Stuart Maxwell Whitman (February 1, 1928 – March 16, 2020) was an American actor, known for his lengthy career in film and television. Whitman was born in San Francisco and raised in New York until the age of 12, when his family relocated to Los Angeles. In 1948, Whitman was discharged from the United States Army Corps of Engineers and started to study acting and appear in plays. From 1951 to 1957, Whitman had a streak working in mostly bit parts in films, including When Worlds Collide (1951), The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), Barbed Wire (1952) and The Man from the Alamo (1952). On television, Whitman guest-starred in series such as Dr. Christian, The Roy Rogers Show, and Death Valley Days, and also had a recurring role on Highway Patrol. Whitman's first lead role was in John H. Auer's Johnny Trouble (1957).
In the late 1950s, 20th Century Fox was on a drive to develop new talent, hence Whitman was signed to the star-building program. Whitman, now in the lead cast, acted in Darby's Rangers (1958), China Doll (1958), Ten North Frederick (1958), The Decks Ran Red (1958), Hound-Dog Man (1959), These Thousand Hills (1959), The Story of Ruth (1960), Murder, Inc. (1960), The Comancheros (1961), and The Mark (1961), the latter of which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor.
Some of Whitman's subsequent roles included The Longest Day (1962), The Day and the Hour (1962), Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines (1965), Cimarron Strip (1967), and Night of the Lepus (1972). Whitman also acted regularly on television, with credits including Have Gun – Will Travel, The Streets of San Francisco, Love, American Style, Quincy, M.E., The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries, The Pirate, Condominium, Knight Rider, Matt Houston, A-Team, S.W.A.T., Fantasy Island, Murder, She Wrote, Once Upon a Texas Train, Knots Landing, The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. and Walker, Texas Ranger. From 1988 to 1992, he acted as Jonathan Kent on the TV series Superboy. He was seen in projects until 2000, after which he was reported to be retired, and died in 2020.
Early life Stuart Maxwell Whitman was born on February 1, 1928, in San Francisco, California, the elder of two sons of Cecilia (née Gold) and Joseph Whitman. His family was Jewish. His mother was a Russian Jewish immigrant, while his paternal grandparents were Polish Jews. However, in the 1950s, Whitman described himself to Hedda Hopper as "a real American – have a little bit of English, Irish, Scotch, and Russian – so I get along with everyone."
Whitman was interested in acting from the age of five. His father at the time was working as a ticket collector at Tammany Hall, and he would sometimes be allowed to watch plays. His parents had married in their teens and traveled frequently during his childhood – his father became a lawyer who moved into property development. Whitman started his education in New York, in Manhattan and Poughkeepsie. "I went to so many schools—26 in all!—that I was always an outsider," he later recalled. "It wasn't until high school that I could really read ... I always sat in the back of the room." Whitman's early love for acting came through when he did three summer stock plays in New York when he was 12, but "nobody took that seriously," he said.
His uncle thought he had potential as a boxer, and secretly trained him. When World War II broke out, Joseph Whitman moved to Los Angeles to run oil-cracking plants for the government. His family settled in Los Angeles, and Whitman graduated from Hollywood High School in 1945.
After school, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and served in the Corps of Engineers for three years at Fort Lewis, Washington. During this time, he occasionally boxed, winning 31 of his 32 bouts. Whitman was a lightweight boxer for the Army during his tenure. The boxing match for which he was most known was one where he had a difficult time against U.S. Army boxer Denny Dennison (né Archibald Dennison Scott III), against whom he had boxed at Hollywood High School. Denny, who had entered active duty in January 1944, after five months of the delayed-entry program, had defeated his third opponent, considered his toughest matchup. Whitman was honorably discharged from the Army in 1948, while his close friend, Scott, completed officer candidate school the following year, ending his service with the rank of colonel.
Whitman originally intended to follow his father into law and used the G.I. Bill to enroll in Los Angeles City College. He minored in drama. During his first year, he "figured that law was a real bore", and began to develop ambitions to be an actor.
"I reached a point where I said, 'What are you going to do with your life? You got to get something going'", he said. "I decided I wanted to spend most of my time on me. So I decided to develop me and educate me." "My father wanted me to join his law firm and dabble in real estate on the side," recalled Whitman. "There was a family row about boxing, but nothing like the battle when I told my father I was going to be an actor. He said, 'If that's the case, you're on your own.' No money from him. And he kept his word."
His father did sell Whitman a bulldozer, which his son used to support himself in college. Whitman would hire it (and himself) out to others to clear lots, uproot trees, and level off rugged terrain. This work earned him up to $100 a day. He and his father later went into real estate development together, purchasing various lots in and around Los Angeles.
Whitman joined the Michael Chekhov Stage Society, and studied with them at night for four years. He was considering a career in professional football, but injured his leg at college. He joined the Ben Bard Drama School in Hollywood, and debuted in the school's production of Here Comes Mr Jordan, which ran for six months.
