James Broderick
| James Broderick | |
|---|---|
Broderick in 1959
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| Born |
James Joseph Broderick III March 7, 1927 Charlestown, New Hampshire, U.S. |
| Died | November 1, 1982 (aged 55) New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1950–1982 |
| Spouse(s) |
Patricia Broderick (m. ?–1982; his death) |
| Children | Matthew Broderick, Martha Broderick, Janet Broderick |
James Joseph Broderick III (March 7, 1927 – November 1, 1982) was an American actor. He is known for his role as Doug Lawrence in the television series Family, which ran from 1976 to 1980.
Broderick was born in Charlestown, New Hampshire, the son of Mary Elizabeth (née Martindale) (b. 1896) and James Joseph Broderick II (or Jr.) (1895-1959). He was raised Catholic. His father, a highly decorated World War I combat medic, was of Irish descent, and his mother was of English and Irish ancestry.
Broderick attended Manchester Central High School and then took pre-medical courses at the University of New Hampshire for two years. He joined the Navy in 1945, becoming a pharmacist mate.
In 1947, after having served in the armed forces in World War II, Broderick, a junior pre-med student, auditioned for a part in the University of New Hampshire production of George Bernard Shaw's Arms and the Man. Faculty advisor to the student drama club, Mask and Dagger, (and director) J. "Joe" Donald Batcheller was impressed and gave him the role of Bluntchili, an anti-romantic Swiss soldier. Batcheller said, "You could tell from the beginning that he was an exceptional individual. He displayed an unusual ability to get along with people. He was kind, sensitive, imaginative, and had a good sense of humor. He also had an Irish mug if I ever saw one."
Although Batcheller did not often encourage the students to pursue acting as a career, he was so sure of Broderick's talent that he suggested a trip to New York to meet Batcheller's friend Arthur Kennedy, who was well known in the acting field. Broderick took his advice and Kennedy subsequently directed him to the Neighborhood Playhouse, where he gained the necessary experience and training for a successful acting career in both movies and TV.
He played the father on the television show Family from 1976 to 1980, receiving an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 1978. Other notable television appearances included the Twilight Zone episode "On Thursday We Leave for Home" and the public television productions of Jean Shepherd's The Phantom of the Open Hearth and The Great American Fourth of July and Other Disasters, where he played Ralph Parker's father, "the Old Man," later reprised by Darren McGavin in A Christmas Story.
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