Will Geer

Actor

About

Read More

Birth Place

Frankfort, Indiana, USA

Born

March 09, 1902

Died

April 22, 1978

Biography

Read More

Actor Will Geer originally studied to become a botanist, getting a master's degree at the University of Chicago, where he became heavily involved in left-wing politics. He had a small part in Cecil B. DeMille's epic western "Union Pacific," but worked mainly on the stage in the 1940s before coming back to movies in westerns such as "Lust for Gold" with Ida Lupino, and the superb Anthony ...

Filmography

Read More

The Billion Dollar Hobo (1978)

The Mafu Cage (1978)

Moving Violation (1976)

Law and Order (1976)

The Blue Bird (1976)

The Night That Panicked America (1975)

Photos & Videos

View All

Broken Arrow (1950) -- (Movie Clip) Apaches Playin' Fair?

Moonshine War, The (1970) -- (Movie Clip) Iffin' The Law Needs Upholdin'

Family & Companions

Read More

Harry Hay

Companion

Activist. Had relationship in the mid-1930s.

Hearta Ware

Wife

Actor. Married from October 1939 until his death.

Biography

Actor Will Geer originally studied to become a botanist, getting a master's degree at the University of Chicago, where he became heavily involved in left-wing politics. He had a small part in Cecil B. DeMille's epic western "Union Pacific," but worked mainly on the stage in the 1940s before coming back to movies in westerns such as "Lust for Gold" with Ida Lupino, and the superb Anthony Mann movie "Winchester '73," which starred James Stewart. Mann used Geer again in "The Tall Target," but at this point, Geer's left-wing leanings, expressed most fully in the infamous 1954 propaganda movie "Salt of the Earth," got him blacklisted in Hollywood, and so there was a large gap in his work until he returned to act in Otto Preminger's controversial "Advise and Consent" in 1962. In his later years, Geer acted mainly on television, and he won acclaim as the grandfather on the long-running family series "The Waltons" in the 1970s.

Filmography

Cast (Feature Film)

The Billion Dollar Hobo (1978)

The Mafu Cage (1978)

Moving Violation (1976)

Law and Order (1976)

The Blue Bird (1976)

The Night That Panicked America (1975)

The Manchu Eagle Murder Caper Mystery (1975)

Memory of Us (1974)

Hurricane (1974)

Cry Silence (1974)

The Hanged Man (1974)

Honky Tonk (1974)

Brock's Last Case (1973)

Executive Action (1973)

Isn't It Shocking? (1973)

Dear Dead Delilah (1972)

Jeremiah Johnson (1972)

Bear Claw [Chris Lapp]

Napoleon and Samantha (1972)

Grandpa [Seth Wilson]

The Rowdyman (1972)

Brother John (1971)

Doc [Henry L.] Thomas

Sam Hill: Who Killed the Mysterious Mr. Foster? (1971)

The Moonshine War (1970)

Pieces of Dreams (1970)

The Reivers (1969)

Bandolero! (1968)

In Cold Blood (1967)

Prosecuting attorney

The President's Analyst (1967)

Black Like Me (1964)

Advise & Consent (1962)

The Senate Minority Leader

Salt of the Earth (1954)

Bright Victory (1952)

The Barefoot Mailman (1951)

The Tall Target (1951)

Double Crossbones (1951)

Winchester '73 (1950)

Intruder in the Dust (1950)

Sheriff Hampton

Convicted (1950)

Comanche Territory (1950)

It's a Small World (1950)

To Please a Lady (1950)

Broken Arrow (1950)

The Kid from Texas (1950)

Lust for Gold (1949)

Deputy Ray Covin

Anna Lucasta (1949)

Answer for Anne (1949)

Johnny Allegro (1949)

Deep Waters (1948)

The Fight for Life (1940)

The Misleading Lady (1932)

Cast (Special)

The Oath: the Sad and Lonely Sundays (1976)

The Whirlwind (1974)

Josiah Franklin

Of Mice and Men (1968)

Cast (Short)

The Moonshine War (Featurette) (1970)

Cast (TV Mini-Series)

A Woman Called Moses (1978)

Life Events

1928

Broadway acting debut in "The Merry Wives of Windsor"

1934

Participated in the San Francisco General Strike with early gay rights advocate Harry Hay

Videos

Broken Arrow (1950) -- (Movie Clip) Apaches Playin' Fair? In Tucson after an encounter with Apaches, Jeffords (James Stewart) turns down an offer from ambitious Col. Bernall (Raymond Bramley), and tangles with aggrieved rancher Slade (Will Geer), Arthur Hunnicutt, Joyce MacKenzie among the spectators, in Delmer Daves’ Broken Arrow, 1950.

