Jim Hutton

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Hutton

Dana James Hutton (May 31, 1934 – June 2, 1979), usually credited as Jim Hutton, was an American actor in film and television probably best remembered for his role as Ellery Queen in the 1970s TV series of the same name.

Early life and career

Born in Binghamton, New York, Jim Hutton was performing in live theater in Germany while with the United States Army when he was spotted by American film director Douglas Sirk. One of his earliest screen appearances was in an episode of The Twilight Zone (1959), in which he co-starred with Rod Taylor. In Hollywood, he gained recognition with teen audiences for his role in the college student film Where the Boys Are (1960), where he appeared with Paula Prentiss, an actress he would be teamed with in several of his early films, in part because they were the tallest contract players of their time (Hutton at 6'5" and Prentiss at 5'10"). He appeared with Prentiss in The Honeymoon Machine Late in 1960, followed by 1961's Bachelor in Paradise starring Bob Hope and Lana Turner, and finally The Horizontal Lieutenant in 1962. In 1966, Hutton gained a wider audience in Walk, Don't Run with Samantha Eggar and Cary Grant (in his last feature-film appearance). Due to his tall, gangly frame and the absent minded quality of his delivery, Hutton was viewed as a successor to James Stewart.

In addition to being a gifted comedic actor, Hutton also took on dramatic roles such as Sam Peckinpah's 1965 western Major Dundee. In 1968 Hutton appeared in the John Wayne acted/directed war drama, The Green Berets, wherein Hutton played a Special Forces sergeant in a mix of comedy and drama, with a memorable booby trap scene. Also in 1968 Hutton appeared with John Wayne in Hellfighters, playing the role of Greg Parker. The movie was loosely based on the career of oil-well firefighter Red Adair.

The move to television

In the early 1970s Hutton began working almost exclusively in television and played the title role of Ellery Queen in the 1975 made-for-television movie that led to the 1975–76 television series Ellery Queen. Hutton's co-star was David Wayne, who portrayed his widowed policeman father. In the series (set in New York in 1947), Hutton portrayed a crime novelist and amateur crime solver who assisted his father on murder cases and tried to find out "whodunit," with the added twist of breaking the fourth wall and involving the viewer in solving the mystery.

He also starred in The Hallelujah Trail.

Death and Academy Award dedication

On June 2, 1979, Jim Hutton died in Los Angeles from liver cancer, two days after his 45th birthday. A year and a half later, his son, actor Timothy Hutton, dedicated his 1980 Academy Award to his father.

A portion of his ashes were scattered in the Garden of Roses area.