John Payne (actor)

Infobox actor
bgcolour =
name = John Payne


imagesize =
caption =
birthname =
birthdate = birth date|1912|5|28
location = Roanoke, Virginia
deathdate = death date and age|1989|12|6|1912|5|28
deathplace = Malibu, California
occupation = actor, singer
spouse = Anne Shirley (1937 - 1943)
Gloria DeHaven (1944 - 1950)
Alexandra Crowell Curtis (1953 - 1989) (his death)

John Payne (May 28, 1912 - December 6, 1989) was an American movie actor who is mainly remembered as a singer in 20th Century Fox film musicals, as well as his leading role in "Miracle on 34th Street".

Background

Payne was born in Roanoke, Virginia. His mother, Ida Hope Shaeffer, graduated from the Virginia Seminary in Roanoke and became the bride of George Washington Payne, a developer of Roanoke. They lived at Ft. Lewis, an antebellum mansion that became a state historical property. It was destroyed by fire in the late 1950s. Payne went to Roanoke College then enrolled at Columbia University in the fall of 1930. He studied drama at Columbia and voice at Juilliard. To support himself, he took on a variety of odd jobs, including wrestling and singing in vaudeville. In 1934, he was spotted by a talent scout for the Shubert theaters and was given a job as a stock player.

Career

Payne toured with several Shubert Brothers shows, and frequently sang on New York-based radio programs. In 1936, he was offered a contract by Samuel Goldwyn, and he left New York for Hollywood. He worked for various studios until 1940, when he signed with 20th Century Fox. Fox made him a star, in 1940s musicals like "Tin Pan Alley" (1940), "Sun Valley Serenade" (1941), and "Weekend in Havana" (also 1941). A highlight during this period was co-starring with Gene Tierney and Tyrone Power in "The Razor's Edge" (1946).

Payne's most popular role may be in his final film for Fox, that of attorney Fred Gailey in "Miracle on 34th Street" (1947). It is almost certainly his most visible role, as it typically receives frequent airplay during the Christmas season.

Later in his career Payne changed his image and began playing tough-guy roles in Hollywood films noir and westerns including "Kansas City Confidential" (1952), "99 River Street" (1953), "Silver Lode" (1954), "Tennessee's Partner" (1955) and "Slightly Scarlet" (1956). Payne was a contract star with Pine-Thomas Productions where he shrewedly insisted that the films he appeared in be filmed in color and that the rights to the films reverted to him after several years that made him wealthy when he rented them to television. [ [http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_417102.html '360 Degrees of Oscar' - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review ] ]

Payne also starred in a television western series, "The Restless Gun" (1957-1959). In 1955, he paid a $1,000-a-month option for nine months on the Ian Fleming James Bond novel "Moonraker" (he eventually gave up the option when he learned he could not retain the rights for the entire book series).

In March 1961, Payne suffered extensive, life-threatening injuries when struck by a car in New York City. [ [http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F20F14FB3F5D1B728DDDAB0894DB405B818AF1D3 "John Payne Hit By Car."] "New York Times". 2 March 1961.] His recovery took two years. In his later roles, facial scars from the accident can be detected in close-ups; he chose not to have them removed. One of Payne's first public appearances during this period was as a guest panelist on the popular CBS-TV game show "What's My Line".

Payne directed one of his last films, "They Ran for Their Lives" (1968). His final role was in 1975 when he co-starred with Peter Falk and Janet Leigh in "". Later in life, Payne became wealthy through real estate investments in Southern California.

Personal life

Payne was married to actress Anne Shirley from 1937 to 1943; they had a daughter, Julie Anne Payne. He then married actress Gloria DeHaven in 1944; the union produced two children, Kathleen Hope Payne and Thomas John Payne, before divorcing in 1950. Payne then married Alexandra Beryl Curtis in 1953, and remained with her until his death. He was also the father-in-law of writer-director Robert Towne.