Moonshine War, The (1970) -- (Movie Clip) Iffin' The Law Needs Upholdin' In the opening scene Patrick McGoohan was introduced as Long, a federal agent from Louisville, checked into a provincial Kentucky hotel in 1932, interested in local Son Martin (Alan Alda), introduced here with Will Geer as sheriff Baylor, Bo Hopkins and John Schuck among the crew, in director Richard Quine’s The Moonshine War, 1970, from Elmore Leonard’s novel and screenplay.

Salt Of The Earth (1954) -- (Movie Clip) Some Pretty Tough Hombres Finally an appearance by Will Geer, perhaps the best known actor in the picture, as the sheriff, with boss Alexander (David Sarvis) and bigger boss Hartwell (Mervin Williams), taking a stab at buying off de facto leader Ramon (actual miner and striker Juan Chacon), in the independent feature Salt Of The Earth, 1954.

Winchester '73 -- (Movie Clip) The Gun That Won The West Opening the first in the series of seminal Westerns directed by Anthony Mann and starring James Stewart who, with sidekick Millard Mitchell, rides into Dodge City on the day of the nation's centennial, meeting a chilled out Will Geer and fuming Shelley Winters, in Winchester '73, 1950.

Jeremiah Johnson (1972) -- (Movie Clip) Being Of Sound Mind And Broke Legs Introduced with an overture and a theme song, having been instructed to “turn left at the Rocky Mountains,” aspiring mountain-man Robert Redford (title character) meets a deceased compatriot and loses a mule, early in Sydney Pollack’s Jeremiah Johnson, 1972.

Jeremiah Johnson (1972) -- (Movie Clip) You're A Fine Target His first encounter with a living person in the post-Civil War western wilderness, novice mountain-man Robert Redford (title character) meets grizzled grizzly hunter Bear Claw (Will Geer), who isn’t overly friendly, early in Sydney Pollack’s Jeremiah Johnson, 1972.

Executive Action (1973) -- (Movie Clip) Much Of This Film Is Fiction Opening credits with unusual content and attribution, from the 1973 John F. Kennedy assassination drama, written by the leading conspiracy theorist Mark Lane, with Donald Freed and Dalton Trumbo, Executive Action, starring Burt Lancaster, Robert Ryan and Will Geer.

Executive Action (1973) -- (Movie Clip) Labor, Negroes, Jews, Liberals Robert Ryan, who would die of lung cancer four months before the film was released, is the host, with fellow Hollywood liberals Will Geer, hearing the pitch, and Burt Lancaster in the background, Gilbert Green the professor, with Walter Brooke and John Anderson, opening the JFK-assassination thriller, Executive Action, 1973.

Executive Action (1973) -- (Movie Clip) Our Presidents Are Killed By Madmen Burt Lancaster is Farrington, presumably ex-CIA, taking the lead now in convincing Will Geer, as tycoon Ferguson, to support the assassination of John F. Kennedy, Robert Ryan, Walter Brooke and John Anderson backing him up, in the speculative thriller Executive Action, 1973.

It's A Small World (1950) -- (Movie Clip) We Don't Want No Shrimps Director William Castle's efficient opening, introducing Paul Dale as the hero, small Harry, Will Geer his dad, Jacqui Snyder the sister and Harry Harvey the doctor, in It's A Small World, 1950.

Tall Target, The -- (Movie Clip) Radical Republicans Railroad men Will Geer and Victor Kilian, cop Regis Toomey, star Dick Powell (as "Kennedy"), with Tom Powers, Adolphe Menjou et al, opening Anthony Mann's drama of the attempt on president-elect Lincoln's life, The Tall Target, 1951.

Tall Target, The -- (Movie Clip) One Shot And You're Through Taken hostage by the man (Leif Erickson) impersonating him, policeman Kennedy (Dick Powell) tries to turn the tables and is rescued by Jeffers (Adolphe Menjou), in Anthony Mann's Lincoln assassination-attempt drama The Tall Target, 1951.

Family

Kate Geer

Daughter

Born in August 1939; formerly married to actor Larry Linville.

Ellen Geer

Daughter

Actor, director. Born c. 1941; formerly married to the late actor Ed Flanders.

Thad Stevens Geer

Son

Actor. Born in April 1950.

Lance L Geer

Son

Actor. Born in May 1956.

Companions

Harry Hay

Companion

Activist. Had relationship in the mid-1930s.

Hearta Ware

Wife

Actor. Married from October 1939 until his death.

Bibliography

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