Джефф Чандлер: Американский актёр (1918–1961)

American actor (1918–1961)

Jeff Chandler (born Ira Grossel; ; December 15, 1918 – June 17, 1961) was an American actor. He was best known for his portrayal of Cochise in Broken Arrow (1950), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He was one of Universal Pictures' more popular male stars of the 1950s. His other credits include Sword in the Desert (1948), Deported (1950), Female on the Beach (1955), and Away All Boats (1956). In addition to his acting in film, he was known for his role in the radio program Our Miss Brooks, as Phillip Boynton, her fellow teacher and clueless object of affection, and for his musical recordings.

Chandler was born Ira Grossel to a Jewish family in Brooklyn, the only child of Anna (née Herman) and Phillip Grossel. He was raised by his mother after his parents separated when he was a child. He attended Erasmus Hall High School, the alma mater of many stage and film personalities, where he acted in school plays; his schoolmates included Susan Hayward. Chandler's father was connected with the restaurant business and got his son a job as a restaurant cashier. Chandler said he always wanted to act, but courses for commercial art were cheaper, so he studied art for a year and worked as a layout artist for a mail order catalogue at $18 a week. Eventually, he saved up enough money to take a drama course at the Feagin School of Dramatic Art in New York. He worked briefly in radio, then got a job in a stock company on Long Island as an actor and stage manager. He worked for two years in stock companies, including a performance of The Trojan Horse opposite famous singers and actors Gordon MacRae and his wife Sheila MacRae, who became his good friends. Chandler formed his own company, the Shady Lane Playhouse, in Illinois in the summer of 1941. The company toured the Midwest with some success, presenting such plays as The Bad Man, Seventh Heaven, The New Minister, and Pigs. When America entered World War II, Chandler enlisted in the army. Chandler initially struggled to find work in Hollywood, and had spent all his savings when he got his first job as a radio actor in May 1946. He went on to appear in episodes of anthology drama series such as Escape and Academy Award Theater, and became well known for playing the lead in Michael Shayne. Chandler was the first actor to portray Chad Remington in Frontier Town.

Chandler had appeared on air in Rogue's Gallery with Dick Powell, who was impressed by the actor, and put pressure on Columbia to give Chandler his first film role, a small part as a gangster in Johnny O'Clock (1947). but did not get the part. He went on to play small roles as gangsters in Roses are Red and The Invisible Wall, and a policeman in Mr Belvedere Goes to College. Chandler received more attention playing Eve Arden's love interest on radio in Our Miss Brooks, which debuted in July 1948 and became a massive hit.

Chandler's performance in Our Miss Brooks brought him to the attention of executives at Universal, who were looking for someone to play an Israeli leader in Sword in the Desert (1949). He was cast in February 1949. Chandler impressed studio executives so much with his work that shortly into filming, Universal signed him to a seven year contract. His first film under the arrangement was a supporting role in Abandoned (1949).

In July 1952, Chandler signed a fresh contract with Universal that doubled his salary. His first movie under this was a Western, The Great Sioux Uprising. It was followed by more adventure fare: East of Sumatra and War Arrow with Maureen O'Hara. This meant Chandler missed the part of Demetrius in The Robe (1953) at Fox, for which he had been considered and which eventually went to Victor Mature. He also missed out on the lead in the remake of Magnificent Obsession, for which he had been mooted; the part was taken by Rock Hudson, who had supported Chandler in Iron Man. Both The Robe and Magnificent Obsession became big hits. Chandler played Cochise for the third time, a cameo in Taza, Son of Cochise, starring Hudson, who soon overtook Chandler as Universal's biggest male star. but the role ended up being played by Victor Mature. Instead, he appeared in Yankee Pasha, and started singing in nightclubs. He left the radio show Our Miss Brooks after five years "to get a rest," he said, "Although it didn't take long to do the show, it tied up all my Sundays." Chandler appeared in an expensive (for Universal) epic, playing the Emperor Marcian in Sign of the Pagan and co starred with Jane Russell in Foxfire (1955), which he enjoyed because, "I don't have to be so darned monosyllabic in this one." He then made Female on the Beach with Joan Crawford and began releasing records.

In 1956, Universal gave Chandler a leave of absence from his contract with them "for a period of several months" to enable him to make his own movie for Earlmar. In exchange for this, Chandler was to make two more films for Universal under his original contract with them, then enter into a new arrangement under which he would appear in two films a year over three years. Earlmar signed a six picture deal with United Artists, under which Chandler was to appear in at least three of the films. He acted in and produced the first Earlmar production, a Western, Drango. "It's no Indian story," said Chandler, "let Cochise rest in peace." Chandler bought the rights to a novel, Lincoln McEever, but it was never made; Drango turned out to be Earlmar's sole production. After Drango, Chandler made the final two films owed under his original contract with Universal: The Tattered Dress, playing a lawyer in a melodrama, and Man in the Shadow, co starring opposite Orson Welles. He had commitments to make two films per year at Universal until 1959.

