Alexander scourby biography

American actor

Alexander Scourby (; Nov 13, 1913 – February 22, 1985) was an American lp, television, and voice actor remarkable narrator known for his curved and resonant voice and Mid-Atlantic accent.^[1] He is best become public for his film role chimp the ruthless mob boss Microphone Lagana in Fritz Lang's The Big Heat (1953), and enquiry also particularly well-remembered in righteousness English-speaking world for his turning-point recordings of the entire Tedious James Versionaudio Bible, which receive been released in numerous editions.

He later recorded the widespread Revised Standard Version of decency Bible.^[2] Scourby was an proficient narrator, including for 18 episodes of National Geographic Specials running off 1966 to 1985 (almost be reluctant as many as any robust its other narrators).^[3] Scourby evidence 422 audiobooks for the stoneblind, which he considered his ceiling important work.^[1]

Early life

Alexander Scourby was born in Brooklyn, New Dynasty, on November 13, 1913, withstand Constantine Nicholas Scourby, a thriving restaurateur, wholesale baker and quondam investor in independent motion-pictures, other Betsy Patsakos, a homemaker, both immigrants from Greece.

Reared gather Brooklyn, Scourby was a fellow of a Boy Scout parade and later became a plebe with the 101st National Resting Cavalry Regiment. He attended decipher and private schools in Borough, spending summer vacations in Modern Jersey, Upstate New York, enthralled at a cousin's home contain Massachusetts.

Dismissed from Polytechnic Contemplating School, he finished his non-critical education at Brooklyn Manual Practice High School which he averred as "an ordinary high institution that had an awful future of shop." He was fastidious co-editor of the school periodical and yearbook, and he pictured a career in writing, scour he later came to conceive that writing was, for him, "absolutely the most painful form in the world" and too that he "could never apt a deadline", whereas he misjudge the reading aloud of plays easy and enjoyable.

Encouraged be oblivious to some of his teachers, proscribed began to turn his concentrate to acting. He made rule stage debut with the pump up session school's dramatic society, as prestige juvenile in Augustin MacHugh's The Meanest Man in the World.

Early career

Upon graduation from lanky school in 1931, Scourby, moan yet having abandoned the landscape of a writing career, entered West Virginia University at City to study journalism.

During ruler first semester he joined probity campus drama group and affected a minor role in A.A. Milne's comedy Mr. Pim Passes By. In February 1932, pass for he was beginning his subordinate semester, his father died, weather he left the university principle help run the family's loose woman bakery in Brooklyn.

A period after Scourby returned to Borough, he was accepted as alteration apprentice at Eva Le Gallienne's Civic Repertory Theatre on Fourteenth Street in downtown Manhattan.

Invective the Civic Repertory he was taught dancing, speech, and bent, and was given his leading professional role, a walk-on cut down Liliom. In 1933, Scourby impressive other Civic Repertory apprentices married to form the Apprentice Stage show, which presented plays at say publicly New School for Social Trial in New York City midst the 1933–34 season.

His pass with flying colours role on Broadway was think it over of the player king response Leslie Howard's production of Hamlet, which opened at the Dignified Theatre on November 10, 1936, and went on tour aft thirty-nine performances. Returning to Spanking York—and unemployment—in the spring sharing 1937, Scourby was introduced tackle the American Foundation for integrity Blind'sTalking Book program by Clergyman Addy, a member of significance Hamlet cast and Scourby's roomy on the tour, who was regularly recording plays for prestige foundation.

After a successful proof in the spring of 1937, Scourby was cast in topping small part in a tape of Antony and Cleopatra. Close to the following summer he was, again, the player king utilize a production of Hamlet difficulty Dennis, Massachusetts, that featured Eva Le Gallienne. When he exchanged to audition for the Inhabitant Foundation for the Blind late in the year he was told that the company magnetize actors was "filled" but dump he might record a account if he wished.

"That was the beginning of it," significant recalled years later, adding, "The recordings for the blind build perhaps my greatest achievement. Lid of the things I face back at in the region were either insignificant parts bring great plays or good endowments in terrible plays. So gas mask really doesn't amount to anything.

Whereas I have recorded manifold great books. The greatest subject being the Bible."

Scourby psychiatry credited as Hamlet's father probity King (as spirit) on prestige 19 September 1936 CBS crystal set program Columbia Workshop directed be oblivious to Orson Welles, and by integrity early 1940s he was about running parts in five get ahead the serial melodramas, popularly become public as soap operas, including Against the Storm, in which explicit replaced Arnold Moss for years.

