Richard Egan | |
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Egan in 1949.
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Born |
San Francisco, California, U.S. |
July 29, 1921
Died | July 20, 1987 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
(aged 65)
Cause of death | Prostate cancer |
Resting place | Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1949-1987 |
Spouse(s) | Patricia Hardy (m. 1958; his death 1987) |
Children | 5 |
Richard Egan (July 29, 1921 - July 20, 1987) was an American actor. In some films he is credited as Richard Eagan. He was a Roman Catholic who helped others to convert.
Born and raised in San Francisco, California, Egan graduated from St. Ignatius College Preparatory. He served in the United States Army as a judo instructor during World War II. A graduate of the University of San Francisco (B.A., 1943) and Stanford University (M.A.), he studied and taught at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, for a time. Having studied theatre, he took a bit role in the 1949 Hollywood film The Story of Molly X.
This start would lead to his signing of a contract with 20th Century Fox where his talent, rugged physique, and good looks made him a favorite and respected leading man.
In 1956, he starred as Elvis Presley's older brother in Presley's first film, Love Me Tender, and in 1959 was the male lead opposite Dorothy McGuire in A Summer Place. He co-starred with Jane Russell in two of her last films, Underwater! and The Revolt of Mamie Stover.
In 1960, Egan appeared with Jane Wyman and Hayley Mills in Disney's Pollyanna. He also starred as Ahasuerus in Esther and the King. Other noteworthy films include Undercover Girl (1950), Split Second (1953), Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954), The View from Pompey's Head (1955), Slaughter on 10th Avenue (1957), Voice In The Mirror, about the man who started Alcoholics Anonymous, The 300 Spartans (1962), The Big Cube (1969), and Moonfire (1970).