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David Wayne (January 30. 1914 - February 9. 1995)
Length:  5' 9" (1,75 m)
Weight: 135 lbs.
Eyes: brown
Hair: blonde-brown

Sibling:
James Teal McMeekan (Jul 16. 1911 - Jan 26. 1984)

Marriage:
Jane Gordon Trix,
(Dec 20. 1941 -  Apr 16. 1993, her dead)

  Twin daughters:
      Susan Kearney (Jun 27. 1946 - 2019)
      Melinda (Jun 27. 1946 - )
  Son: Timothy (1948 - Aug 1970)
Theatre photo of a young David Wayne
Above right: Theatre photo of a young David Wayne.

David Wayne was born Wayne James McMeekan (McKeekan) on January 30. 1914 in Traverse City***, Michigan. Life started on a sad note when his mother Helen Matilda Mason died (Jan 13. 1919) when he was nearly five years old. He was cared for by Al and Lena Hodgman. "They were friends of my father's, but I called them 'Uncle Al' and 'Aunt Lena." "I had a very happy home life," he later recalled. His father John David McMeekan supported the family as an insurance agent.

"I went into my first play at 6. It was in Bloomingdale, Michigan, a little town, about 500 population. We had home talent plays at the opera house and my uncle directed them. From six years on there has never been a time in my life when I have not been working in the theater."

He graduated in the local High School in 1931 was active in sports, learned tumbling and juggling, how to work marionettes, could give the illusion of sword-swallowing (!), and acted in the school dramatic group.

Looking backward, Wayne saw himself as "an extremely gay child'' with "moods of withdrawal" where he would retreat into reading.

He attended Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo for two years (1931-33) were he majored in business administration. "In school I was on stage with the dramatic group as often as I was in the lecture hall; and, after an eight-hour day with paint, I put on plays with a little theater group. That meant six hours work each night; two hours rehearsing the play for the coming week, a couple of hours giving the play for the current week, then back for a couple more hours rehearsal on the future play, after the performance was finished."

"My tastes were extended in college by a very remarkable man, Herbert Slusser, my English professor." He steered him into new horizons. Slusser recommended J.B. Priestley's book about actors, The Good Companions. Wayne always thought that novel helped him to supply an impetus toward the theatre.

Low finances forced Wayne to leave Western Michigan after two years, but he didn't regard his departure as a tragedy. "Large cities and populations excited me," he reported. "I was constantly bumming rides to them. So I was an abominable student, because I was much more interested in people than in study." His campus activities left Wayne with little reverence for the groves of academia: "Actually, an actor, if he has the taste and the capacity, will gain a liberal education anyway. And what he can learn in college of a technical sort will be of very little use to him in the theater."

His first paying occupation, at $65 a month, was as a statistician in a big Cleveland paint factory. As an antidote he appeared with non or semi-professional stock company, playing nightly after his daily juggling with figures. In a year and a half he appeared in over sixty roles. The Eldred Players of Cleveland, Ohio offered him a full-time acting assignment with sufficient salary to remove the smell of paint permanently.

So David Wayne first raised his voice during an extended apprenticeship at the Cleveland Playhouse in a wide variety of roles. He won the role of Touchstone in As You Like It (1935, Cleveland). 

After two years, after driving to Chicago for an audition, Wayne gave up his double life. He quit business entirely in 1936 when the Shakespearean repertory company set up shop at the Cleveland Great Lakes exposition, giving 600 performances of the Bard's work in 100 days. The company, "Players of the Old Globe," presented 14 Shakespeare plays in a streamlined format of 45-60 minutes each in a replica of Shakespeare's Old Globe Theatre. Wayne was seen in Julius Caesar, The Comedy of Errors, As You Like It, A Midsummer's Night Dream and King Henry VIII.

After this, he trouped with a marionette show "Tatterman Marionettes" particularly with Jason and the Golden Fleece and their elaborate (with 44 marionettes and 11 scenes, probably the most ambitious puppet production ever) Peer Gynt (1937) until he reached New York and his first Broadway play.