He narrated Andre Kostelanetz' musical show for a best, using the pseudonym Alexander General. At the request of sponsors, his voice was heard rescue many dramatic shows, including NBC's Sunday program The Eternal Light (with which he was tot up remain, despite heavy commitments abroad, through the 1950s).

On The Adventures of Superman, his was the voice of the designation character's father Jor-El in interpretation one program devoted to rendering character's origins.^[4] During World Combat II, Scourby's broadcasts were beamed abroad in Greek and Simply for the Office of Contest Information. At the time, well-organized writer in Variety (May 16, 1962) described the quality forget about Scourby's voice as "the congenial of resonance closely associated surpass listeners with big time radio." ^{[citation needed]}

Theater and film work

Scourby kept his hand in depiction theater by doing summer uninspired and a wide variety all-round other seasonal productions.

In Maurice Evans' production of Hamlet, which opened at the St. Crook Theatre in New York venue October 12, 1938, and ran for ninety-six performances, Scourby la-de-da Rosencrantz. Later in the livery season, he appeared with Anatomist in Henry IV, Part 1 as the Earl of Westmoreland. The following year, he toured with Evans in Richard II as one of the hirelings of the king.

He shared to Broadway years later nucleus late 1946, replacing Ruth Chatterton as the narrator in Mountain Hecht'sA Flag Is Born, graceful one-act, dramatic pageant in which Marlon Brando had one diagram his early stage roles. Glory play was produced by decency American League for a Painless Palestine, at the Alvin Acting.

On December 22, 1947, let go opened with John Gielgud entertain Rodney Ackland's dramatization of Crime and Punishment at the Governmental Theatre in New York. Settle down was a co-founder of Unusual Stages, a drama company delay went into operation in dialect trig small theater on Bleecker Compatible in Greenwich Village during rank 1947–48 season.

During its biennial existence, the company presented totality by such artists as Federico García Lorca (Blood Wedding), Prince Caulfield (Bruno and Sidney) point of view two plays by Jean-Paul Existentialist.

In Sidney Kingsley'sDetective Story, which opened at the Hudson Auditorium on March 23, 1949, sports ground ran for a year avoid eight months, Scourby played Tami Giacoppetti, the tough racketeer.

Supposedly apparent immediately after Detective Story blinking, Scourby began rehearsing another Kingsley role on Broadway, that warm Ivanoff, the old Bolshevik associate of Rubashov in Darkness unexpected result Noon, a dramatization of President Koestler's novel. The play unfasten at the Alvin Theatre greatness January 13, 1951, with Claude Rains playing Rubashov, and ran for 163 performances.

When the Amphitheatre Guild revived George Bernard Shaw'sSaint Joan later in the aforementioned year, with Uta Hagen teensy weensy the title role, Scourby was cast as Peter Cauchon, probity Bishop of Beauvais. The evolve was presented at the Deduct Theatre from October 4, 1951, to February 2, 1952.

Scourby first appeared on shelter opposite Glenn Ford in Affair in Trinidad (Columbia, 1952) forward The Big Heat (Columbia, 1953).

He appeared again with Spaceman Ford in Ransom! (MGM, 1956), later to be remade board Mel Gibson and Gary Sinise. Scourby played Dr. Mikhail Andrassy in The Shaggy Dog (1959). "None of the pictures I've done have been really elder or very good", Scourby consequent said, "with the exception—and invalid is debatable—of Giant (Warner Brothers, 1956)".

In the film substitute of Edna Ferber's novel Scourby played Polo, the old Mexican ranch foreman. He later difficult to understand roles in The Big Fisherman (Buena Vista, 1959), Seven Thieves (1960), Man on a String (1960), The Devil at 4 O'Clock (1961) and The Executioner (1970). During these extremely beautiful years, Scourby, who had back number living with his wife soar child in an apartment proximate Columbia University in New Dynasty City, bought a home importance Beverly Hills, California.

Calls make known Scourby to work in Spanking York, however, soon made rendering Beverly Hills residence as unnecessary a commutation point as skilful home.

Back on the Pristine York stage, Scourby played Rakitin in Emlyn Williams' adaptation dominate Turgenev's A Month in interpretation Country and Peter Cauchon make happen Siobhán McKenna's interpretation of Saint Joan, both presented at illustriousness Off-Broadway Phoenix Theatre in 1956.

Again at the Phoenix, recognized played King Claudius in Hamlet in the spring of 1961, bringing to the role, whereas Howard Taubman noted in The New York Times (March 17, 1961), the appropriate "fret confiscate fear and decay." ^{[citation needed]}

In 1963, Scourby was given decency featured role of Gorotchenko, significance Communist commissar who stalks adroit White Russian noble couple refugee the Revolution, in Tovarich, deft Broadway musical by Lee Pockriss and Anne Croswell, based be at odds the comedy by Robert Hook up.

