Acting
Lew Ayres
Lew Ayres was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota and raised in San Diego, California. A college dropout, he was found by a talent scout in the Coconut Grove nightclub in Los Angeles and entered Hollywood as a bit player. He was leading man to Greta Garbo in The Kiss (1929), but it was the role of Paul Baumer in All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) that was his big break. He was profoundly affected by the anti-war message of that film, and when, in 1942, the popular star of Young Dr. Kildare (1938) and subsequent Dr. Kildare films was drafted, he was a conscientious objector. America was outraged, and theaters vowed never to show his films again, but quietly he achieved the Medical Corps status he had requested, serving as a medic under fire in the South Pacific and as a chaplain's aid in New Guinea and the Phillipines. His return to film after the war was undistinguished until Johnny Belinda (1948) - his role as the sympathetic physician treating the deaf-mute Jane Wyman won him an Academy Award nomination as Best Actor. Subsequent movie roles were scarce; an opportunity to play Dr. Kildare in television was aborted when the network refused to honor his request for no cigarette sponsorship. He continued to act, but in the 1970s put his long experience into a project to bring to the west the philosophy of the East - the resulting film, Altars of the World (1976), while not a box-office success, won critical acclaim and a Golden Globe Award. Lew Ayres died in Los Angeles, California on December 30, 1996, just two days after his 88th birthday.
Filmography
Checking Out: Grand Hotel
Film · 2004
Hart to Hart: Crimes of the Hart
Film · 1994
MGM: When the Lion Roars
Series · 1992
Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker
Film · 1991
Cast the First Stone
Film · 1989
Under Siege
Film · 1986
L.A. Law
Series · 1986
Outlaws
Series · 1986
Lime Street
Series · 1985
Don Camillo
Film · 1984
Bruised Celluloid
Film · 1984
Highway to Heaven
Series · 1984
Finder of Lost Loves
Series · 1984
The A-Team
Series · 1983
Fame
Series · 1982
Hotel
Series · 1982
Cagney & Lacey
Series · 1982
Of Mice and Men
Film · 1981
Simon & Simon
Series · 1981
Reunion
Film · 1980
Magnum, P.I.
Series · 1980
Letters from Frank
Film · 1979
Trapper John, M.D.
Series · 1979
Knots Landing
Series · 1979
Salem's Lot
Series · 1979
Damien - Omen II
Film · 1978
Suddenly, Love
Film · 1978
Battlestar Galactica
Film · 1978
The Story of Noah
Film · 1978
Battlestar Galactica
Series · 1978
Flying High
Series · 1978
End of the World
Film · 1977
The Love Boat
Series · 1977
The Fantastic Journey
Series · 1977
Francis Gary Powers: The True Story of the U-2 Spy Incident
Film · 1976
That's Entertainment, Part II
Film · 1976
The Bionic Woman
Series · 1976
Quincy, M.E.
Series · 1976
Wonder Woman
Series · 1975
The Questor Tapes
Film · 1974
Heatwave!
Film · 1974
Little House on the Prairie
Series · 1974
Battle for the Planet of the Apes
Film · 1973
The Stranger
Film · 1973
Hawkins
Series · 1973
The Magician
Series · 1973
The Man
Film · 1972
She Waits
Film · 1972
The Biscuit Eater
Film · 1972
Kung Fu
Series · 1972
The Streets of San Francisco
Series · 1972
Earth II
Film · 1971
Columbo
Series · 1971
McMillan & Wife
Series · 1971
Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law
Series · 1971
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
Series · 1970
The Interns
Series · 1970
San Francisco International Airport
Series · 1970
Marcus Welby, M.D.: A Matter of Humanities
Film · 1969
Hawaii Five-O
Series · 1969
Hawaii Five-O
Series · 1969
Hawaii Five-O
Series · 1969
Cocoon
Film · 1968
Here Come the Brides
Series · 1968
ABC Stage 67
Series · 1966
The F.B.I.