Arriving at Times Square in 1937 with the traditional loan in his pocket, he managed to get his first part without undergoing the customary series of professional and personal crises that later make good reading in the back pages of theater programs. He played it safe. He got an advertising man to sponsor him.

In 1938, he made his first New York stage appearance in Escape This Night (44th Street Theatre, Apr 22. - Apr 30. 1938). "Everything escaped, even the audience and I was out on the street in a week. I did commercial recordings and some radio; it kept body and soul together, but I was hungry oftener than not until I got the part of Fredric March's son in 'The American Way'. That job made me a Broadway actor."

In 1938, while rehearsing The Animal Kingdom for a summer stock company in Whitefield, New Hampshire, called Chase Barn Players, he was out front, watching a scene in which he did not appear. "Jane Gordon," he recalled, "an actress who was to be on the bill the following week, came down the aisle. The dress rehearsal stopped while everyone said, 'Here's old Jane.' I found myself immediately enchanted by her—and have been ever since. I found myself trying to give a hell of a performance just to impress her." He succeeded.

When after Dance Night (Belasco Theatre, Oct 14. - Oct 31. 1938) Moss Hart hired him to play the son in The American Way (Center Theatre, Jan 21. - Sep 23. 1939) Wayne celebrated by adopting a pseudonym: a combination of his father's given name, David, with his own.

Around 1940 Maurice Rosenblatt founded the "New York City Coordinating Committee for Democratic Action". The group had a twofold agenda: to mobilize Americans against Nazi racism and to promote fair treatment for blacks in Harlem. The committee through a network of agents, gathered information and published it in its magazine, The City Reporter. Rosenblatt's agents included Stuart McClure, a would-be writer, and Jane Gordon. Jane recruited her boyfriend David McKeekan. According to the census April 1940 Jane and David lived on the same address. The Committee was discontinued in 1945. David would later remember Maurice "who almost got me killed trying to save the Jews!"

He tried to enlist in the Army. He was rejected because he had been blind in one eye since birth. Rejected by the army he volunteered as an ambulance driver for the British (8th Army) in North Africa. Two weeks before being shipped out to Europe on December 20, 1941 he married Jane Gordon Trix, daughter of Jean Gordon of the Metropolitan and actress, in "The Little Church Around the Corner" (Andy Levine, from Kalamazoo was his best man). They had been playing in summer stock and knew each other quite a while. The couple would have a son and twin daughters.

In the line of duty, the ambulance of Lee Kyle and Wayne McMeekan was blown up in a minefield, but both escaped miraculously. He was erroneously reported as being killed in action when the Germans were victorious at the Battle of Tobruk in North Africa. Returning here, he appeared in a revival of The Merry Widow (Majestic Theatre, Aug 4. 1943 - May 6. 1944). After the U.S joined the war he served in the US Army, he was assigned to officer's training school at Camp Lee, Virginia, where he was commissioned a lieutenant. David Wayne's first* appearance on the screen was as the pilot of a ditching B-17 in Ditch and Live (United States Army Air Forces, 1944) a lesson in sea evacuation for pilots disguised as a drama.

He caught the eye and won the approval of Broadway's critical magistrates with a remarkable performance as Conscience in Peep Show (Fulton Theatre, 3 feb  - 26 feb 1944) and as Mr. Meacham in Park Avenue (Sam S. Shubert Theatre, 4 nov 1946 - 4 jan 1947).

