle" (1954) co-starring Jan Sterling, Paula Raymond, Regis Toomey, Chuck Connors, Claude Akins, Chubby Johnson and James Westerfield, "Destination Inner Space" (1966) starring with Scott Brady, Sheree North, Wende Wagner and Mike Road, "Clambake" (1967) starring Elvis Presley, Shelley Fabares, Will Hutchins, Bill Bixby and James Gregory, "The Secret of the Sacred Forest" (1970) with Jon Provost, Henry Duval and Joseph de Cordova, "Huckleberry Finn" (1974) starring Jeff East, Paul Winfield, David Wayne, Arthur O'Connell and Harvey Korman, and "Theives" (1977) with Marlo Thomas and Charles Grodin. The latter was his final motion picture.
His television career, however, was even more extensive. Merrill appeared on various short lived series, as well as guest starred on multiple shows. He performed on "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" (1957-60), "Wagon Train" (1957), "Zane Grey Theatre" (1957), "Checkmate" (1961), "Twilight Zone" (1961), "Combat!" (1963), "The Reporter" (1964), "Suspense" (1964) and "Young Dr. Kildare" (1972-73) among others. His final contributions to the small screen were a TV movie called "The Seekers" (1979) starring starring Randolph Mantooth, Edie Adams, Neville Brand, Delta Burke, John Carradine, Brian Keith, Ross Martin and George Hamilton and a series titled "The Littlest Hobo" (1980).
In 1988 the actor published his autobiography Bette, Rita, and the Rest of My Life, which chronicled his shaky ten year marriage to Davis and an affair he had with actress/dancer Rita Hayworth. On March 5 of 1990, Merrill died from lung cancer in Falmouth, Maine.
Filmography
1980 The Littlest Hobo
1979 The Seekers
1977 The World of Darkness
1977 Thieves
1976 Cannon
1974 Movin' On
1974 Huckleberry Finn
1974 Kung Fu
1973 The Jackie Gleason Special
1973 Pueblo
1973 Medical Center
1973 Wide World Mystery
1972 Young Dr. Kildare
1971 Earth II
1970 NET Playhouse
1970 Marcus Welby, M.D.
1970 The Secret of the Sacred Forest
1969 A Wrong Way to Love
1969 Then Came Bronson
1968 The Power
1968 Più tardi Claire, più tardi...
1967 The Incident
1967 Clambake
1967 The Last Challenge
1967 Hondo
1966 The Dangerous Days of Kiowa Jones
1966 The Time Tunnel
1966 Around the World Under the Sea
1966 Destination Inner Space
1966 A Man Called Shenandoah
1966 Cast a Giant Shadow
1966 Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
1966 Ride Beyond Vengeance
1965 Branded
1965 Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
1965 The Woman Who Wouldn't Die
1965 Profiles in Courage
1965 For the People
1965 The Doctors and the Nurses
1964 The Reporter
1964 The Presidency: A Splendid Misery
1964 Suspense
1964 The Searching Eye
1963 Kraft Suspense Theatre
1963 The Outer Limits
1963 The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
1963 Combat!
1963 Ben Casey
1963 Sam Benedict
1963 Hong Kong un addio
1962 A Girl Named Tamiko
1962 Alcoa Premiere
1962 Bus Stop
1962 The Dick Powell Theatre
1961 Twilight Zone
1961 The New Breed
1961 Mysterious Island
1961 The Pleasure of His Company
1961 Outlaws
1961 Checkmate
1961 The Great Impostor
1960 The Savage Eye
1959 Laramie
1959 The Wonderful Country
1959 Alcoa Theatre
1959 Rawhide
1958 Pursuit
1958 Cimarron City
1958 Studio One in Hollywood
1958 Crash Landing
1958 Jane Wyman Presents The Fireside Theatre
1958 G.E. True Theater
1958 The Missouri Traveler
1958 Rendezvous
1957 Zane Grey Theatre
1957 Alfred Hitchcock Presents
1957 Playhouse 90
1957 The Loretta Young Show
1957 Suspicion
1957 Wagon Train
1957 Schlitz Playhouse
1956 The Alcoa Hour
1956 Bermuda Affair
1956 Navy Wife
1956 The 20th Century-Fox Hour
1955 Star Stage
1954 Justice
1954 The Human Jungle
1954 The Black Dakotas
1954 Witness to Murder
1954 The Mask
1953 The United States Steel Hour
1953 Robert Montgomery Presents
1953 A Blueprint for Murder
1953 Willys Theatre Presenting Ben Hecht's Tales of the City
1953 Danger
1952 Night Without Sleep
1952 The Girl in White
1952 Phone Call from a Stranger
1951 Decision Before Dawn
1951 Another Man's Poison
1951 The Frogmen
1951 Rawhide
1950 All About Eve
1950 Where the Sidewalk Ends
1950 Mother Didn't Tell Me
1949 Twelve O'Clock High
1949 Slattery's Hurricane
1948 The Quiet One
1944 Winged Victory
1943 This Is the Army
