| Tom Drake | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Alfred Alderdice |
| Born | August 5, 1918 Brooklyn, New York, USA |
| Died | August 11, 1982, age 64 Torrance, California, USA |
- For the American baseball player, see Tom Drake (baseball player).
Tom Drake (August 5, 1918 - August 11, 1982), born Thomas William Drake in Brooklyn, New York, was an American actor. Drake made films starting in 1940 and continuing until the mid-1970s, and also made TV acting appearances. He was excused from serving in World War II due to heart problems. Despite this limitation, he did act in British Naval training films in WWII. He got his break after starring in the 1938 Broadway smash Janie, after which he was signed to a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. After a number of films, he co-starred in Meet Me In St. Louis (1944) with Judy Garland, as John Truitt, the boy next door she is set on meeting. Although he made forty more films he never had another such high-profile success, although he did play Richard Rodgers -- the composer of Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific, and The Sound of Music -- in Words and Music (1948) with Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, Cyd Charisse, June Allyson, and Lena Horne. He had roles in TV drama series in almost every year from 1950 onwards, and sometimes in several a year while still making movies.
External links
- Tom Drake at the Internet Movie Database
