Robert Cummings
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| Robert Cummings | |
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 in the trailer for Saboteur (1942) |
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| Born | Charles Clarence Robert Orville Cummings June 10, 1908(1908-06-10) Joplin, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | December 2, 1990 (aged 82) Woodland Hills, California, U.S. |
Robert Cummings (June 10, 1908 – December 2, 1990), also known as Bob Cummings, was an American motion picture and television actor, noted for his fresh faced youthful look which lasted long into his old age.
Cummings performed mainly in comedies but was effective in his few dramas, especially two Alfred Hitchcock films, Saboteur (1942) and Dial M for Murder (1954).
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Biography
Early life and career
Cummings was born in Joplin, Missouri, the son of Charles Clarence Cummings, a physician and surgeon, and his wife Ruth Annabelle Kraft, an ordained minister of the Science of Mind.[1] While attending Joplin High School, he was taught to fly by his godfather, Orville Wright.[citation needed] He studied at the Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City. Cummings had a brief career on Broadway under the stage name Blade Stanhope Conway, supposedly an Englishman, before moving to Hollywood, previously acting under the name and persona of Bruce Hutchens, a wealthy Texan.
In the 1930s, Cummings worked under his own name as a contract player and appeared in a number of minor roles.
Achieving stardom
He achieved stardom in 1939 in Three Smart Girls Grow Up, opposite Deanna Durbin. His many film comedies include: The Devil and Miss Jones (1941) with Jean Arthur, and The Bride Wore Boots (1946) with Barbara Stanwyck. Cummings gave memorable performances in three notable dramas: Kings Row (1942) with friend Ronald Reagan, Saboteur (1942) with Priscilla Lane and Norman Lloyd, and Dial M for Murder (1954), with Grace Kelly and Ray Milland. Cummings also starred in You Came Along (1945) that featured a screenplay by Ayn Rand. The Army Air Forces pilot Cummings played had the same name as the character on his later television show.
Cummings was chosen by producer John Wayne as his co-star for the part of airline pilot Captain Sullivan in The High and the Mighty, in part due to Cummings's experience as a pilot. However, director William A. Wellman overruled Wayne and hired Robert Stack for the part.[2]
Cummings made his mark in the CBS Radio network's dramatic serial entitled Those We Love, which ran from 1938 to 1945. Cummings played the role of David Adair, opposite Richard Cromwell, Francis X. Bushman (a famed silent-era film actor), and Nan Grey.
Durng World War II Cummings served in the United States Army Air Corps at a base in Oxnard, California. He later was a pilot in the United States Air Force Reserve.
Television career
Cummings began a long career on television in 1952 by starring in the comedy My Hero. He was in the first performance of Twelve Angry Men to be televised, a live production that aired in 1955, and received an Emmy award for his role as "Juror Number Eight." From 1955 through 1959, Cummings starred in a celebrated sitcom, The Bob Cummings Show (shown in reruns as Love That Bob), followed by The New Bob Cummings Show, 1961–1962. He also starred one season in My Living Doll (1964), another sitcom. His last significant role was the 1973 TV movie Partners in Crime, also starring Lee Grant.
Personal life
Cummings married five times and fathered seven children. He was a staunch advocate of natural foods and a healthy diet and authored a book, Stay Young and Vital (1960), on health foods and exercise. In reference to refined products such as white flour, white rice, and sugar, he was quoted as saying, "Never eat anything white."
Cummings's daughter Melinda is married to the prominent business professor Kim S. Cameron.
Death
Cummings died in 1990 at the age of 82. He was interred in the Great Mausoleum at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale, California.
Filmography
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References
- ^ Bob Cummings Biography.
- ^ McGivern, Carolyn, The Lost Films of John Wayne, Nashville, Cumberland House, 2006, p. 82
External links
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| Persondata | |
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| NAME | Cummings, Robert |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Cummings, Charles Clarence Robert Orville |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Actor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1908-6-10 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Joplin, Missouri, U.S. |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1990-12-2 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | Woodland Hills, California, U.S. |
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