Myron McCormick

Myron McCormick (February 8, 1908 – July 30, 1962) was an American actor of stage, radio and film.

Myron McCormick
Myron McCormick in 1949's Jigsaw
Born	Walter Myron McCormick (1908-02-08)February 8, 1908 Albany, Indiana, U.S.
Died	July 30, 1962(1962-07-30) (aged 54) New York City, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1936–1962

Early life and education

Born in Albany, Indiana, in 1908, Walter Myron McCormick was the middle child of Walter P. and Bessie M. McCormick's three children.^[1] His father, according to the federal census of 1920, was a native of Illinois and a manufacturer of tinware.^[1] He attended New Mexico Military Institute and Princeton University.^[2] At the latter, he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa Society, gained experience in musical theater and finished as a magna cum laude graduate.^[3]

Stage

McCormick was the only cast member of the Broadway smash South Pacific to remain with the show for all 1,925 performances.^{[citation needed]} McCormick's performance of sailor Luther Billis won him a Tony Award in 1950 for best supporting or featured actor in a musical.^[4] He also won the Donaldson Award for best supporting performance (actor) of 1948–1949.^[5]

McCormick was in No Time for Sergeants, a military comedy that ran on Broadway from 1955 to 1957. He repeated his role as Sergeant King for the 1958 film version starring Andy Griffith.^{[citation needed]}

McCormick's other Broadway credits include 27 Wagons Full of Cotton (1954), Joy to the World (1947), Soldier's Wife (1944), Storm Operation (1943), The Damask Cheek (1942), Lily of the Valley (1941), Thunder Rock (1939), In Clover (1937), The Wingless Victory (1936), Hell Freezes Over (1935), How Beautiful with Shoes (1935), Substitute for Murder (1935), Paths of Glory (1935), and Carry Nation (1932).^[6]

Film

McCormick portrayed Charlie, the partner of pool shark "Fast Eddie" Felson (Paul Newman) in The Hustler (1961). He also appeared in The Man Who Understood Women, Jigsaw, Jolson Sings Again and The Fight for Life. His screen debut came in Winterset.^[7]

Radio and television

McCormick became a featured performer in the soap opera Buck Private and His Girl^[8] and in many popular radio dramas of the 1940s. He also made guest appearances on numerous television programs of the 1950s/early 1960s, including The Untouchables, Naked City, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Donna Reed Show, Way Out and The Iceman Cometh (1960 TV production), McCormick was also known for his portrayal of "Colonel Ralph Bryant" in the 1949 movie Jolson Sings Again. In 1959, he played Joe Saul in Steinbeck's Burning Bright on The Play of the Week television series.

Personal life

McCormick was married to actress Martha Hodge^[2] and to Barbara MacKenzie.^[9]

Death

McCormick died at New York-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City on July 30, 1962, from cancer, aged 54. He was survived by his wife, a son, and a daughter.^[9]

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1936	Winterset	Carr
1939	...One Third of a Nation...	Sam Moon
1940	The Fight for Life	The Interne
1942	China Girl	Shorty McGuire
1942	USS VD: Ship of Shame	Executive Officer McGregor	Uncredited
1949	Jigsaw	Charles Riggs
1949	Jolson Sings Again	Ralph Bryant
1955	Three for the Show	Mike Hudson
1955	Not as a Stranger	Dr. Snider
1958	No Time for Sergeants	Sergeant Orville C. King
1959	The Man Who Understood Women	Preacher
1960	Alfred Hitchcock Presents	Bert Haber	Season 5 Episode 31: "I Can Take Care of Myself"
1961	Alfred Hitchcock Presents	Newton B. Clovis	Season 6 Episode 25: "Museum Piece"
1961	The Hustler	Charlie Burns
1962	A Public Affair	Sam Clavell

References

1. Digital copy of original enumeration page from "The Fourteenth Census of the United States, 1920, Albany Town, Delaware County, Indiana, January 2, 1920. United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Washington, D.C. FamilySearch, a genealogical on-line database and public service provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
2. "Myron McCormick Is One of Princeton School of Actors". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. New York, Brooklyn. January 25, 1942. p. 34. Retrieved September 28, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Myron McCormick Says Once He Was Five Men in One Play". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. New York, Brooklyn. November 29, 1942. p. 27. Retrieved September 29, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "("Myron McCormick" search results)". Tony Awards. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
5. "Winners: The Sixth Annual Donaldson Awards 1948-1949". Billboard. July 16, 1949. p. 46. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
6. "("Myron McCormick" search results)". Playbill Vault. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
7. "Noted Actor McCormick Dies At 54". Tucson Daily Citizen. Arizona, Tucson. Associated Press. July 31, 1962. p. 32. Retrieved September 28, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
8. Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (Revised ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. p. 122. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3. Retrieved 2019-09-13.
9. "Myron McCormick, Actor, Dies of Cancer". The Terre Haute Star. Indiana, Terre Haute. Associated Press. July 31, 1962. p. 8. Retrieved September 28, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.

External links

• Myron McCormick at the Internet Broadway Database
• Myron McCormick at IMDb
• Myron McCormick in the 1942 play Lily of the Valley with Katharine Bard