Noah Beery Jr. | |
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Beery in The Rockford Files 1974
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Born |
Noah Lindsey Beery August 10, 1913 New York City |
Died | November 1, 1994 Tehachapi, California, U.S. |
(aged 81)
Cause of death | Cerebral thrombosis |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1920–1986 |
Spouse(s) | Maxine Jones (1940–1966) (divorced) Lisa Thorman (1968–1994, his death) |
Children | 3 |
Noah Lindsey Beery (August 10, 1913 – November 1, 1994), known professionally as Noah Beery Jr. or just Noah Beery, was an American actor specializing in warm, friendly character roles similar to the ones played by his paternal uncle, Wallace Beery, although Noah Beery Jr., unlike his paternal uncle, seldom broke away from playing supporting roles. Beery's father, Noah Nicholas Beery (known professionally as Noah Beery or Noah Beery Sr.), enjoyed a similarly lengthy film career as a major supporting actor.
Beery was best known for playing James Garner's father, Joseph "Rocky" Rockford, in the NBC television series The Rockford Files (1974–80).
Beery was born in New York City, New York, where his father was working as a stage actor. He was given his nickname "Pidge" by George M. Cohan's sister Josie. The family moved to California in 1915 when his father began acting in motion pictures. After attending school in Los Angeles, they moved to a ranch in the San Fernando Valley, a style of living he would maintain for the rest of his life.
At the age of seven, he appeared with his father in The Mark of Zorro and like his father, who immediately began billing himself as "Noah Beery Sr.", he went on to become a respected character actor. His paternal uncle, Oscar-winning actor Wallace Beery, became the world's highest-paid actor by 1932, and while neither Beery nor his father ever approached that level, both had long and memorable film careers. The three acting Beerys physically closely resembled each other, but Beery lacked the powerful voice his father and uncle possessed, which is ironic since both older Beerys made major careers in silent movies.