Wikipedia

Robert Shayne

Robert Shayne(bornRobert Shaen Dawe,October 4, 1900 – November 29, 1992) was an American actor whose career lasted for over 60 years.[1][2]He was best known for portraying Inspector Bill Henderson in the American television seriesAdventures of Superman.[3]

Robert Shayne
Shayne in 1930
Born
Robert Shaen Dawe

(1900-10-04)October 4, 1900
Yonkers,New York, U.S.
DiedNovember 29, 1992(1992-11-29)(aged 92)
Woodland Hills,California, U.S.
Resting placeForest Lawn Memorial Park,Hollywood Hills, California
OccupationActor
Years active1929–1991
Spouses
Mary Crouch
​
​
(m.1925;div.1933)​
Mary Sheffield
​
​
(m.1933;div.1943)​
Elizabeth (Bette) McDonald
​
​
(m.1943)​
Children4

Early years

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Shayne was born in Yonkers, New York.[3]He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Grosvenor Dawe, and he had a brother, Allen Shaen Dawe.[4]His father was one of the founders of theUnited States Chamber of Commerce.[5]

Shayne leftBoston Universityin his senior year so that his brother could go to college.[5]For a time, he lived inBirmingham, Alabama,writing advertising copy for a women's clothing store by day and acting in astock theatercompany at night. When the store went out of business, he began acting full-time.[6]

Career

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Shayne became an actor after having worked as a reporter at theIllustrated Daily Tabin Miami, Florida.[7]His initial acting experience came with repertory companies in Alabama,[8]including the Birmingham Players.[5]

Stage

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Shayne's firstBroadwayappearance came by 1931 inThe Rap.[8]His other Broadway shows includeYellow Jack(1934),The Cat and the Canary(1935),Whiteoaks(1938), withEthel Barrymore,andWithout Love(1942), withKatharine Hepburn.[2][9]

Film

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Shayne inSmash-Up: The Story of a Woman(1947)

Shayne began his film career in 1934, appearing in two features. In 1942, he became a contract actor withWarner Bros.[10]He played many character roles in movies and television, including afilm seriesof Warner Bros.featurettescalled the "Santa Fe Trail" series such asWagon Wheels West,[11]and as a mad scientist in the 1953 horror filmThe Neanderthal Man.

FromIndestructible Man(1956), L-R:Lon Chaney Jr.,Joe Flynn,and Robert Shayne

He appears briefly in Alfred Hitchcock'sNorth by Northwest,seated at a booth in a hotel bar, where his character meetsCary Grant's character, just as the latter is about to be kidnapped.[12]He also had a small but pivotal role in the 1953 sci-fi classicInvaders From Marsas a scientist.[13]Shayne enjoyed a brief rebirth in his career when he was cast as the blind newspaper vendor inThe Flashtelevision show.[14]

Television

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Shayne portrayedPolice Inspector William "Bill" Hendersonon the 1950s TV seriesAdventures of Superman.He appeared sporadically in the early episodes of the series, in part because he was accused by his second wife Mary Sheffield,[15]and came underHUACscrutiny and was briefly blacklisted on unproven and unspecific charges of association withCommunism.[16][17]As the program evolved, especially in the color episodes, he was brought into more and more of them, to the point where he was a regular on the series.[18][19]

Personal life

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Shayne married Mary Crouch in 1925.[20]They had one daughter, but divorced in 1933.[5]

In 1933, he married Mary Sheffield. They also had one daughter, and divorced in 1943.[21][5]

In 1943, he married Elizabeth McDonald, with whom he had 2 more children. They remained married until his death in 1992.[citation needed]

Death

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Shayne died in 1992 of lung cancer at theMotion Picture HospitalinWoodland Hills,California.[9]He was 92 years old. Shayne was buried inForest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills,California.[22]

Selected filmography

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References

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  1. ^"Robert Shayne".BFI.Archived fromthe originalon July 11, 2012.
  2. ^ab"Overview for Robert Shayne".Turner Classic Movies.
  3. ^abEllenberger, Allan R. (2001).Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory.McFarland. p. 97.ISBN9780786450190.RetrievedDecember 20,2017.
  4. ^"(untitled brief)".Tallahassee Democrat.Florida, Tallahassee. May 28, 1927. p. 2.RetrievedDecember 20,2017– viaNewspapers.
  5. ^abcdeLaura, Wagner (November 2017). "Robert Shayne".Classic Images(509):72–74.
  6. ^MacPherson, Virginia (August 9, 1945)."Handsome Robert Shayne A 'Comer' in Hollywood".Tampa Bay Times.Florida, St. Petersburg. United Press. p. 6.RetrievedDecember 21,2017– viaNewspapers.
  7. ^Raymer, Dorothy (October 13, 1945)."Robert Shayne, Film Star, Was Once Miami Reporter".The Miami News.Florida, Miami. p. 12.RetrievedDecember 20,2017– viaNewspapers.
  8. ^abFolkart, Burt A. (December 2, 1992)."Robert Shayne, Broadway and Movie Actor".The Los Angeles Times.California, Los Angeles. p. A 28.RetrievedDecember 19,2017– viaNewspapers.
  9. ^ab"Robert Shayne Actor, 92".The New York Times.December 3, 1992. Archived fromthe originalon December 20, 2017.RetrievedDecember 20,2017.
  10. ^Weaver, Tom (2000).Return of the B Science Fiction and Horror Heroes: The Mutant Melding of Two Volumes of Classic Interviews.McFarland. p. 356.ISBN9780786407552.RetrievedDecember 20,2017.
  11. ^"Warner Bros. Featurettes" Santa Fe Trail "series".The Old Corral.b-westerns. Archived fromthe originalon December 20, 2017.RetrievedDecember 20,2017.
  12. ^"Robert Shayne".hitchcock.zone.
  13. ^Alan Jones."Invaders from Mars".RadioTimes.Archived fromthe originalon May 2, 2016.RetrievedFebruary 12,2015.
  14. ^"Robert Shayne movies, photos, movie reviews, filmography, and biography - AllMovie".AllMovie.
  15. ^Wagner, Laura (October 11, 2017)."Robert Shayne".Quad-City Times.Iowa, Davenport. Archived fromthe originalon July 8, 2020.RetrievedJuly 8,2020.
  16. ^Vaughn, Robert (1996).Only Victims.Hal Leonard Corporation.ISBN9780879100810.
  17. ^Weaver, Tom (September 28, 2006).Science Fiction Stars and Horror Heroes.McFarland.ISBN9780786428571.
  18. ^"Superman Homepage - Superman on Television".supermanhomepage.
  19. ^Hal Erickson(2013)."Robert Shayne - Biography - Movies & TV - NYTimes".Movies & TV Dept.The New York Times.Archived fromthe originalon December 16, 2013.
  20. ^see the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, NY 12/19/1925, page 7
  21. ^"Actor Shayne Divorced".The Los Angeles Times.California, Los Angeles. July 19, 1946. p. 2 - Part II.RetrievedDecember 22,2017– viaNewspapers.
  22. ^Wilson, Scott (2016).Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed.McFarland. p. 681.ISBN9781476625997.RetrievedDecember 20,2017.
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