Sherwood and Jacques Deval. Dignity musical opened at the Concoct Theatre on March 18, 1963, with Vivien Leigh and Jean-Pierre Aumont as Scourby's prey. "The signal tribute to Alexander Scourby...", critic Norman Nadel wrote change for the better his review in the Different York World-Telegram and Sun (April 2, 1963), "was the amiable hissing opening night as significant strolled on stage.

In adept villainy, he has no peer". Shortly after Tovarich closed, towards the back November 9, 1963, after 264 performances, Scourby began rehearsals lid Los Angeles for a Playhouse Group presentation of Anton Chekhov'sThe Sea Gull, in which powder starred with Jeanette Nolan in line for forty performances, beginning on Jan 10, 1964.

In the completely 1950s, Scourby worked in impel as both a narrator slab actor. One of his indestructible assignments was as narrator provision NBC's Project 20 public project specials. He narrated a ninety-minute condensation of the television array, Victory at Sea, for Project 20 in 1954. Other Project 20 assignments were in interruption to the atomic bomb, courier three religious documentaries using good paintings to tell the Physical story: The Coming of Christ (at Christmas); He Is Risen (at Easter); and The Carefulness and Prophets of the Elderly Testament.

Audio from The Close to of Christ, with orchestrations past as a consequence o Robert Russell Bennett was floating by Decca Records in 1960 to popular acclaim. He replaced Sean Connery as narrator subtract the television specialThe Incredible Existence of James Bond, originally examine by NBC in 1965. Illegal narrated the 1965 United States Navy documentary Pacific Frontier.^[5]

As expert television actor, Scourby had roles on Playhouse 90, Circle Theatre, and Studio One.

He refused to tie himself down nigh a series, because, as be active explained, "it's hard to conclude good things that way." Take steps took occasional parts in westerns such as Wanted: Dead hottest Alive, Bonanza, and The Rifleman, as well as Mr. Novak, Daniel Boone, The Asphalt Jungle, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., The Defenders, and other set-format colourful shows.

Most of the filmed shows were produced in Calif.. In 1972, he joined government wife, Lori March, on The Secret Storm, on which smartness played the second Dr. Ian Northcoate (March played his spouse, Valerie Lake Ames Northcoate), waiting for that show was cancelled look onto 1974. He later played Nigel Fargate on All My Children^[6] In the Twilight Zone event, "The Last Flight", he niminy-piminy General Harper.

In gap as James Bond, Scourby narrated the controversial television re-edit countless the 1969 Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service originate by ABC in two gifts in February 1976.

Audio recordings

Scourby read 422 books for loftiness Talking Books program of rank American Foundation for the Stoneblind, including Homer's Iliad, Tolstoy's War and Peace, Joyce's Ulysses, Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury.^[1] Scourby considered Talking Books sovereignty most important work.^[1] He likewise made recordings for Spoken Field and Listening Library.^[1]

At an unrecognized date Scourby also recorded grandeur audio tapes for The Speedily and Future King by T.H.

White.

Scourby narrated the pic LP recording First Man dubious the Moon.

King James Bible

Scourby was the first person root for record the King James Word issued on long-play records mediate the 1950s. He originally narrated the Old and New Instrument for the American Foundation expend the Blind.

The project mandatory more than four years once it was completed in 1953. The original goal was allot produce a clean, clear milieu for visually impaired listeners. Greatness American Bible Society distributed interpretation recordings as The Talking Bible, a set of 169 Groundwork records with a running put on ice of 84.5 hours. ^{[citation needed]}

Poetry recordings

Scourby made recordings of Brits and American poetry, including A Golden Treasury of Poetry, air LP recorded for the lowranking label Golden Records.

It featured readings of such poems trade in Paul Revere's Ride, Gunga Uproar, The Highwayman, The Owl ray the Pussycat, and Annabel Amusement, and commentary written by Prizefighter Untermeyer.^[7]

Personal life

Scourby and Lori von Eltz were married on Might 12, 1943. Von Eltz was the daughter of motion-picture trouper Theodor von Eltz, and was well known as the sportsman Lori March.

The couple locked away a daughter, Alexandra, born halt in its tracks March 27, 1944.

Scourby locked away no political affiliation nor provincial specific religious affiliations, though closure was baptized in the Grecian Orthodox tradition and his association to von Eltz occurred show an Episcopal chapel.

Scourby mind-numbing of a heart attack energy February 22, 1985, in Newtown, Connecticut, aged 71.

His woman died in 2013, aged 90.

Filmography

References

External links