John Beal (actor)
| John Beal | |
|---|---|
Beal in the trailer for Madame X
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|
| Born |
James Alexander Bliedung August 13, 1909 Joplin, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | April 26, 1997 (aged 87) Santa Cruz, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Stroke |
| Occupation | Film and television actor |
| Years active | 1933–1993 |
| Spouse(s) | Helen Craig (1934-1986) (her death) 2 children |
John Beal (August 13, 1909 – April 26, 1997) was an American actor.
Beal was born James Alexander Bliedung in Joplin, Missouri. His father had a department store, and Beal went to the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania "mapped for a commercial career." While at Wharton, Beal (who enrolled under his real name, James Alexander Bliedung) spent time drawing cartoons for the school's humor magazine and singing in productions of the Mask and Wig club.
Soon after graduating from college in 1930, Beal began acting with the Hedgerow Theatre. Beal originally went to New York to study art but a chance to understudy in a play made him change his mind. He went on to appear in Russet Mantle and She Loves Me.
Beal began acting in the 1930s, opposite Katharine Hepburn (in the 1934 RKO film The Little Minister), among others; one of his notable screen appearances was as Marius Pontmercy in Les Misérables (1935). He continued appearing in films during the war years while serving in Special Services and the First Motion Picture Unit as actor and director of Army Air Forces camp shows and training films.
Beal had starring roles in the film dramas Alimony (1949) and My Six Convicts (1952).
In the 1950s, Beal also began appearing in various television shows, including the title role of mining engineer Philip Deidesheimer in a 1959 episode of the Bonanza series, "The Deidesheimer Story".
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