John Payne (actor)

John Payne (May 28, 1912 - December 6, 1989) was an American movie actor who is mainly remembered as a singer in 20th Century-Fox film musicals and his leading role in Miracle on 34th Street. Payne was born in Roanoke, Virginia. Payne's mother, Ida Hope Shaeffer, graduated from the Virginia Seminary in Roanoke and became the bride of George Washington Payne, a developer of Roanoke. They lived at Ft Lewis, an antbellum mansion that became a state historical property. It burned to the ground in the late fifties. Payne went to Roanoke College then enrolled at Columbia University in the fall of 1930. He studied drama at Columbia and voice at Juilliard. To support himself, he took on a variety of odd jobs, including wrestling and singing in vaudeville. In 1934, he was spotted by a talent scout for the Shubert theaters and was given a job as a stock player. He toured with several Shubert Brothers shows, and frequently sang on New York-based radio programs. In 1936, Payne was offered a contract by Samuel Goldwyn, and he left New York for Hollywood. He worked for various studios until 1940, when he signed with 20th-Century Fox. Fox made him a star, in 1940s musicals like Tin Pan Alley (1940), Sun Valley Serenade (1941), and Weekend in Havana (1941). A highlight during this period was co-starring with Gene Tierney and Tyrone Power in The Razor's Edge (1946). Later in his career he changed his image and began playing tough-guy roles in Hollywood films noir and westerns including 99 River Street (1953), Silver Lode (1954), Tennessee's Partner (1955), Slightly Scarlet (1956), and Kansas City Confidential (1952). Payne's most popular role may be that of attorney Fred Gailey in Miracle on 34th Street (1947). It is almost certainly his most visible role, as it typically receives frequent airplay during the Christmas season. Payne also starred in a television western series, The Restless Gun (1957-59). In 1955, he paid a $1,000-a-month option for nine months on the Ian Fleming James Bond novel Moonraker (he eventually gave up the option when he learned he could not retain the rights for the entire book series). In May 1961, he suffered extensive, life-threatening injuries when struck by a car in New York City. His recovery took two years. In his later roles, facial scars from the accident can be detected in close-ups; he chose not to have them removed. One of Payne's first public appearances during this period was as a guest panelist on What's My Line, the popular CBS-TV game show. Dorothy Kilgallen and the other panelists on the episode congratulated Payne on his recovery and wished him well. (Source: Game Show Network rebroadcast, February 8, 2006). He directed one of his last films, They Ran for Their Lives (1968). He also appeared in one of his last films, co-starring with Peter Falk and Janet Leigh in Columbo: Forgotten Lady (1975). Later in life, Payne became wealthy through real estate investments in Southern California. Payne was married to actress Anne Shirley from 1938 to 1942; they had a daughter, Julie Anne Payne. He then married actress Gloria DeHaven in 1944; the union produced two children, Kathleen Hope Payne and Thomas John Payne. This marriage ended in 1949. Payne married Alexandra Beryl Curtis in 1953. He was the father-in-law of writer-director Robert Towne. Payne died in Malibu, California of congestive heart failure, aged 77. He has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Filmography

References

• ^1. TV Tome What's My Line? - EPISODE #591 summary
• ^2. John Payne at Brian's Drive-In Theater (website)

External links

• John Payne at the Internet Movie Database
• John Payne in Lux Radio Theater: Miracle on 34th Street (1948) (Downloadable mp3 and streaming audio)