Career 1951–1957: Early roles and first leads Whitman was spotted by a talent scout while at City College. He made his screen debut, credited as Kip Whitman, in a bit part in Rudolph Maté's When Worlds Collide, which was released in November 1951. He followed this with another small part, using the same pseudonym, in Robert Wise's The Day the Earth Stood Still, released in September of that same year.
In 1952, Whitman continued playing small roles, starting with George Archainbaud's Barbed Wire, released in July, and Tay Garnett's One Minute to Zero, released in August. In December 1952, he signed a contract with Universal, which put him in Douglas Sirk's All I Desire, released in July 1953, and Jesse Hibbs's The All American, released in October.
Whitman was still cast in small parts in features premiering in 1953. This began with Budd Boetticher's The Man from the Alamo, released in August. Following this was Jacques Tourneur's Appointment in Honduras, which premiered on October 16. The next was George Sherman's The Veils of Bagdad, in November. Finally, Lloyd Bacon's Walking My Baby Back Home started its theatrical run in December.
In 1954, Whitman continued to be seen in minor film roles. First was Charles Vidor's Rhapsody at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), on April 16. On May 14, it was Andrew Marton's Prisoner of War, followed in June by Allan Dwan's Silver Lode. On July 25, it was Lesley Selander's Return from the Sea. Premiering on October 6 was Passion. He then appeared in Brigadoon on October 22. He starred on stage in Christopher Fry's Venus Observed at the Coast Theatre in 1954. On television, Whitman acted in episodes of Dr. Christian, The Roy Rogers Show, and Death Valley Days.
On July 1, 1955, Whitman appeared as a man on the beach in Curtis Bernhardt's Interrupted Melody. Also that year, Whitman had a minor role in the serial King of the Carnival.
In 1956, Whitman continued with the same types of roles, starting with Allan Dwan's Hold Back the Night on July 29, followed by Budd Boetticher's Seven Men from Now on August 4. Another acting credit was the Republic Pictures film Diane.
Starting that year, he began a recurring role as Sgt. Walters on the television series Highway Patrol, appearing in a total of sixteen episodes. Whitman explained that, at the time, he was working part-time in a slaughterhouse, and when he got the role, he and its star Broderick Crawford got along immediately and became friends. From that point on, whenever Whitman was low on cash, he would call Crawford who would gladly invite him to appear in another episode, on the premise that he could drink while Whitman handled most of the dialogue.
In 1957, Whitman's film roles gradually grew in size with the following films: Gerd Oswald's Crime of Passion, which opened in February, and Reginald LeBorg's War Drums, in April. On September 21, Whitman had his first leading role in John H. Auer's Johnny Trouble, produced by John Carroll, who had Whitman under contract for one film a year for seven years; the Los Angeles Times said he "reminds of both Robert Ryan and James Dean." In October, he appeared in two releases: Hell Bound and Howard W. Koch's The Girl in Black Stockings. On November 30, it was Gordon Douglas' Bombers B-52.
Early prominent roles in 1957 were in the syndicated military dramas Harbor Command, about the United States Coast Guard, and The Silent Service, based on true stories of the submarine service of the United States Navy. Around that time, Whitman acted in "Until the Man Dies", episode 16 of the first season of Zane Grey Theater.
1958–1961: Success on and off the screen
By this time, Whitman's side career as a real estate developer was thriving. He developed hundreds of acres in such places as Anaheim, Benedict Canyon, and Panorama City, often in partnership with his father. "Because of it, I've never worked as an extra," he said in 1958. "I've never accepted a part that I wouldn't have thought advanced my career. I've never taken an acting job, in movies or TV, which paid less than $250 a week."
In the late 1950s, 20th Century Fox was on a drive to develop new talent. Head of production Buddy Adler said, "We must bring young people back into film theatres and the best way is to develop young stars as a magnet. While stories have become more important than ever, we must seek our fresh, youthful talent to perform in them." Whitman was one of a number of new names signed to Fox by Adler as part of a $3–4 million star-building program. Whitman's contract was for seven years.
In January 1958, William A. Wellman's Darby's Rangers premiered. During the film's production, roles fluctuated: the lead, Charlton Heston, left the film and James Garner was given the lead, while Whitman wound up with Garner's original role, which dominated the first half of the picture then barely appeared in the second half. Whitman was one of several actors who tested for the role of Bart MaverickGarner, James & Winokur, Jon. The Garner Files: A Memoir, p. 55. Simon & Schuster, October 23, 2012. In March 1958, the contract with FOX became exclusive.PARAMOUNT GOING ABROAD FOR MUSIC: Film Score Will Be Recorded Elsewhere Because of Strike, The New York Times, March 6, 1958: p. 31. In June, production of Richard Fleischer's These Thousand Hills began. In May, Ten North Frederick began its theatrical run. Whitman later said he did this to get a choice small part and "many good things came from that". In August, Whitman appeared in China Doll.
In October, MGM's production of Andrew L. Stone's The Decks Ran Red, in which he was cast, was released. According to Whitman, he helped with the signing of his friend Broderick Crawford, promising the studio that Crawford would stay sober throughout the shoot. Crawford was hired and maintained his promise.