David Wayne's first* appearance on the screen was as the pilot of a ditching B-17 in "Ditch and Live" (United States Army Air Forces, 1944)Ella Logan, musical comedy actress stars with David Wayne in the hit Broadway musical "Finian's Rainbow" (46th Street Theatre, Jan 10. 1947 - Oct 2. 1948).
Above left: David Wayne's first* appearance on the screen was as the pilot of a ditching B-17 in Ditch and Live (United States Army Air Forces, 1944).
Above right: Ella Logan, musical comedy actress stars with David Wayne in the hit Broadway musical Finian's Rainbow (46th Street Theatre, Jan 10. 1947 - Oct 2. 1948).
In 1947 he landed the role that was to prove the sine qua non of his career. It was as Og the leprechaun in the Irish fantasy Finian's Rainbow (46th Street Theatre, Jan 10. 1947 - Oct 2. 1948), and its magical musical moments and satire brought him his first Tony, the first actor to do so ever. Next he introduced the world to everyone's favorite military innocent, Frank Thurlowe Pulver, the precocious ensign in Mr. Roberts in 1948. It was as Pulver that he first appeared opposite Henry Fonda with a crew haircut, a style that remained his signature for many years. One place where they evidently did know what to do with Wayne was television, where he worked steadily from his TV debut Great Catherine (May 2. 1948) onward.

While all of his major stage roles went to other actors in the film versions, Wayne enjoyed a substantial movie career of his own. During the success of the Broadway play Mister Roberts (Alvin Theatre, Feb 18. 1948 - Jan 6. 1951), he was invited to Hollywood for parts in two highly touted films, the first filmed in N.Y. Portrait of Jennie (Selznick Studios, Dec 25. 1948) and Adam's Rib (MGM, Nov 17. 1949).
David Wayne with his wife Jane Gordon (date unknown)(L-R) Jocelyn Brando, David Wayne and Henry Fonda in the Broadway play "Mr. Roberts" (Alvin Theatre, Feb 18. 1948 - Jan 6. 1951). David Wayne played Frank Thurlowe Pulver, the precocious ensign.
Above left: David Wayne with his wife Jane Gordon (date unknown, 40s)
Above right: (L-R) Jocelyn Brando, David Wayne and Henry Fonda in the Broadway play Mr. Roberts (Alvin Theatre, Feb 18. 1948 - Jan 6. 1951). David Wayne played Frank Thurlowe Pulver, the precocious ensign.

In a 1950 interview David said his hobbies were golf, tennis, swimming, painting his children, his wife, and his career.

Of motion pictures he says: "I am not at all convinced the actor has enough responsibility of creation in films. It is too much a technician's field. That is why I think the movie actor should return to the theater from time to time to enrich himself."

Actor ages 56 years in new role. Actor David Wayne, who ages from 21 to 77 for his role in a new Hollywood production is shown as he is off-screen, with his family in the studio commissary. Left to right: Mrs. Wayne; Melinda, 5; Tim, 4; and Susan, 5. (Nov 25. 1951)
Above: "Actor ages 56 years in new role. Actor David Wayne, who ages from 21 to 77 for his role in a new Hollywood production is shown as he is off-screen, with his family in the studio commissary. Left to right: Mrs. Wayne; Melinda, 5; Tim, 4; and Susan, 5. " (Nov 25. 1951)
Tom Ewell, David Wayne, and Marina Berti star in World War II film "Up Front" (Universal, Mar 5. 1951)."Wait Till the Sun Shines, Nellie" (1952) puts David Wayne in the same scene as Helene Stanley and Hugh Marlowe (of Ellery Queen fame!)
Above left: Tom Ewell, David Wayne, and Marina Berti star in World War II film Up Front (Universal, Mar 5. 1951).
Above right:
Wait Till the Sun Shines, Nellie (20th Century Fox, Jun 27. 1952) puts David Wayne in the same scene as Helene Stanley and Hugh Marlowe (of Ellery Queen fame!).
His motion picture roles proved as varied a blend as his stage work, from a small-town barber who ages 56 years in the 1952 underrated film Wait Till the Sun Shines, Nellie (20th Century Fox, Jun 27. 1952), a hillbilly in With a Song in My Heart (20th Century Fox, Apr 4. 1952) to theatrical impresario Sol Hurok in Tonight We Sing (20th Century Fox, Jan 26. 1953).

