Gary Merrill

Actor

About

Read More

Also Known As

Cpl. Garry Merrill

Birth Place

Hartford, Connecticut, USA

Born

August 02, 1915

Died

March 05, 1990

Cause of Death

Cancer

Biography

Read More

A rugged, deep-voiced stage actor who made his first film appearances in "This Is the Army" (1943) and "Winged Victory" (1944), Merrill gained attention in a fine turn supporting Gregory Peck in "Twelve O'Clock High" (1949). He came to prominence opposite future wife Bette Davis in a splendid performance as a cynical and hot-tempered but ultimately reasonable stage director in the backst...

Filmography

Read More

Piece Touchee (1989)

Huckleberry Finn (1974)

Admiral Thomas H Moorer

Earth II (1971)

Walter Dietrich

The Secret of the Sacred Forest (1970)

Photos & Videos

View All

Mysterious Island (1961) -- (Movie Clip) Listen Captain Nemo

Mysterious Island (1961) -- (Movie Clip) Cook In A Slow Oven

Family & Companions

Read More

Barbara Leeds

Wife

Actor. Married in 1941; divorced in 1950.

Bette Davis

Wife

Actor. Married in 1950; divorced in 1960.

Rita Hayworth

Companion

Actor, dancer. Had four-year relationship.

Bibliography

Read More

"Bette, Rita and the Rest of My Life"

Gary Merrill with John Cole (1988)

Notes

"I got into acting because of my voice which was pretty deep for a student. So, I got the part as a villain when I was in school. Once I heard the applause, I was hooked!" --Merrill to author Charles P. Mitchell, from "Garry Merrill: A Thinking Man's Actor" in Classic Images, November 1999.

Biography

A rugged, deep-voiced stage actor who made his first film appearances in "This Is the Army" (1943) and "Winged Victory" (1944), Merrill gained attention in a fine turn supporting Gregory Peck in "Twelve O'Clock High" (1949). He came to prominence opposite future wife Bette Davis in a splendid performance as a cynical and hot-tempered but ultimately reasonable stage director in the backstage comedy-drama "All About Eve" (1950). A likable and reliable performer, he went on to play a number of earnest leads and secondary parts, mostly with 20th Century-Fox, through the 1970s. His 1988 autobiography "Bette, Rita and the Rest of My Life" chronicled his turbulent 10-year marriage to Davis (1950-60) and his affair with actor-dancer Rita Hayworth.

Filmography

Cast (Feature Film)

Piece Touchee (1989)

Huckleberry Finn (1974)

Admiral Thomas H Moorer

Earth II (1971)

Walter Dietrich

The Secret of the Sacred Forest (1970)

Then Came Bronson (1969)

The Power (1968)

The Last Challenge (1967)

Squint Calloway

Clambake (1967)

The Incident (1967)

Hondo And The Apaches (1967)

Destination Inner Space (1966)

Ride Beyond Vengeance (1966)

Around the World Under the Sea (1966)

Dr. August Boren

Cast a Giant Shadow (1966)

Pentagon Chief of Staff

Dangerous Days Of Kiowa Jones (1966)

The Woman Who Wouldn't Die (1965)

A Girl Named Tamiko (1962)

The Great Impostor (1961)

The Pleasure of His Company (1961)

James Dougherty

Mysterious Island (1961)

The Savage Eye (1960)

The Wonderful Country (1959)

Crash Landing (1958)

Capt. Steve Williams

The Missouri Traveler (1958)

Navy Wife (1956)

Cmdr. Jack Blain

The Human Jungle (1954)

Capt. John "Danny" Danforth

Witness to Murder (1954)

Lawrence Mathews

The Black Dakotas (1954)

Brock Marsh, also known as Zachary Paige

A Blueprint for Murder (1953)

Another Man's Poison (1952)

Night Without Sleep (1952)

Phone Call from a Stranger (1952)

The Girl in White (1952)

Dr. Seth Pawling

Decision Before Dawn (1951)

The Frogmen (1951)

Lt. Cmdr. Pete Vincent

All About Eve (1950)

Bill Simpson [Sampson]

Mother Didn't Tell Me (1950)

Dr. Peter Roberts

Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950)

Slattery's Hurricane (1949)

Commander E. T. Kramer

Twelve O'Clock High (1949)

