Gary Merrill

He died of lung cancer at Falmouth, Maine. He made only two more films before retiring permanently. Merrill was married twice, first to Barbara Leeds and then to Bette Davis. Following his admission before the House Un-American Activities Committee, Columbia Pictures dropped him. His television career was equally routine: None of his series (which included Then Came Bronson and Young Doctor Kildare) lasted more than a season. Following his Oscar nomination, he made a few more movies that did little in the box office, until he appeared in the sequel, Jolson Sings Again in 1949, which was another hit. His film career began promisingly, with roles in films like Twelve O'Clock High (1949) and All About Eve (1950), but the bulk of his screen appearances were as second- or third-billed characters in formulaic Westerns, war movies, and medical dramas. He made several forgettable films untl he won the role of Al Jolson in the 1946 biographical film The Jolson Story, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor.

Born in Hartford, Connecticut, he began acting in 1944, while still in the United States Army. Having attended the University of Illinois, Parks played in stock companies for several years before signing a Hollywood contract in 1941. film and television actor whose credits included more than fifty feature films, a half-dozen mostly short-lived TV series, and dozens of TV guest appearances. Born Samuel Lawrence Klausman Parks in Olathe, Kansas, his career was virtually ended when he admitted in 1951 to having been a member of a Communist party cell. S. Larry Parks (December 13, 1914 - April 13, 1975) was an American actor. Gary Merrill (August 2, 1915 - March 5, 1990) was a U.