Stephen Boyd
| Stephen Boyd | |
|---|---|
Boyd in 1961
|
|
| Born |
William Millar 4 July 1931 Glengormley, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, UK |
| Died | 2 June 1977 (aged 45) Northridge, Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Heart attack |
| Resting place | Oakwood Memorial Park Cemetery |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1955–1977 |
| Spouse(s) | Mariella di Sarzana (1958-1959; divorced) Marisa Mell (1971); gypsy wedding, not considered a legal marriage Elizabeth Mills (1974-1977; his death) |
| Parent(s) | James Alexander Millar (father) Martha Boyd (mother) |
Stephen Boyd (4 July 1931 – 2 June 1977) was an actor from Glengormley, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. He appeared in some 60 films, most notably as Messala in Ben-Hur (1959), a role that earned him the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture. He received his second Golden Globe Award nomination for Billy Rose's Jumbo (1962).
Boyd was born William Millar in 1931 (some references say 1928). One of nine siblings, he attended Ballyclare High School. At the age of seven he became well known in Belfast for his contributions to the Ulster Radio's Children Hour. At the age of sixteen, Boyd quit school and joined the Ulster Group Theater. Boyd learned the behind the scenes tasks of the theater, and eventually worked his way up to character parts and leads, touring both Canada and the United States with stock companies. By the time he was twenty, Boyd had a wide range of theater experience, but he longed for the big stage. In 1952 Boyd moved to London and worked in a cafeteria and busked outside a cinema in Leicester Square to get money as he was literally close to starvation. Boyd caught his first break as a doorman at the Odeon Theatre. The Leicester Square Cinema across the street recruited him to usher attendees during the British Academy Awards in the early 1950s. During the awards ceremony he was noticed by actor Sir Michael Redgrave, who used his connections to introduce Boyd to the director of the Windsor Repertory Group.
Boyd's first role which brought him acclaim was as an Irish spy in the movie The Man Who Never Was, based on the book by Ewen Montagu. The movie was released in 1956. Shortly thereafter he signed a contract with 20th Century Fox. Boyd starred in two Rank productions after this film. Hell in Korea was a small role for Boyd, but an interesting movie which featured several renowned actors in early roles, such as Michael Caine and Robert Shaw. The Beast of Marseilles was a World War II romance set in Nazi-occupied Marseilles with Boyd as the main star. For Twentieth Century Fox, Boyd would be cast in the racially provocative film Island in the Sun, based on the Alec Waugh novel. For Columbia pictures he was cast in the nautical, ship-wreck adventure Abandon Ship! starring Tyrone Power. In early 1957 Brigitte Bardot was given the opportunity to cast her own leading man after her success in Roger Vadim's And God Created Woman (1956 film), and she chose Boyd. During late 1957, Bardot, Boyd and renowned actress Alida Valli filmed the lusty romance The Night Heaven Fell, directed by Roger Vadim, in Paris and in the region of Málaga, Spain, specifically the small town of Mijas. Being in the Bardot spotlight added much to Boyd's film credit, in addition to bringing him notice in Hollywood.
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