He did three co-starring stints with Marilyn Monroe in As Young as You Feel (20th Century Fox, Jun 15. 1951), We're Not Married (20th Century Fox, Jul 11. 1952), and as a landlord in How to Marry a Millionaire (20th Century Fox, Nov 20. 1953).
Wayne with Marilyn Monroe in  "We're Not Married" (1952).Wayne in "Tonight We Sing" (20th Century Fox, Jan 26. 1953).
Above left: Not once but thrice! Wayne with Marilyn Monroe in We're Not Married (20th Century Fox, Jul 11. 1952).
Above right: Wayne in Tonight We Sing (20th Century Fox, Jan 26. 1953).
Who wouldn't envy David Wayne as the landlord in "How to Marry a Millionaire" (1953).David Wayne as jolly good crew fellow in "Hell and High Water" (1954).
Above left:  Who wouldn't envy David Wayne as the landlord in How to Marry a Millionaire (20th Century Fox, Nov 20. 1953) next to Marilyn Monroe.
Above right: David Wayne as jolly good crew fellow in
Hell and High Water (20th Century Fox, Feb 1. 1954).
He again won a Tony in 1954, this time as best actor in The Teahouse of the August Moon (Martin Beck Theatre, Oct 15. 1953 - Mar 24. 1956), where he portrayed Sakini the clever Okinawan bent on melding cultures. He co-starred with John Forsythe in the play and it won that year's Pulitzer Prize for drama and the Drama Critics' Circle award.

Station advertisement for the TV series "Norby" (1955) with David WayneHe starred as bank vice president Pearson Norby in the TV series Norby (NBC, 13 episodes starting Jan 5. 1955) in the same year where he played opposite Frank Sinatra in The Tender Trap (MGM, Nov 4. 1955). Wayne plays a family man obsessed with striking gold in the low budget western The Naked Hills (La Salle, Jun 17. 1956) with Myrna Dell
Above right: Station advertisement for NBC's Norby, The sponsor of the show KODAK filmed the show in color making it one of, if not THE, first sitcom to be filmed in color. However, due to the fact that most TVs were still black and white most people had no idea that the filming was actually done in color.
Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe pay a backstage visit (1954) to David Wayne during a performance of "The Teahouse of the August Moon" (Martin Beck Theatre, Oct 15, 1953 - Mar 24, 1956)."Ford Star Jubilee - The Judy Garland Special" (Sep 24, 1955). She performs "A Couple of Swells" from her film "Easter Parade", with guest David Wayne portraying the role originally done by Fred Astaire in the film.
Above left: Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe pay a backstage visit (1954) to David Wayne during a performance of The Teahouse of the August Moon (Martin Beck Theatre, Oct 15, 1953 - Mar 24, 1956).
Above right: Ford Star Jubilee - The Judy Garland Special (Sep 24, 1955). She performs "A Couple of Swells" from her film Easter Parade, with guest David Wayne portraying the role originally done by Fred Astaire in the film.
Opposite Frank Sinatra in "The Tender Trap" (1955).Myrna Dell and David Wayne in "The Naked Hills" (1956).
Above left: Opposite Frank Sinatra in The Tender Trap (MGM, Nov 4. 1955).
Above right: Myrna Dell and David Wayne in The Naked Hills (La Salle, Jun 17. 1956).
 Jayne Mansfield with David Wayne (ca 1956)Wayne as Mr. Finnegan in "The Loud Red Patrick" (Ambassador Theatre, Oct 3. - Dec  22. 1956).
Above left: Jayne Mansfield with David Wayne (ca 1956)
Above right: Wayne as Mr. Finnegan in The Loud Red Patrick (Ambassador Theatre, Oct 3. - Dec  22. 1956).

