Walter Pidgeon
| Walter Pidgeon | |
|---|---|
Walter Pidgeon, 1940s
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| Born |
Walter Davis Pidgeon September 23, 1897 Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada |
| Died | September 25, 1984 (aged 87) Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1925–78 |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) |
Edna (Muriel) Pickles (m. 1919–21) (her death) Ruth Walker (m. 1931–84) (his death) (d.1993) |
| Children | 1 |
Walter Davis Pidgeon (September 23, 1897 – September 25, 1984) was a Canadian actor who starred in many films, including How Green Was My Valley, Mrs. Miniver, The Bad and the Beautiful, Forbidden Planet, Advise & Consent, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Funny Girl and Harry in Your Pocket.
Born in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, Pidgeon was the son of Hannah (née Sanborn), a housewife, and Caleb Burpee Pidgeon, a haberdasher. His brother, Larry, was an editorial writer for the Santa Barbara News-Press.
Pidgeon attended local schools and the University of New Brunswick, where he studied law and drama. His university education was interrupted by World War I, and he enlisted in the 65th Battery, Royal Canadian Field Artillery. He never saw action, however, as he was severely injured in an accident when he was crushed between two gun carriages and spent seventeen months in a military hospital. Following the war, he moved to Boston, Massachusetts, where he worked as a bank runner, at the same time studying voice at the New England Conservatory of Music.
Discontented with banking, Pidgeon moved to New York City, where he walked into the office of E.E. Clive, announced that he could act and sing and could prove it. After acting on stage for several years, he made his Broadway debut in 1925. Pidgeon made a number of silent films in the 1920s. He became a huge star with the arrival of talkies, thanks to his singing voice. He starred in extravagant early Technicolor musicals, including The Bride of the Regiment (1930), Sweet Kitty Bellairs (1930), Viennese Nights (1930) and Kiss Me Again (1931). He became associated with musicals, and when the public grew weary of them his career began to falter.
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