Profile of Sterling Hayden on Famous Like Me

Sterling Hayden (March 26, 1916 - May 23, 1986) was an American actor. For most of his career as a leading man, he specialized in westerns and film noir. He is most noted for his appearance as Gen. Jack D. Ripper in Dr. Strangelove (1964). He also played the Irish policeman, Captain McCluskey, who was gunned down by Al Pacino, in Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather in 1972.

Born in Upper Montclair, New Jersey, Hayden's parents were George and Frances Walter, who named him Sterling Relyea Walter. After his father died, he was adopted at the age of nine by James Hayden and renamed Sterling Walter Hayden. As a child, he lived in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., and Maine, where he attended Wassookeag School in Dexter, Maine.

Hayden was a genuine adventurer and man of action, not dissimilar from many of his movie parts. He ran away to sea at 17, as a ship's boy, then later was a fisherman on the Grand Banks. After serving as sailor and fireman on larger vessels, he was awarded his first command at 19, and sailed around the world several times.

He became a print model and eventually was signed to a contract with Paramount Studios, who dubbed the 6' 5" (1.96 m) actor The Most Beautiful Man in the Movies and The Beautiful Blond Viking God. His first film role starred Madeleine Carroll, with whom he fell in love and married. After only two film roles, however, he left Hollywood to serve as an undercover agent with William J. Donovan's COI office and remained after it became the OSS. He also joined the Marines under the name John Hamilton. His World War II service included running guns through German lines to the Yugoslav partisans and parachuting into fascist Croatia. He won the Silver Star and a commendation from Yugoslavia's Marshal Tito.

His admiration for the Communist partisans led to a brief involvement with the Communist Party. According to his IMDB biography, "As Red Scare deepens in U.S., he cooperated with the House Un-American Activities Committee, confessing his brief Communist ties and "naming names". Forever after he claimed he regretted this action, holding himself in enormous contempt for what he considered 'ratting'".

He professed distaste for film acting, claiming that he did it mainly to pay for his sailing vessels. He defied a court order once and sailed to Tahiti with his children following a divorce. He wrote his autobiography Wanderer in 1963 and an adventure novel of the tall ships, Voyage: A Novel of 1896 in 1976. Both books were well received. He died of cancer in 1986 at the age of 70.

Filmography

He appeared in many films, among them:

• The Blue and the Gray TV Series (mini) (1982)
• Venom (1982)
• Gas (1981)
• The Starlost: The Beginning TV (1980)
• Nine to Five (1980)
• The Outsider (1979)
• Winter Kills (1979)
• King of the Gypsies (1978)
• 1900 (1976)
• Cipolla Colt (1975)
• Is It Any Wonder? (1975)
• Deadly Strangers (1974)
• The Final Programme (1973)
• The Long Goodbye (1973)
• Le Grand départ (1972)
• The Godfather (1972)
• Le Saut de l'ange (1971)
• Loving (1970)
• Ternos Cacadores (1969)
• Hard Contract (1969)
• Carol for Another Christmas TV (1964)
• Dr. Strangelove (1964)
• Terror in a Texas Town (1958)
• Ten Days to Tulara (1958)
• Zero Hour!(1957)
• Gun Battle at Monterey (1957)
• 5 Steps to Danger (1957)
• Crime of Passion (1957)
• The Killing (1956)
• The Come On (1956)
• The Last Command (1955), playing Jim Bowie
• The Eternal Sea (1955)
• Shotgun (1955)
• Timberjack (1955)
• Suddenly (1954)
• Naked Alibi (1954)
• Johnny Guitar (1954), title role
• Arrow In the Dust (1954)
• Prince Valiant (1954)
• Crime Wave also called The City is Dark, (1954)
• Fighter Attack (1953)
• The Golden Hawk (1952)
• Hellgate (1952)
• Denver and Rio Grande (1952)
• Flaming Feather (1952)
• The Asphalt Jungle (1950)
• El Paso (1949)
• Blaze of Noon (1947)
• Virginia (1941)

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