Wally Cox(1924-1973)
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Wally Cox was a beloved character actor who made his mark in television
and ranks as one of the medium's most memorable performers. His ability
to show his range likely was limited by his short stature, slight
frame, and high-pitched voice, which along with his talent for being
very funny, made him ideal for comedy parts such as his memorable turn
as Professor P. Caspar Biddle in "The Bird-Watchers" episode of
The Beverly Hillbillies (1962)
in 1966. His television persona was that of a shy, timid man in
horn-rimed glasses who spoke in a tentative, though distinctly
enunciated, voice. It was a persona that his long-time friend
Marlon Brando said was completely at odds
with the real man.
Born Wallace Maynard Cox on December 6, 1924, in Detroit, Michigan, his
family moved to Evanston, Illinois, when he was a child, and he became
friends with the young Brando. The child Marlon once tied Wally to a
fence as a prank and left him in bondage overnight. After World War II,
Cox moved to New York City and studied metal-working, becoming a master
craftsman. In New York, he met up again with Brando, and the two
rekindled their friendship and became roommates, with Cox eventually
moving out as he reportedly could not abide Russell, Marlon's pet
raccoon. Brando interested Cox in acting, and he studied with Brando's
mentor Stella Adler. Cox and Brando both
shared a delight in book-reading and learning, though Cox was the more
accomplished intellectual.
After appearing in many TV productions in the 1940s and early '50s, Cox
achieved fame as the mild-mannered teacher on the live television
sitcom Mister Peepers (1952)
(1952-55), a summer replacement show that was inserted into the regular
line-up after receiving good reviews and strong ratings. The episode in
which Peepers married his girlfriend, the school nurse Nancy, was one
of the highest rated TV shows of 1954. Although the role made him a
star and won him two Emmy nominations, one as Best Comedian of 1953 and
one as Best Male Star of a Regular Series in 1954, Wally Cox hated
Robinson Peepers. He always referred to the character as "Mr. Goodboy"
and insisted he was nothing like him, that in fact, he was a "terrible
person." His persona on the
The Hollywood Squares (Daytime) (1965),
a quiet man with a thinly veiled layer of sarcasm, probably was more
like the real Cox. Outside of performing, Cox liked to ride motorcycles
and take long nature walks.
After the show's cancellation due to declining ratings, Cox appeared as
the lead in the TV series
The Adventures of Hiram Holliday (1956)
for the 1956-57 season. Although he never again headlined a live-action
series, he played character roles in a score of theatrical and TV
movies and frequently guest-starred on series television. He also
remained prominent in the public eye as a regular panelist on the
television game show
The Hollywood Squares (Daytime) (1965),
appearing in the upper left-hand cubicle from the series' debut in 1966
until his death in 1973. While many of the stars' responses were
actually scripted, Wally Cox apparently wasn't one of them, more often
using sarcasm and responding with an ironic attitude as with a witty
one-liner.
He was introduced to a generation of children as the voice of the
animated cartoon character Underdog on
Underdog (1964) (1964-1973). He was
also a singer, cutting a memorable record of "There Is a Tavern in the Town" in
1953, sung in a unique style featuring "tremulous yodeling" that was
truly one of a kind. Wally also made a memorable appearance on the
syndicated show Tom Smothers' Organic Prime Time Space Ride (1971) as a singer/yodeler, singing the cowboy song "That's How the Yodel Was
Born."
Cox always will be remembered as the eponymous "Mr. Peepers" and the
voice of "Underdog," but he was an actor of wider talents seldom used
by the industry, as can be seen in his turns as the sonar operator in
The Bedford Incident (1965)
and as the potential suicide Wally Haverstraw in
The Bill Cosby Show (1969)
episode "Goodbye, Cruel World" in 1970. Dying unexpectedly on February
15, 1973, from what some newspapers described as an accidental overdose
of sedatives but which Marlon Brando in
his autobiography said was a heart attack, Wally Cox's cremated remains
were kept hidden in a closet by his old friend for three decades.
