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- Stony-faced, grizzled-looking tough guy Charles McGraw (real name Charles Butters) notched up dozens of TV and film credits, usually portraying law enforcement figures or military officers, plus the odd shifty gangster. While at high school he worked as a theatre usher and was nicknamed "Chick" by his friends. At 17, he returned to his home town of Akron to study at university. He hitchhiked to New York from Ohio, enjoyed a substantial period in the boxing ring as a middleweight pugilist and then found his first success as an actor in 1937 on the Broadway stage in the Clifford Odets play "Golden Boy". Afterwards, stage work proved hard to come by. Therefore, to make ends meet, McGraw began to earn his living as a hoofer in dime-a-dance establishments. His career in Hollywood began in 1942 with bit parts and stalled again after a brief sojourn in the army. However, by 1947, he had picked up a solid amount of work as radio actor thanks to his gravelly voice which was perfectly suited for crime dramas. This did eventually re-open the door to Hollywood. Before long, McGraw regularly plied his trade as assorted hard cases who perfectly matched his craggy looks and steely-eyed visage. Best remembered among his standout roles are the dogged cop protecting a mob witness in the 1952 classic thriller The Narrow Margin (1952) , as resolute Lt. Jim Cordell pursuing armed bandits in Armored Car Robbery (1950), as a hit man in Robert Siodmak's seminal film noir The Killers (1946), as sadistic gladiatorial trainer Marcellus taunting slave Kirk Douglas (and ending up in a vat of boiling soup) in the epic Spartacus (1960), as William Holden's naval commander in the Korean War drama The Bridges at Toko-Ri (1954) and as jaded police officer Lt. Matthews assisting Spencer Tracy in the all-star comedy It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963). McGraw died in 1980 after a tragic accident in which he slipped and fell through a glass shower door.
- Writer
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Pascal Jardin was born on 14 May 1934 in Paris, France. He was a writer and assistant director, known for The Old Gun (1975), Hécate (1982) and The Widow Couderc (1971). He died on 30 July 1980 in Villejuif, Val-de-Marne, France.- Stacy Knappenberger died on 30 July 1980 in Oxnard, California, USA.
- Gustave Louis Chalot, born in Chatou (near Paris) in 1893, was destined by his father for a job in the silk industry. But Chalot senior had overlooked something important: one of Gustave's great-aunts, Marie Bilhaut, had been a renowned resident at the Comédie-Française while one of his great-uncles had been an opera singer. As a result of the presence of Thespis in the family genes it comes as no surprise that as of his high school years young Gustave organized theater performances with and for his schoolmates. After passing his final exams he obeyed his father and followed a training in the silk industry. At the same time he appeared incognito in several plays. When Gustave's dad became aware of what was happening he understood that his son's passion for the theater was too strong to be resisted. Now Gustave could at last tread the boards remorselessly. World War I interrupted this fledgling career though. Gustave was indeed drafted into the Third Battalion of Chasseurs where, despite this major inconvenience, he had the opportunity to meet the famous actor Jean Toulout. It was the the beginning of a solid and lasting friendship. Gustave then transferred into the Air Force where he acted heroically, taking part in many an air battle. And, just like when he was a student, he organized performances for the benefit of his war mates. Once the war was over, well-built, handsome Gustave resumed his acting career as Lucien Dalsace this time. Signed by Léon Volterra, the owner of the Théâtre de Paris, he found himself very much in demand as a romantic lead. His great presence, his manly appearance, his handsome face could not remained unnoticed by the movies for long and he debuted top-billed in "La brute" in 1921. Two years later his double role in the eight-chapter serial "L'aviateur" made him a true star. From then on he went from success to success in films directed by Louis Feuillade, René Leprince, Gaston Ravel, René Hervil and Henri Desfontaines. But history repeated itself. His career was once again interrupted and the culprit then was the coming of sound. Lucien Dalsace, still a matinée idol a few months before, had abruptly gone unfashionable. Getting no more roles, Lucien/Gustave changed jobs and became a perfume merchant in the Latin Quarter. He made his comeback in 1937 but he played only a few character roles in a few undistinguished pictures. In 1941 - irony of fate - he returned to trade and died in oblivion in 1980, aged 87.
- Actor
Douglas Carter was born on 29 April 1902 in Ipswich, England, UK. He was an actor. He died on 30 July 1980 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Composer, conductor and educator Norman Lloyd was educated at New York University, earning Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts degrees, and he was awarded an honorary Mus. D. from the Philadelphia Conservatory. At age 12, he was a piano soloist and accompanist, and later became the musical director for the Humphrey-Weidman Dancers, Martha Graham, Hanya Holm, Anna Sokolov and Jose Limon. He studied music with Aaron Copland, Vincent Jones, Abbey Whiteside and Robert Braun, and taught at Sarah Lawrence College 1936-1946, NYU from 1936-1945, Juilliard from 1946-1963, and the Oberlin Conservatory from 1963 to 1965 when he became Director for Arts for the Rockefeller Foundation. He co-authored "Fireside Book of Folksongs", "Fireside Book of American Songs", and "Fundamentals of Sight-Singing and Ear-Training". His musical compositions include "Restless Land" (Music Educators National Convention commission), "Piano Sonata" (Joseph Bloch commission), "A Walt Whitman Overture" (Goldman Band commission), "Nocturne for Voices", "3 Scenes from Memory", "Episodes for Piano", and "Piano Sonata".