Chandler moved to Columbia and acted with Kim Novak in Jeanne Eagels. He followed this with two films for Universal, The Lady Takes a Flyer with Lana Turner, and Raw Wind in Eden with Esther Williams. A Motion Picture Exhibitor Poll listed him as the tenth most popular male star in the US in 1957. Chandler made another for Universal, A Stranger in My Arms with June Allyson. He was to star opposite Tony Curtis in Operation Petticoat (1959), but fell ill and had to withdraw. Chandler's next two movies were made for a brand new company, Seven Arts: Ten Seconds to Hell, a drama with Jack Palance for director Robert Aldrich, and Thunder in the Sun, a Western with Susan Hayward. The last of those was distributed by Paramount, which released Chandler's next film, another Western, The Jayhawkers! In Ten Seconds to Hell and The Jayhawkers! Chandler played villains. He later reflected "I've tried heavies – but audiences didn't seem to take to that." Allied was so pleased with the film, they requested three more movies from August, but Chandler never got to make them. His next film, The Story of David, was filmed for American TV, his first work in that medium, but was shown theatrically in other countries. It was shot in London and Israel. Chandler stated:

<blockquote>I don't want to make pictures in other countries; I want to stay home. But suddenly there are not enough pictures being made here. All other countries are giving inducements to companies and to players; even a little country like Israel is trying to formulate a plan for subsidies. Our government still taxes the hell out of people; somebody ought to wake 'em up. again in 1954, and filed for divorce in 1954. His wife complained that Chandler was "chronically fatigued so that he would fall asleep wherever we were." They reconciled in March 1955. In 1957, he had an affair with Esther Williams while they made a movie together, and his wife filed for divorce at the end of the year. In his 1958 divorce proceedings, Chandler was revealed to be paying his wife an allowance of $1,500 per month. He said he was under contract to Universal to make two films a year at $60,000 per film for 1957 and $75,000 per film for 1958. He said he earned $250,000 in 1957 from his acting and singing, but had a lot of expenses, with his personal manager, business manager, and agent taking 25% of his income. The court ordered Chandler to continue paying $1,500 per month. Their divorce was granted in June 1959, with Chandler giving his wife $100,000 and over $2,166 per month in alimony plus $500 per month in child support. "He became so absorbed by his career that he spent all time when not actually working on a picture in his business office", said his wife. "I developed an ulcer." Chandler was involved in a will dispute concerning his stepfather in 1960. Chandler was a cousin of actor David Roya, who played the young villain Bernard Posner in Billy Jack. When his friend Sammy Davis Jr. lost an eye in an accident and was in danger of losing the other, Chandler offered to give Davis one of his own eyes. Chandler had nearly lost an eye and had been visibly scarred in an auto accident years earlier. Chandler had a relationship with Gloria DeHaven that was exposed in Confidential magazine. At a trial, Fred Otash said the detectives had followed them to get the story. Esther Williams wrote in her 1999 autobiography that she broke off their relationship and that Chandler was a cross dresser. According to the Los Angeles Times, many friends and colleagues of Chandler rejected her claims. Jane Russell commented, "I've never heard of such a thing. Cross dressing is the last thing I would expect of Jeff. He was a sweet guy, definitely all man." He was also linked with Ann Sheridan. Chandler's public support for Israel's 1956 attack on Egypt during the Suez Crisis prompted the United Arab Republic to campaign for his films to be banned in Arab countries in 1960. He represented the Screen Actors Guild during talks throughout the 1960 actors' strike.

While working on Merrill's Marauders in the Philippines, on April 15, 1961, Chandler injured his back playing baseball with U. S. Army Special Forces soldiers who served as extras in the film. He had injections to deaden the pain and enable him to finish the production. On May 13, 1961, he entered a hospital in Culver City, California, and had surgery for a spinal disc herniation. Severe complications arose; an artery was damaged, and Chandler hemorrhaged. On May 17, in a seven and a half hour emergency operation following the original surgery, he was given 55 pints of blood. A third operation followed on May 27, in which he received an additional 20 pints of blood. He died on June 17, 1961. The cause was a blood infection complicated by pneumonia. At the time of his death, Chandler was involved with British actress Barbara Shelley. Tony Curtis and Gerald Mohr were among the pallbearers at Chandler's funeral, attended by more than 1,500 people. He was buried at Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Culver City. An investigation into Chandler's death determined it resulted from medical malpractice, and his children sued the hospital for $1.5 million. Chandler's estate was worth $600,000, which he left to his daughters. His ex wife sued his estate for $80,000 for money owed under their divorce settlement. For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Chandler has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, at 1770 Vine Street.