He appeared in lead in the classic episode "One More Mile To Go" (Apr 7. 1957) of Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

Wayne portrayed schizophrenic Joanne Woodward's long-suffering husband in Three Faces of Eve (20th Century Fox, Sep 18. 1957). Una Merkel, who co-starred with Wayne during his Fox years once said "I loved David Wayne. I think he's one of the finest actors we have. He's so good they don't know what to do with him."

In 1957 Wayne was nominated for an Emmy for an appearance in the "Heartbeat" episode (Shamley, Nov 11. 1957) of Suspicion, a suspense anthology. Thinking he has been cured of a heart condition, as his test results were mixed up with those of another patient, James Merrick goes to celebrate, by spending the day at an amusement park. There he meets younger Emily, and they proceed to enjoy the park's many activities, unaware they could prove fatal.
"One More Mile To Go" (1957) with David Wayne was an episode of the popular "Alfred Hitchcock presents" directed by the master himself.David Wayne, returning home with his wife after European Vacation (August 14, 1957)
Above left: During a quarrel, a man kills his wife with a fireplace poker, then stashes her body in his car trunk. A motorcycle cop stops him and insists that he fix his broken taillight. "One More Mile To Go" (Apr 7. 1957) with David Wayne was an episode of the popular Alfred Hitchcock presents directed by the master himself.
Above right: David Wayne, returning home with his wife after European Vacation (August 14, 1957).
Wayne portrayed schizophrenic Joanne Woodward's long-suffering husband in "Three Faces of Eve" (1957).In "Sad Sack" (1957) with Jerry Lewis Above left: Wayne portrayed schizophrenic Joanne Woodward's long-suffering husband in Three Faces of Eve (20th Century Fox, Sep 18. 1957).
Above right: In Sad Sack (Hal Wallis, Nov 27. 1957) with Jerry Lewis.
In 1958 he won accolades from the critics for his Broadway performance in Say Darling (Anta Theatre, Apr 3. 1958 - Jan 17. 1959) with Vivian Blaine. In the movie The Last Angry Man (Fred Kohlmar, Oct 2. 1959) with Paul Muni David played a troubled television producer fighting to preserve his career.

As part of the Theatre Guild, Wayne performed at the Sacandaga Summer Theatre and Westport Playhouse in the comedy-drama Marcus in the High Grass during the summer of 1959. It was a melodrama about a young black man’s search for his biological father only to discover his father is someone he already knows. This was the first play by Bill Gunn, a black independent playwright. Wayne was reported as being "captivated" by the script and "trying to free himself of other commitments" so he could do the play on Broadway.  However, the play didn't start there; instead, it premiered off-Broadway (Greenwich Mews Theatre, Nov 21. 1960) with David Wayne and Elizabeth Ashley in the starring roles. Because the actors in the play were white, several of its reviews were unaware that its author was not.

In the classic episode "Escape Clause," (CBS, Nov 6. 1959) of Twilight Zone David played a hypochondriac who, in an effort to escape his dependence on pills and fear of his environment, made a pact with the Devil. In exchange for his soul, he won immortality (below left).

