Hurd Hatfield
Hurd Hatfield
Though hardly the easiest actor in the world to properly cast, Hurd Hatfield can claim at least two unforgettable film portrayals. Born in New York and educated at Columbia University, Hatfield was trained at England's Chekhov Drama School (Michael Chekhov, not Anton) and made his stage debut in London. He was personally selected by eccentric filmmaker Albert Lewin to play the title role in the 1945 movie version of The Picture of Dorian Gray. It was an astonishing performance, one that proved virtually untoppable for Hatfield; nothing he would do in his sporadic film appearances of the 1940s and 1950s came close to this personal triumph. After several years on stage, Hatfield was cast as Pontius Pilate in Nicholas Ray's filmization of The King of Kings (1961) -- another brilliant, matchless characterization. Perceived as a "cold fish" in his leading-man days, Hatfield was able to use his sang-froid to his advantage in such roles as Paul Bern in Harlow (the 1965 Carol Lynley version) and the middle-aged sex deviate in The Boston Strangler (1968). The best of Hurd Hatfield's most recent screen appearances was his portrayal of an inconvenient and troublesome grandparent in Crimes of the Heart (1986). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Filmography of Hurd Hatfield:
- The Picture of Dorian Gray with George Sanders , Donna Reed , Angela Lansbury , Peter Lawford , Douglas Walton , Miles Mander , Mary Forbes , Robert Greig , Billy Bevan , Lillian Bond , Charles Coleman , Jimmy Conlin , Rex Evans , Gibson Gowland , Sam Harris , Reginald Owen , Renie Riano , William Stack , Cedric Hardwicke , Frank O'Connor
- The Boston Strangler with Tony Curtis , Henry Fonda , George Kennedy , Mike Kellin , Murray Hamilton , Jeff Corey , Sally Kellerman , William Marshall , Tom Aldredge , James Brolin , Jeanne Cooper , Leora Dana , Dana Elcar , George Furth , William Hickey , Almira Sessions , Carole Shelley , George Voskovec , David Lewis
- Dragon Seed with Katharine Hepburn , Walter Huston , Aline MacMahon , Akim Tamiroff , Turhan Bey , J. Carrol Naish , Agnes Moorehead , Henry Travers , Frances Rafferty , Jacqueline DeWit , Paul E. Burns , Philip Ahn , Lionel Barrymore , Benson Fong , Al Hill , Keye Luke , Leonard Mudie , Jay Novello , Leonard Strong , Philip vanZandt , Abner Biberman
- Joan of Arc with Ingrid Bergman , Selena Royle , Jose Ferrer , Robert H. Barrat , Ward Bond , Jimmy Lydon , Francis L. Sullivan , Cecil Kellaway , Rand Brooks , Roman Bohnen , Irene Rich , Nestor Paiva , Ray Teal , George Coulouris , John Emery , Gene Lockhart , Richard Ney , Leif Erickson , John Ireland , Henry Brandon , Ethan Laidlaw , Frederic Worlock , Dennis Hoey , Roy Roberts , J. Carrol Naish , Shepperd Strudwick , Taylor Holmes , Alan Napier , Aubrey Mather , Herbert Rudley , William Conrad , Houseley Sr. Stevenson , Jeff Corey , Richard Alexander , Morris Ankrum , Wally Cassell , Clancy Cooper , Bob Crosby , Lester Dorr , Herbert Evans , Julia Faye , James Garner , Greta Granstedt , Frank S. Hagney , Chuck Hamilton , I. Stanford Jolley , James Sr. Kirkwood , George Magrill , Frank Marlowe , Matt Moore , Harry Hays Morgan , Frances Morris , Herbert Rawlinson , Russell Simpson , Arthur Space , Minerva Urecal , Charles Wagenheim , Henry Wills , Margo Woode , George Zucco , Mary Field
Hurd Hatfield Trivia
