Cornelius Louis Wilde (October 13, 1915 – October 16, 1989) was an American actor. He was born in Prievidza, Hungary -- in an area which later became Czechoslovakia and even later Slovakia -- as Kornel Weisz to Hungarian Jewish parents Béla Weisz and Renée Vojtech. He immigrated to the United States with his family, which included an older sister Edith, in 1920. A talented linguist, and astute mimic, he had an ear for languages which became apparent later in his acting career. He qualified for the United States fencing team prior to the 1936 Summer Olympic Games, but quit the team just prior to the games saying that it was in order to take a role in the theater. As a Hungarian Jew, he may also have felt it risky to return to Nazi Germany for the sake of the Olympics. Hired as a fencing teacher by Laurence Olivier for his 1940 Broadway production of Romeo and Juliet, Wilde was given the role of Tybalt in the production. Because of this role, he was noticed by Hollywood. He was married to actress Jean Wallace from 1951 to 1981. Wallace, formerly married to actor Franchot Tone, co-starred with Wilde in several films including The Big Combo (1955) and Sword of Lancelot (1963). They divorced in 1981.
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Life and work
Wilde entered Columbia College of Columbia University as a member of the Class of 1933 but dropped out after his freshman year. He had several small film roles until he played the role of Frédéric Chopin in 1945's A Song to Remember, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award. He spent the rest of the decade appearing in romantic and swashbuckling films, but he also appeared in some significant films noir, opposite Gene Tierney in Leave Her to Heaven (1945), Road House (1948) and Shockproof (1949). Wilde's career entered an interesting creative stretch when in the 1950s he created his own film production company, produced the film noir The Big Combo (1955), and played the male lead alongside wife Jean Wallace. In 1957, he played the role of the 13th century Persian poet Omar Khayyam in the film Omar Khayyam. He produced, directed, and starred in The Naked Prey (1966), in which he played a naked man being tracked by hunters from an African tribe affronted by the behaviour of members of a safari party. The original script for The Naked Prey was largely based on a true historical incident about a trapper named John Colter being pursued by Blackfoot Indians in Wyoming. Lower shooting costs, tax breaks, and material and logistical assistance offered by South Africa convinced Wilde and the other producers to shoot the film there.[1] Wilde's other notable directing efforts include Beach Red (1967) and No Blade of Grass (1970). Wilde died of leukemia three days after his 74th birthday.
Epilogue
Wilde is interred in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Westwood, California. Wilde has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1635 Vine Street.
Trivia
- Wilde played in the I Love Lucy episode "The Star Upstairs" in which Lucy is staying in Hollywood when she hears that Wilde is staying in her hotel. She goads Bobby the Bellboy (played by Bob Jellison) to give her access to his room.
References
- ^ Internet Movie Database. Trivia for The Naked Prey (1966) Obtained Nov. 28, 2006.