Besides playing such prominent personages as Andrew Carnegie, Mark Twain he was also "Old Scratch" (with Edward G. Robinson) in a 1960 telecast of "The Devil and Daniel Webster" (NBC, Feb 14. 1960) part of Sunday Showcase.
In the 1959 "Twilight Zone" episode N° 6 "Escape Clause," David played a hypochondriac who, in an effort to escape his dependence on pills and fear of his environment, made a pact with the Devil. In exchange for his soul, he won immortality. David Wayne (L) and Edward G. Robinson (R) in a scene for "The Devil and Daniel Webster," Stephen Vincent Benet's classic which was presented on NBC-TV Sunday, Feb 14. Wayne plays the part of the cheerful Devil. Robinson is Webster, who helps a farmer friend after he sells his soul to the Devil. This was one of Robinson's rare television appearances.
Above left:  Wayne in the Twilight Zone episode "Escape Clause". (CBS, Nov 6. 1959) When David Wayne seeks immortality and is willing to trade his soul for it, what could be more enticing?
Above right: David Wayne (L) and Edward G. Robinson (R) in a scene for "The Devil and Daniel Webster," Stephen Vincent Benet's classic which was presented on NBC-TV Sunday, Feb 14. Wayne plays the part of the cheerful Devil. Robinson is Webster, who helps a farmer friend after he sells his soul to the Devil. This was one of Robinson's rare television appearances.
Squeeze play for 'Venus' - Joyce Jameson, feminine lead in the Broaway comedy "Venus at Large," finds herself in close quarters with actors David Wayne (L) and Ernest Truex after opening performance tonight. Scene is backstage at the Morosco Theater. The actors have supporting roles onstage as well as backstage.David Wayne as "Kublai Khan" with Hal Holbrook in "Marco Millions" (Anta Washington Square Theatre, Feb 20. - Jun 18. 1964)
Above left: Squeeze play for 'Venus' - Joyce Jameson, feminine lead in the Broaway comedy Venus at Large, (Apr 11. and Apr 12. - Apr 14. 1962) finds herself in close quarters with actors David Wayne (L) and Ernest Truex after opening performance tonight. Scene is backstage at the Morosco Theater. The actors have supporting roles onstage as well as backstage.
Above right:  David Wayne as "Kublai Khan" with Hal Holbrook in Marco Millions (Anta Washington Square Theatre, Feb 20. - Jun 18. 1964)
Whilst appearing regularly in multiple TV series, his career in the early sixties was characterized by a series of plays on Broadway:
Send Me No Flowers
(Brooks Atkinson Theatre, Dec 5. 1960 - Jan 7. 1961);
Venus at Large (Morosco Theatre, Apr 11. and Apr 12. - Apr 14. 1962);
Too True to be Good (54th Street Theatre, Mar.9. and Mar 12. - Jun 1. 1963);
After the Fall (Anta Washington Square Theatre, Jan 23. 1964 - May 29. 1965);
Marco Millions
(Anta Washington Square Theatre, Feb 20. - Jun 18. 1964);
But for Whom Charlie (Anta Washington Square Theatre, Mar 12. - Jul 2. 1964);
Incident at Vichy (Anta Washington Square Theatre, Dec 3. 1964 - May 7. 1965);
and The Yearling (Alvin Theatre, Dec 1. and Dec 10. - Dec 11. 1965).

With the Repertory Theater of Lincoln Center for the performing arts David Wayne performed with Faye Dunaway, Jason Robards Jr. , Joseph Wiseman, Hal Holbrook,... They played in the Anta Washington Square Theatre, New York City.

He was one of the hosts of the NBC weekend radio potpourri Monitor (from early 1963 through early 1966).
David Wayne as the Mad Hatter, in the "Batman" (1966-67) series
Devotees of the Caped Crusader and Boy Wonder could occasionally see Wayne as the Mad Hatter, a Batman nemesis on TV in 1966-67. (Right)

David Wayne was on stage as "Cap'n Andy" in Show Boat the musical by Jerome Kern & Oscar Hammerstein II (The Music Theater of Lincoln Center, 64 performances starting Jul 19. 1966).