Payne died in Malibu, California of congestive heart failure on December 6, 1989, aged 77. He has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Filmography

*"Columbo: Forgotten Lady" (TV) (1975) with Peter Falk and Janet Leigh
*"They Ran for Their Lives" (1968)
*"O'Conner's Ocean" (1960)
*"Bailout at 43,000" (1957)
*"Hidden Fear" (1957)
*"Rebel in Town" (1956)
*"The Boss" (1956)
*"Hold Back the Night" (1956)
*"Slightly Scarlet" (1956) with Rhonda Fleming
*"Hell's Island" (1955)
*"Tennessee's Partner" (1955) with Rhonda Fleming, Coleen Gray, and Ronald Reagan
*"The Road to Denver" (1955) with Lee Van Cleef and Mona Freeman
*"Santa Fe Passage" (1955) with Faith Domergue
*"Rails Into Laramie" (1954) with Dan Duryea and Lee Van Cleef
*"Silver Lode" (1954) with Lizabeth Scott
*"99 River Street" (1953) with Evelyn Keyes
*"Raiders of Seven Seas" (1953) with Gerald Mohr, Donna Reed, and Lon Chaney, Jr.
*"The Vanquished" (1953) with Coleen Gray
*"The Blazing Forest" (1952) with Agnes Moorehead and William Demarest
*"Caribbean" (1952) with Arlene Dahl
*"Kansas City Confidential" (1952) with Coleen Gray, Preston Foster, Lee Van Cleef, and Neville Brand
*"Crosswinds" (1951) with Rhonda Fleming and Forrest Tucker
*"Passage West" (1951) with Dooley Wilson
*"The Eagle and the Hawk" (1950) with Rhonda Fleming
*"Tripoli" (1950) with Maureen O'Hara
*"El Paso" (1949) with Sterling Hayden and Gail Russell
*"Captain China" (1949) with Gail Russell, Lon Chaney, Jr., and Robert Armstrong
*"The Crooked Way" (1949) with Ellen Drew
*"The Saxon Charm" (1948) with Robert Montgomery and Susan Hayward
*"Larceny" (1947) with Shelley Winters and Dan Duryea
*"Miracle on 34th Street" (1947) with Maureen O'Hara
*"The Razor's Edge" (1946) with Tyrone Power and Gene Tierney
*"Sentimental Journey" (1946) with Maureen O'Hara
*"Wake Up and Dream" (1946)
*"The Dolly Sisters" (1945) with Betty Grable
*"Hello, Frisco, Hello" (1943) with Alice Faye
*"Footlight Serenade" (1942) with Betty Grable
*"Iceland" (1942)
*"Springtime in the Rockies" (1942) with Betty Grable and Carmen Miranda
*"To the Shores of Tripoli" (1942) with Maureen O'Hara and Randolph Scott
*"Remember the Day" (1941) with Claudette Colbert
*"Week-End in Havana" (1941) with Alice Faye
*"Sun Valley Serenade" (1941) with Milton Berle
*"The Great American Broadcast" (1941) with Alice Faye
*"Tin Pan Alley" (1940) with Alice Faye and Betty Grable
*"Tear Gas Squad" (1940) with George Reeves
*"The Great Profile" (1940) with John Barrymore and Anne Baxter
*"King of the Lumberjacks" (1940) with Gloria Dickson
*"Maryland" (1940) with Walter Brennan
*"Star Dust" (1940) with Linda Darnell
*"Indianapolis Speedway" (1939) with Ann Sheridan
*"Wings of the Navy" (1939) with George Brent and Olivia de Havilland
*"Kid Nightingale" (1939) with Jane Wyman
*"Garden of the Moon" (1938) with Pat O'Brien
*"College Swing" (1938) with George Burns, Gracie Allen, Martha Raye, Bob Hope, and Betty Grable
*"Love on Toast" (1937) with Stella Adler
*"Hats Off" (1937) with Mae Clarke
*"Fair Warning" (1937) with Betty Furness
*"Dodsworth" (1936) with Walter Huston

References

External links

*
* [http://www.transpacificradio.com/2007/12/22/tprs-festival-of-christmas-tales-lux-radio-theaters-miracle-on-34th-street/ John Payne in Lux Radio Theater: "Miracle on 34th Street" (1948)] (Downloadable mp3 and streaming audio)