According to Brando's son Miko, both his father's and Cox's ashes were
scattered at the same time in Death Valley, California, in a ceremony
following Brando's death, thus reuniting the lifetime friends.
and ranks as one of the medium's most memorable performers. His ability
to show his range likely was limited by his short stature, slight
frame, and high-pitched voice, which along with his talent for being
very funny, made him ideal for comedy parts such as his memorable turn
as Professor P. Caspar Biddle in "The Bird-Watchers" episode of
The Beverly Hillbillies (1962)
in 1966. His television persona was that of a shy, timid man in
horn-rimed glasses who spoke in a tentative, though distinctly
enunciated, voice. It was a persona that his long-time friend
Marlon Brando said was completely at odds
with the real man.
Born Wallace Maynard Cox on December 6, 1924, in Detroit, Michigan, his
family moved to Evanston, Illinois, when he was a child, and he became
friends with the young Brando. The child Marlon once tied Wally to a
fence as a prank and left him in bondage overnight. After World War II,
Cox moved to New York City and studied metal-working, becoming a master
craftsman. In New York, he met up again with Brando, and the two
rekindled their friendship and became roommates, with Cox eventually
moving out as he reportedly could not abide Russell, Marlon's pet
raccoon. Brando interested Cox in acting, and he studied with Brando's
mentor Stella Adler. Cox and Brando both
shared a delight in book-reading and learning, though Cox was the more
accomplished intellectual.
After appearing in many TV productions in the 1940s and early '50s, Cox
achieved fame as the mild-mannered teacher on the live television
sitcom Mister Peepers (1952)
(1952-55), a summer replacement show that was inserted into the regular
line-up after receiving good reviews and strong ratings. The episode in
which Peepers married his girlfriend, the school nurse Nancy, was one
of the highest rated TV shows of 1954. Although the role made him a
star and won him two Emmy nominations, one as Best Comedian of 1953 and
one as Best Male Star of a Regular Series in 1954, Wally Cox hated
Robinson Peepers. He always referred to the character as "Mr. Goodboy"
and insisted he was nothing like him, that in fact, he was a "terrible
person." His persona on the
The Hollywood Squares (Daytime) (1965),
a quiet man with a thinly veiled layer of sarcasm, probably was more
like the real Cox. Outside of performing, Cox liked to ride motorcycles
and take long nature walks.
After the show's cancellation due to declining ratings, Cox appeared as
the lead in the TV series
The Adventures of Hiram Holliday (1956)
for the 1956-57 season. Although he never again headlined a live-action
series, he played character roles in a score of theatrical and TV
movies and frequently guest-starred on series television. He also
remained prominent in the public eye as a regular panelist on the
television game show
The Hollywood Squares (Daytime) (1965),
appearing in the upper left-hand cubicle from the series' debut in 1966
until his death in 1973. While many of the stars' responses were
actually scripted, Wally Cox apparently wasn't one of them, more often
using sarcasm and responding with an ironic attitude as with a witty
one-liner.
He was introduced to a generation of children as the voice of the
animated cartoon character Underdog on
Underdog (1964) (1964-1973). He was
also a singer, cutting a memorable record of "There Is a Tavern in the Town" in
1953, sung in a unique style featuring "tremulous yodeling" that was
truly one of a kind. Wally also made a memorable appearance on the
syndicated show Tom Smothers' Organic Prime Time Space Ride (1971) as a singer/yodeler, singing the cowboy song "That's How the Yodel Was
Born."
Cox always will be remembered as the eponymous "Mr. Peepers" and the
voice of "Underdog," but he was an actor of wider talents seldom used
by the industry, as can be seen in his turns as the sonar operator in
The Bedford Incident (1965)
and as the potential suicide Wally Haverstraw in
The Bill Cosby Show (1969)
episode "Goodbye, Cruel World" in 1970. Dying unexpectedly on February
15, 1973, from what some newspapers described as an accidental overdose
of sedatives but which Marlon Brando in
his autobiography said was a heart attack, Wally Cox's cremated remains
were kept hidden in a closet by his old friend for three decades.
According to Brando's son Miko, both his father's and Cox's ashes were
scattered at the same time in Death Valley, California, in a ceremony
following Brando's death, thus reuniting the lifetime friends.