Series · 1965
The Big Valley
Series · 1965
The Big Valley
Series · 1965
The Carpetbaggers
Film · 1964
Slattery's People
Series · 1964
The Upper Chamber
Film · 1963
Kraft Suspense Theatre
Series · 1963
Advise & Consent
Film · 1962
The Virginian
Series · 1962
Saints and Sinners
Series · 1962
Bus Stop
Series · 1961
Ben Casey
Series · 1961
My Three Sons
Series · 1960
Route 66
Series · 1960
The Barbara Stanwyck Show
Series · 1960
Laramie
Series · 1959
The DuPont Show with June Allyson
Series · 1959
Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse
Series · 1958
One Against Many
Film · 1956
The Family Nobody Wanted
Film · 1956
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
Series · 1956
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
Series · 1956
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
Series · 1956
Gunsmoke
Series · 1955
Screen Director's Playhouse
Series · 1955
MGM Parade
Series · 1955
Climax!
Series · 1954
Donovan's Brain
Film · 1953
No Escape
Film · 1953
Omnibus
Series · 1952
Cavalcade of America
Series · 1952
New Mexico
Film · 1951
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Series · 1951
The Capture
Film · 1950
The Ken Murray Show
Series · 1950
Johnny Belinda
Film · 1948
The Unfaithful
Film · 1947
The Way of Peace
Film · 1947
The Dark Mirror
Film · 1946
Blow-Ups of 1946
Film · 1946
Fingers at the Window
Film · 1942
Dr. Kildare's Victory
Film · 1942
Dr. Kildare's Wedding Day
Film · 1941
The People Vs. Dr. Kildare
Film · 1941
Maisie Was a Lady
Film · 1941
Dr. Kildare Goes Home
Film · 1940
Dr. Kildare's Crisis
Film · 1940
Dr. Kildare's Strange Case
Film · 1940
The Golden Fleecing
Film · 1940
A New Romance of Celluloid: The Miracle of Sound
Film · 1940
Hollywood: Style Center of the World
Film · 1940
Calling Dr. Kildare
Film · 1939
The Secret of Dr. Kildare
Film · 1939
Broadway Serenade
Film · 1939
The Ice Follies of 1939
Film · 1939
These Glamour Girls
Film · 1939
Remember?
Film · 1939
From the Ends of the Earth
Film · 1939
Holiday
Film · 1938
Young Dr. Kildare
Film · 1938
King of the Newsboys
Film · 1938
Rich Man, Poor Girl
Film · 1938
Spring Madness
Film · 1938
Scandal Street
Film · 1938
The Crime Nobody Saw
Film · 1937
The Last Train from Madrid
Film · 1937
Hold 'Em Navy
Film · 1937
Shakedown
Film · 1936
Murder with Pictures
Film · 1936
Panic on the Air
Film · 1936
The Leathernecks Have Landed
Film · 1936
Lady Be Careful
Film · 1936
Spring Tonic
Film · 1935
The Lottery Lover
Film · 1935
Silk Hat Kid
Film · 1935
Cross Country Cruise
Film · 1934
She Learned About Sailors
Film · 1934
Servants' Entrance
Film · 1934
Let’s Be Ritzy
Film · 1934
State Fair
Film · 1933
Don't Bet on Love
Film · 1933
My Weakness
Film · 1933
Okay, America!
Film · 1932
The Impatient Maiden
Film · 1932
Night World
Film · 1932
The Cohens and Kellys in Hollywood
Film · 1932
Iron Man
Film · 1931
Up for Murder
Film · 1931
Heaven on Earth
Film · 1931
The Spirit of Notre Dame
Film · 1931
Many a Slip
Film · 1931
All Quiet on the Western Front
Film · 1930
The Doorway to Hell
Film · 1930
East Is West
Film · 1930
Common Clay
Film · 1930
The Kiss
Film · 1929
Big News
Film · 1929
The Sophomore
Film · 1929