Arthur Hill (Canadian actor)

Arthur Edward Spence Hill(1 August 1922 – 22 October 2006) was a Canadian actor. He was known in British and American theatre, film, and television.

Arthur Hill
Hill in 1971 as Owen Marshall
Born
Arthur Edward Spence Hill

(1922-08-01)1 August 1922
Died22 October 2006(2006-10-22)(aged 84)
Alma materUniversity of British Columbia
OccupationActor
Years active1949–1990
Spouses
Peggy Hassard
(m.1942; died 1998)
Anne-Sophie Taraba
(m.2001)
Children2
Back, L-R:Reni Santoni,Arthur Hill,Lee Majors.Front:Joan Darlingand Christine Matchett

Early life

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Arthur Edward Spence Hill was born inMelfort, Saskatchewan,on 1 August 1922, the son of Edith Georgina (Spence) and Olin Drake Hill, a lawyer. As part of theRoyal Canadian Air Forceduring World War II, Hill served in the mechanic corps. He attended theUniversity of British Columbia,studying law. He joined theRCAFwhile inUBCpre-law.[1]After the war, having finished his university degree, he became interested in acting. He studied acting in Seattle, Washington.

Career

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In 1956, he appeared as an accused murderer in episode 17 ofColonel March of Scotland Yard,an English/American production starring Boris Karloff. Hill'sBroadwaytheatre debut was in the 1957 revival ofThornton Wilder'sThe Matchmaker,playing Cornelius Hackl. In 1963, Hill received the Tony Award for Best Dramatic Actor for his portrayal of George in the original Broadway production ofWho's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?Other Broadway credits include Ben Gant in the original production ofLook Homeward, Angel(1957),All the Way Home(1960),Something More!(1964), andMore Stately Mansions(1967).[2]

In the filmThe Andromeda Strain(1971), Hill played Dr. Jeremy Stone. Other film work includesThe Ugly American(1963),Harper(1966),Petulia(1968),The Chairman(1969),The Killer Elite(1975),Futureworld(1976), an uncredited role inA Bridge Too Far(1977), and narration ofSomething Wicked This Way Comes(1983).[3]

Hill's television work includes the 1964 television dramaThe Reporter.He also appeared in several television episodes in 1966 and 1967, including:Mission Impossibleepisode "The Carriers", theVoyage to the Bottom of the Seaepisode "The Monster from the Inferno",The F.B.I.episode "Flight to Harbin", andThe Invadersepisode "The Leeches".

From 1971 to 1974, Hill starred as lawyer Owen Marshall in the television seriesOwen Marshall, Counselor at Law.[2]Another of his television roles was Grandpa Lansford Ingalls onLittle House on the Prairie(1976).

Hill appeared in the 1984 pilot episode ofMurder, She Wroteand reprised his role in 1990. His final role was as a governor in the 1990Columboepisode "Agenda for Murder".

Personal life

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Hill married Peggy Hassard in September 1942. They had two children, Douglas and Jennifer.[4]The family moved to Great Britain in 1948. In London, he was at theBBC,both radio and television. They moved to New York City in 1955,[3]then to Los Angeles in 1968.

He retired in 1990. After the death of his wife in 1998, he married Anne-Sophie Taraba in 2001.[5][6]

Death

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Hill died on 22 October 2006, inPacific Palisades, California.He lived in a nursing home, and was 84 years old. His death was attributed toAlzheimer's disease.[1]

Selected filmography

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References

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  1. ^abMartin, Douglas (October 27, 2006)."Arthur Hill, Actor Who Won Tony for 'Virginia Woolf,' Dies at 84".The New York Times.RetrievedSeptember 26,2012.
  2. ^abByrge, Duane (October 27, 2006)."Actor Arthur Hill dies at 84".The Hollywood Reporter.Associated Press.
  3. ^ab"Arthur Hill: Actor".Variety.October 27, 2006.
  4. ^"Arthur Hill BIography (1922-)".Film Reference.
  5. ^Thurber, Jon (October 27, 2006)."Arthur Hill, 84; won Tony for 'Woolf' role".Los Angeles Times.
  6. ^Vallance, Tom (October 28, 2006)."Arthur Hill Actor of quiet authority".The Independent.
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