Matinee Classics - Gig Young Biography & Filmography

Gig Young ACTOR

PHOTOS

GIG YOUNG BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

Gig Young was born on November 4th, 1913 in St. Cloud, Minnesota with the birth name Byron Elsworth Barr, born to parents John and Emma Barr. He was raised in Washington DC and during high school he developed an interest in acting in a number of the school plays. After high school he continued to gain some more stage experience and was then awarded a scholarship to study at the Pasadena Community Playhouse.

During one of his early stage roles in, "Pancho" a Warner Brothers scout who viewed the production developed an interest in Young and signed him to a supporting players contract.

Now working in the film industry under his birth name Byron Barr he began appearing in a number of small roles such as, "Sergeant York" (1941) starring Gary Cooper and then "The Gay Sisters" (1942) where he played the character Gig Young and therefore took on the name as his stage name. Young, then took a brief break from acting to join the United States Coast Guard and upon completing his service he returned right back to pursuing a career as an actor.

He originally was working with Warner Brothers Studio's prior to joining the Coast Guard, however when he returned back to acting, they had dropped his contract so he began doing a number of projects freelance.

Some film roles he soon added to his resume were on, "Come Fill the Cup" (1951), "Holiday For Sinners" (1952), "Arena" (1953), "Desk Set" (1957), "Teacher's Pet" (1958) starring Clark Gable and Doris Day, "Kid Galahad" (1962) starring Elvis Presley and "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" (1969) for which he won an Oscar.

Along with his work as a film actor, Young also appeared on such television series as, "Casablanca", "King's Row", "Cheyenne", "The Rogues", "Lux Video Theatre", "Twilight Zone" and "Gibsville".

He dealt with alcohol addiction his entire life and it had a huge affect on his professional career. He lost a number of jobs due to his addiction and had a difficult personal life as well. His last film role was in 1979 in, "Game of Death".

Throughout his lifetime he married a total of five times. His first wife was Sheila Stapler whom he wed in 1940 and divorced later in 1947. He then married, Sophie Rosenstein in 1950, however she passed away in 1952 and the marriage also ended. His third wife was Elizabeth Montgomery whom he wed in 1956 and his marriage also came to an end in 1963. He then married for a fourth time to Elaine Young in 1963 and together they had one child before once again another unsuccessful marriage came to an end in 1966. His fifth and final wife was Kim Schmidt whom he married on September 27th, 1978 but less then one month he shot his twenty one year old wife and then turned the gun on himself at the age of sixty five on October 19th, 1978 in New York City, New York.

His remains are buried in the Green Hill Cemetery in Waynesville, North Carolina. Despite his personal issues, Hollywood still recognized his talents and he was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contribution to the Motion Picture Industry.