David played the leading roles, together with Barbara Bel Geddes in Plaza Suite (Parker Playhouse, Fort Lauderdale, Apr 7. - Apr 19. 1969). The production opened February 14th, 1968 at the Plymouth Theatre in New York City (with George C. Scott and Maureen Stapleton in the lead) and ran for 1097 performances while simultaneously playing on the road.
"Cap'n Andy" on stage in "Show Boat", the musical written by Jerome Kern & Oscar Hammerstein II (1966), here with Margaret Hamilton (as Parthy Ann Hawks). Margaret is forever associated with her role as Miss Gulch/Wicked Witch of the West.Long before "Dallas", David Wayne and Barbara Bel Geddes were seen together in the play "Plaza Suite" (Parker Playhouse, Fort Lauderdale, Apr 7 - Apr 19, 1969).
Above left: "Cap'n Andy" on stage in Show Boat, the musical written by Jerome Kern & Oscar Hammerstein II (1966), here with Margaret Hamilton (as Parthy Ann Hawks). Margaret is forever associated with her role as Miss Gulch/Wicked Witch of the West uit The Wizard of Oz.
Above right: Long before Dallas, David Wayne and Barbara Bel Geddes were seen together in the play Plaza Suite (Parker Playhouse, Fort Lauderdale, Apr 7 - Apr 19, 1969).
His son Timothy Wayne, disappeared and was presumed drowned while canoeing with a friend near Yellowknife, in Canada's Northwest Territory, in August 1970. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police discovered an overturned canoe, two life jackets and two paddles but no bodies. 

As Dr. Dutton he was trying to find a cure for the Andromeda Strain in 1971 (below left).

For David Wayne's one man show An Unpleasant evening with H.L. Mencken (Ford Theatre, Washington D.C. Mar 8. - Mar 26. 1972) the National Parks Service, which, owned Ford's, suggested that certain derogatory references to the South be deleted. Paul Shyre, the author‐director complied with some suggestions but insisted that other lines remain. David Wayne, still referred to Mississippi as the “bunghole of America,”. The retention one might say, was a victory for free Speech. The fact was that the Show was not a victory in any other sense. 

He was the duke in a 1974 remake of Huckleberry Finn (below right). On the big screen he performed in The Front Page (Universal, Dec 18 .1974), and The Apple Dumpling Gang (Walt Disney, Jul 1. 1975).

David Wayne as Dr. Dutton in the "Andromeda Strain" in 1971.Wayne in a 1974 musical remake of "Huckleberry Finn".
Above left: David Wayne as Dr. Dutton in the Andromeda Strain in 1971.
Above right: Wayne in a 1974 musical remake of Huckleberry Finn.

TVue - December 7. 1975 David WayneHis crusty Inspector Queen in the Ellery Queen TV series (1975-1976) must be the definitive depiction of "The Old Man" although Wayne lacked the mustache so often mentioned in the books. Wayne boasted not just a resonant golden-era Hollywood voice, instantly identifiable and perfectly suited for this 1940s-themed series filled with distinctive voices. Additionally, there was remarkable chemistry between Hutton and Wayne, forming a robust and convincing duo, seamlessly complementing each other's performances.

Above right: TVue - December 7. 1975 David Wayne.
Publicity shot of the 'Dynamic Duo' David Wayne & Jim HuttonIn "Ellery Queen" there was remarkable chemistry between Hutton and Wayne, forming a robust and convincing duo, seamlessly complementing each other's performances.
Above left: Publicity shot of the 'Dynamic Duo' David Wayne & Jim Hutton for Ellery Queen (NBC, 1975-76)
Above right: In Ellery Queen there was remarkable chemistry between Hutton and Wayne, forming a robust and convincing duo, seamlessly complementing each other's performances..
Miss Ellie (Barbara Bel Geddes) and Digger Barnes (David Wayne) at a Southfork BQQ in " Dallas" (1978).Dr. Amos Weatherby (David Wayne) in "House Calls" (1979-1982), close to retirement and with a mean streak . The best he could do was to irritate Dr. Solomon by constantly getting his name wrong while going his own way.
Above left: Miss Ellie (Barbara Bel Geddes) and Digger Barnes (David Wayne) at a Southfork BQQ in Dallas (1978) “Then, I married Jock for money. Well, let’s get back to the party.”.
Above right: Dr. Amos Weatherby (David Wayne) in House Calls (1979-1982).

In 1977 he moved to Los Angeles. Most of the public now will remember him as Willard (Digger) Barnes on Dallas (1978) (above left) the alcoholic stepfather of Pamela Ewing, known for his beautiful voice and modern interpretive dance skills, which were masterfully showcased at the Ewing Barbecue when he performed "The Yellow Rose of Texas" (see link 7 below).