Col. [Keith] Davenport

The Quiet One (1949)

Strange Victory (1948)

Strange Victory (1948)

Winged Victory (1944)

Cast (Special)

The Making of Liberty (1986)

The World of Darkness (1977)

Dr Thomas Madsen (Guest)

The Jackie Gleason Special (1973)

The Star Maker (1958)

The Lady Died at Midnight (1958)

Cast (TV Mini-Series)

The Seekers (1979)

Life Events

1943

Film debut in "This Is the Army"

1944

Appeared in "Winged Victory"

1946

Starred on Broadway in "Born Yesterday" opposite Judy Holliday and Paul Douglas

1949

Returned to films in "Slattery's Hurricane"

1950

Had perhaps best-known role as stage director Bill Sampson in "All About Eve"

1952

Co-starred in "Decision Before Dawn"

1954

Had starring role in "Justice" (NBC)

1964

Appeared as the city editor on the short-lived CBS series "The Reporter"

1966

Cast as the Pentagon Chief of Staff in "Cast a Giant Shadow"

1967

Co-starred in "The Incident"

1972

Played Dr. Gillespie on the syndicated "Young Dr. Kildare"

1973

Had featured role in the acclaimed ABC drama special "Pueblo"

1974

Portrayed Pap Finn in the feature version of "Huckleberry Finn"

1977

Last feature film, "Thieves"

Photo Collections

Mysterious Island (1961) - Lobby Card Set

Here is a set of Lobby Cards from Columbia's Mysterious Island (1961), featuring special effects by Ray Harryhausen. Lobby Cards were 11" x 14" posters that came in sets of 8. As the name implies, they were most often displayed in movie theater lobbies, to advertise current or coming attractions.

Videos

Mysterious Island (1961) -- (Movie Clip) Listen Captain Nemo After the pirate ship sinks, Herbert and Elena (Michael Callan, Beth Rogan) rush back, then Captain Nemo (Herbert Lom) finally emerges, conversing with Spillett, Lady Mary and Captain Harding (Gary Merrill, Joan Greenwood, Michael Craig), over an hour into Mysterious Island, 1961.

Mysterious Island (1961) -- (Movie Clip) Cook In A Slow Oven Spillett (Gary Merrill) is having a swim when a new Ray Harryhausen beast appears, Lady Mary and Elena (Joan Greenwood, Beth Rogan) attempt to resist, soldier Herbert (Michael Callan) finally interceding, hard times for the Civil War refugees on Jules Verne's Mysterious Island, 1961.

Mysterious Island (1961) -- (Movie Clip) Mighty Big Crab Civil War POW's Captain Harding (Michael Craig) and "Neb" (Dan Jackson) encounter the first big Ray Harryhausen monster, a crab, Spillett, Pencroft and Brown (Gary Merrill, Percy Herbert, Michael Callan) rushing to help, in the Columbia, Charles H. Schneer version of Mysterious Island, 1961.

Blueprint For Murder, A (1953) -- (Movie Clip) The Same Kind Of Convulsions This is how we learn that the young niece of Joseph Cotten, as visiting businessman “Cam” Cameron, died the evening before after a second unexplained seizure, as we meet his friends, Gary Merrill and Catherine McLeod, as lawyer Fred and freelance reporter Maggie, discussing her father’s earlier death, in A Blueprint For Murder, 1953.

All About Eve (1950) -- (Movie Clip) We Theater Folk At the party hosted by well-lit Margo (Bette Davis), her husband, director Bill (Gary Merrill) and critic Addison (George Sanders) hold court for the plucky Miss Casswell (Marilyn Monroe) and ambitious assistant Eve (Anne Baxter), et al, in Joseph L. Mankiewicz's All About Eve, 1950.

All About Eve (1950) -- (Movie Clip) Fasten Your Seat Belts Friend Karen (Celeste Holm), her playwright husband (Hugh Marlowe) and producer Max (Gregory Ratoff) stand back as actress-hostess Margo (Bette Davis) delivers her famous line in All About Eve, 1950, then joins critic DeWitt (George Sanders), Marilyn Monroe on his arm, and protegè Eve (Anne Baxter).

