- John Hodiak
infobox actor
name = John Hodiak
imagesize = 250px
caption = in "A Lady Without Passport" (1950)
birthname = John Hodiak
birthdate = birth date|1914|4|16|mf=y
birthplace =Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania ,U.S.
deathdate = death date and age|1955|10|19|1914|4|16|mf=y
deathplace =Tarzana, California ,U.S.
restingplace =Calvary Cemetery ,Los Angeles, California ,U.S.
restingplacecoordinates = Block 303, Crypt D-1, of the main mausoleum
yearsactive =
spouse =Anne Baxter (1946-1953) (divorced)John Hodiak (
April 16 ,1914 –October 19 ,1955 ) was an Americanactor .He was born in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania , the son of Walter Hodiak (October 25 ,1888 –August 21 ,1962 ) and Anna Pogorzelec (February 28 ,1888 –October 17 ,1971 ). He was of Ukrainian and Polish descent. He grew up inHamtramck, Michigan , a suburb of Detroit.Hodiak had his first smell of greasepaint at age eleven, acting in Ukrainian and
Russia n plays at the Ukrainian Catholic Church. From the moment he first appeared on the stage, he resolved to become an actor. He was not even swayed when as athird baseman on his local high schoolbaseball team , he was offered acontract with aSt. Louis Cardinals farm club. He turned the offer down.When Hodiak first tried out for a radio acting job, he was turned down because of his accent. He became a
caddy at a Detroit golf course, then worked at aChevrolet automobile factory – and practiced hisdiction . When he conquered the diction hurdle, he became a radio actor and moved to Chicago. There he created the role of thecomic strip characterLi'l Abner on radio.After a short stint in the Army, he arrived in Hollywood in 1942 and signed a motion picture contract with MGM. He refused to change his name, saying, "I like my name. It sounds like I look."
Hodiak was cast in a few small parts at his home studio. He then caught the eye of director
Alfred Hitchcock and, on loan-out to20th Century Fox , emerged as a majormovie star in "Lifeboat" (1944) oppositeTallulah Bankhead . More big roles followed, notably that of Maj. Joppolo in "A Bell For Adano " (1945) oppositeGene Tierney .He had one wife, actress
Anne Baxter (marriedJuly 7 ,1946 -divorcedJanuary 27 ,1953 ). They had one daughter, Katrina Hodiak (bornJuly 9 ,1951 ).In 1953, Hodiak went to New York and made his Broadway debut in "The Chase". The play was a failure, but its star received fantastic critical notices. He then originated the role of Lieutenant Maryk in
Paul Gregory 's production of the play "The Caine Mutiny Court Martial " byHerman Wouk adapted from his novel "The Caine Mutiny ". The play ran for two years and Hodiak's portrayal brought him nationwide acclaim.When the show closed after its U.S. tour, Hodiak began work on "Trial" (1955) at MGM, playing the prosecuting attorney. When it wrapped, he played Major Ward Thomas in "
On The Threshold of Space " (1956) at 20th Century Fox.At the age of forty-one, Hodiak suffered a fatal heart attack in the bathroom of the
Tarzana, California home he built for his parents. He was shaving and getting ready to go to the studio to complete his scenes in "On The Threshold of Space". It was later decided his performance was far enough along to release the movie. He is interred in Block 303, Crypt D-1, of the main mausoleum at Calvary Cemetery, Los Angeles.John Hodiak has a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame for his work in Radio at 6101 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood.Filmography
* "
A Stranger in Town " (1943) ... Hart Ridges (Adams's landlord)
* "Swing Shift Maisie " (1943) ... Clerk (uncredited)
* "I Dood It " (1943) ... Roy Hartwood
* "Song of Russia " (1944) ... Boris Bulganov
* "Lifeboat" (1944) ... John Kovac
* "Maisie Goes to Reno " (1944) ... Philip Francis "Flip" Hennahan
* "Marriage Is a Private Affair " (1944) ... Lieutenant Tom Cochrane West
* "Sunday Dinner for a Soldier " (1944) ... Sgt. Eric Moore
* "A Bell For Adano " (1945) ... Maj. Victor P. Joppola
* "The Harvey Girls " (1946) ... Ned Trent
* "Two Smart People " (1946) ... Ace Connors
* "Somewhere in the Night " (1946) ... Larry Cravat aka George W. Taylor
* "The Arnelo Affair " (1947) ... Tony Arnelo
* "Desert Fury " (1947) ... Eddie Bendix
* "Love from a Stranger " (1947) ... Manuel Cortez
* "Homecoming " (1948) ... Dr. Robert Sunday
* "Command Decision" (1948) ... Col. Edward Rayton Martin
* "Ambush" (1949) ... Capt. Ben Lorrison
* "The Bribe " (1949) ... Tug Hintten
* "Battleground" (1949) ... Pvt. Donald Jarvess
* "Malaya" (1949) ... Kellar
* "A Lady Without Passport " (1950) ... Peter Karczag INS aka Josef Gumbaugh
* "The Miniver Story " (1950) ... Spike Romway
* "Night Into Morning " (1951) ... Tom Lawry
* "The People Against O'Hara " (1951) ... Louis Barra
* "Across the Wide Missouri " (1951) ... Brecan
* "The Sellout " (1952) ... Chick Johnson
* "Battle Zone" (1952) ... Danny
* "Ambush at Tomahawk Gap " (1953) ... McCord
* "Mission Over Korea " (1953) ... Capt. George Slocum
* "Conquest of Cochise " (1953) ... Cochise
* "Dragonfly Squadron " (1954) ... Maj. Matthew Brady
* "Trial" (1955) ... Dist. Atty. John J. Armstrong
* "On the Threshold of Space " (1956) ... Maj. Ward ThomasExternal links
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