Dallas recast the role with David's friend Keenan Wynn because David had a leading role in House Calls (Universal, 1979-1982) (above right). He played Dr. Amos Weatherby, close to retirement and with a mean streak. The best he could do was to irritate Dr. Solomon by constantly getting his name wrong while going his own way.

Curtailing his activities in the late 1980s, David Wayne retired altogether in 1993, after the death of his wife of 51 years.

His daughter said he continued to do TV movies and a few smaller films into the early 1990s but "generally just retired."** Years ago, Wayne told a studio biographer he was happiest on the stage but like any other actor could not resist a good script "regardless of the commute."

His Broadway, TV and film portrayals ran a gamut of characters ranging from a scientist trying to save the world to an ingenuous Asian bent on bringing happiness to GIs in a far-off land.

He passed away in Santa Monica, California February 9, 1995 from lung cancer. He was 81 years old.

David Wayne made Stanislawsky's credo his own: "Love the art in yourself rather than yourself in the art.
He added "An actor can't go wrong if he sticks to it; It should be written over the door of every sound stage in Hollywood. I'm afraid most Hollywood actors will read it here for the first time. I hope they take the time to memorize it."

"The Happy Time" 1968
 
 
Notes:

* IMDb lists his first appearance in film for Stranger on the Third Floor (1940) in which he is said to play a cab driver. However, scrutiny of the film reveals that this is not David Wayne but Elisha Cook Jr.

**
His last on screen appearance was possibly in the movie The Fence in April 1994 as a Steel Mill Foreman.

*** Some sources name (near) Paw-Paw, Michigan as his birthplace. Possibly referring to Bloomingdale, the place where the Hodgmans lived.



All dates for movies are for the first US release.
All dates for TV programs are original first airdates.
All dates for (radio) plays are for the time span the actor was involved.

Facts in red still need confirmation.

 
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Other references
(1) IMDb
(2) Wikipedia

(3) IBDB
(4) Looking at Hollywood with Hedda Hopper, Chicago Tribune (Jul 9, 1951)
(5) Louella O.Parsons in Hollywood (1950)
(6) OTRRpedia

(7) Radiogoldindex

(8) David Wayne: Versatile Character Man Scott Rollins Film & TV
     Trivia Blog (Feb 9. 2019)
(9) Marilyn behind the icon - How to Marry a Millionaire Gary Vitacco-Robles
(10) Playbill

(11) Top Ten TV Moments: David Wayne by David Hofstede (June 13. 2016)
(12) David Wayne, A Study in Contrasts, by Fern Marja (1954)

Additional video & audio sources
(1) M (Film Clip, 1951)
(2) A Couple of Swells (Ford Star Jubilee) (Clip Tv special Judy Garland,
     1955)
(3)
David Wayne for AMC (Video Clip, 1966)
(4) The Adventure of the Blunt Instrument (full Ellery Queen episode, 1975
     via DialyMotion)

(5) Dallas (Season 2, episode 2 "Reunion, Part II") (Tv Clip Sep 30, 1978)
(6) Sounds of NBC Monitor – 1966
(7) Dallas (Season 1. episode 5 'Barbeque") (TV clip drunk Digger Barnes sings
    "Yellow Rose of Texas")
(8) OldTimeRadioDownloads
(9) Leta Powell Drake interview with David Wayne August 1981 YouTube
(10) David Wayne hosts Monitor '66 Sounds of NBC

 

This actor profile is a part of Ellery Queen a website on deduction. The actor above played Richard Queen in the 1975-1976 Ellery Queen TV series. Click Uncle Sam if you think you can help out...!
Many of the profiles on this site have been compiled after very careful research of various sources. Please quote and cite ethically!


Page first published before May 27. 2016
Last updated July 29. 2024

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