Gordon MacRae
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Albert Gordon MacRae (March 12, 1921 – January 24, 1986) was an American actor and singer, best known for his appearances in musical films of the 1950s.
Born in East Orange, New Jersey, MacRae graduated from Deerfield Academy in 1940 and served as a navigator in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. He made his Broadway debut in the mid-1940s, acquiring his first recording contract soon afterwards. Many of his hit recordings were made with Jo Stafford. It was in 1948 that he appeared in his first film, The Big Punch, a non-musical boxing drama. He soon began an on-screen partnership with Doris Day and appeared with her in several films. In 1953, he starred opposite Kathryn Grayson in the third film version of The Desert Song. This was followed by starring appearances in two major films of Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals, Oklahoma! (1955) and Carousel (1956), both opposite Shirley Jones. At this point, alcoholism interfered with his career, and fewer movie musicals with a demand for his type of singing voice continued to be made, but MacRae appeared frequently on television and eventually overcame his alcoholism. He also toured in summer stock and appeared in nightclubs. In 1967, he replaced Robert Preston in the original Broadway run of the musical I Do! I Do!, starring opposite Carol Lawrence, who had taken over the role from Mary Martin.
He was married to Sheila MacRae from 1941 until 1967, and was the father of Heather MacRae and the late Meredith MacRae.
MacRae was considered by some a better actor than most film musical stars, and he occasionally played non-musical roles, especially in later life. In the 1970s, for instance, he portrayed a murderer on the popular TV series McCloud, and drawing on his experience as an alcoholic, he played a supporting role in the little-seen 1979 motion picture The Pilot, starring Cliff Robertson as an alcoholic pilot. It was his last film.
He continued to record and act almost until the end of his life. He died of cancer of the mouth and jaw at his home in Lincoln, Nebraska at the age of 64.
Contents |
[edit] Filmography
Features:
- The Big Punch (1948)
- Look for the Silver Lining (1949)
- Backfire (1950)
- The Daughter of Rosie O'Grady (1950)
- Return of the Frontiersman (1950)
- Tea for Two (1950)
- The West Point Story (1950)
- On Moonlight Bay (1951)
- Starlift (1951) (Cameo)
- About Face (1952)
- By the Light of the Silvery Moon (1953)
- The Desert Song (1953)
- Three Sailors and a Girl (1953)
- Oklahoma! (1955)
- Carousel (1956)
- The Best Things in Life Are Free (1956)
- Zero to Sixty (1978)
- The Pilot (1980)
Short Subjects:
- The Screen Director (1951)
- Screen Snapshots: Fun in the Sun (1952)
- So You Want a Television Set (1953)
[edit] Recorded songs
[edit] Solo
- "Love Is A Many Splendored Thing"
- "Easy To Love"
- "Hair of Gold, Eyes of Blue"
- "It's Magic" (bigger hit for Doris Day, also done by Tony Martin)
- "Rambling Rose"
[edit] with Jo Stafford
- "'A' — You're Adorable" (better known version by Perry Como)
- "Dearie"
- "My Darling, My Darling"
- "Say Something Sweet To Your Sweetheart"
- "Whispering Hope"
- "Echoes"
[edit] External links
- Bio on Starpulse
- Bio on MP3.com
- ReelClassics.com Page
- TVNow's monthly Gordon MacRae schedule
- Gordon MacRae's Gravesite