Where The Sidewalk Ends (1950) -- (Movie Clip) I'm Getting Richer Consulting with just-demoted cop Dixon (Dana Andrews) and Klein (Bert Freed) ex-con Willie (Don Appell) leads us to the casino run by Scalise (Gary Merrill), where Texan Morrison (Harry von Zell), is entertained by Morgan (Gene Tierney) and her almost-ex husband Paine (Craig Stevens), in Otto Preminger's Where The Sidewalk Ends, 1950.

Phone Call From A Stranger (1952) -- (Movie Clip) You're All Married Binky (top-billed Shelley Winters), nervous about the weather before her first airplane flight, makes a second approach to Gary Merrill, whom we know is leaving his wife and traveling under an assumed name, when they’re joined by Keenan Wynn and Michael Rennie, with extensive exposition, in Jean Negulesco’s Phone Call From A Stranger, 1952, produced and written by Nunnally Johnson from an I.A.R. Wylie novelette.

Phone Call From A Stranger (1952) -- (Movie Clip) Even Though You're Still In Love With Her? Gary Merrill as lawyer Trask visits Bette Davis (Mrs. Merrill, at the time) as Marie, last of the next-of-kin of his fellow travelers who didn’t survive the airline crash, surprised she isn’t the swimsuit ingenue from the photograph her boorish husband showed, in Phone Call From A Stranger, 1952, from an I.A.R. Wylie story.

Twelve O'Clock High (1949) -- (Movie Clip) I Signed The Field Order General Savage (Gregory Peck, his first scene), receives his friend, flight commander Colonel Davenport (Gary Merrill), to discuss a dangerous new mission, following a series of severe losses to American bomber squadrons in England, circa 1942, in Henry King's Twelve O'Clock High, 1949.

Wonderful Country, The (1959) -- (Movie Clip) They Don't Stay Very Pretty Forthright Texas Ranger captain Rucker (Albert Dekker) speaks to hired gun Brady (Robert Mitchum) about Ellen (Julie London), the center of attention at a party hosted by her husband Major Colton (Gary Merrill), with whom he soon initiates a difficult conversation, in The Wonderful Country, 1959.

All About Eve (1950) -- (Movie Clip) The Sarah Siddons Award Nothing beats a George Sanders opening narration, as critic Addison DeWitt, writer-director Joseph L. Mankiewicz introducing indirectly Hugh Marlowe and Garry Merrill, then Celeste Holm, Gregory Ratoff and Bette Davis, with reference to star Anne Baxter, in the celebrated showbiz melodrama, All About Eve, 1950.

Witness To Murder - (Original Trailer) Barbara Stanwyck fights to convince the police that she is a Witness To Murder (1954).

Last Challenge, The - (British Trailer) A young gun wants to make his name by shooting it out with the town marshal (Glenn Ford) in The Last Challenge (1967), here under its British title The Pistolero of Red River.

Power, The - (Original Trailer) A scientist tries to unmask a murderous genius with telekinetic skills in The Power (1968), starring George Hamilton & Suzanne Pleshette.

Dangerous Days of Kiowa Jones, The - (Original Trailer) A drifter deputized by a dying sheriff fights to bring two killers to justice in The Dangerous Days of Kiowa Jones (1966).

Decision Before Dawn - (Original Trailer) Two German POW's are sent back into Germany to gather intelligence for the U.S. Army in Decision Before Dawn (1951).

Cast A Giant Shadow - (Original Trailer) Kirk Douglas stars in the true story of U.S. officer Mickey Marcus who joined the Israeli fight against the Arabs in Cast a Giant Shadow (1966).

Family

Jerry Merrill

Brother

Margot Merrill

Daughter

Adopted; born mentally handicapped.

Michael Merrill

Son

Attorney. Adopted.

Companions

Barbara Leeds

Wife

Actor. Married in 1941; divorced in 1950.

Bette Davis

Wife

Actor. Married in 1950; divorced in 1960.

Rita Hayworth

Companion

Actor, dancer. Had four-year relationship.

Bibliography

"Bette, Rita and the Rest of My Life"

Gary Merrill with John Cole (1988)

Notes

"I got into acting because of my voice which was pretty deep for a student. So, I got the part as a villain when I was in school. Once I heard the applause, I was hooked!" --Merrill to author Charles P. Mitchell, from "Garry Merrill: A Thinking Man's Actor" in Classic Images, November 1999.

By using this site, you agree to our updated Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use