George Macready was one of the screen's most sophisticated villains,
suave, debonair and malicious but in a classy way. Tall and steely eyed,
he was always well-groomed, his white hair shining, a smirkish smile, a
small scar on his face, he had a refined air about him. He was born in Providence,
Rhode Island on August 29, 1899 (some reports say 1908), he attended Brown
University, studied Greek, math and became a journalist for the New York
Daily News. He was persuaded by famed director Richard Boleslawski to try
acting. He trained under Boleslawski and then joined the Jesse Bonstell
Theatre in Detroit before making his Broadway debut in 1926. His film debut
followed his success on Broadway in 1943. His film credits include: "Commandos
Strike at Dawn" (1943) as Schoolteacher, his film debut; "The
Seventh Cross" (1944) as Bruno Sauer, a memorable role; "Follow
the Boys" (1944) as Walter Bruce; "The Story of Dr. Wassell"
(1944) with Gary Cooper, as Capt. Balen; "Wilson" (1944) as McCoombs;
"I Love a Mystery" (1945) as Jefferson Monk; "The Fighting
Guardsman" (1945) as Gaston de Montrevel; "Counter-Attack"
(1945) as Col. Semenov; "A Song to Remember" (1945) as Alfred
DeMussett; "The Man Who Dared" (1946) as Don Wayne; "The
Bandit of Sherwood Forest" (1946) as Fitz-Herbert; "Gilda"
(1946) with Rita Hayworth, as Ballin Mundson; "The Swordsman"
(1948) as Robert Glowan; "The Black Arrow" (1948) as Sir Daniel
Brackley; "The Doolins of Oklahoma" (1949) as Sam Hughes; "Knock
on Any Door" (1949) as DA Kerman; "Johnny Allegro" (1949)
as Morgan Vallin; "Alias Nick Beal" (1949) as Rev. Thomas Garfield;
"The Nevadan" (1950) as Edward Galt; "The Desert Hawk"
(1950) as Prince Murad; "Detective Story" (1951) as Karl Schneider;
"The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel" (1951) with James Mason,
as Gen. Fritz Bayerlein; "Tarzan's Peril" (1951) with Lex Barker,
as Radijeck; "The Stranger Wore a Gun" (1953) as Jules Mourret;
"Julius Caesar" (1953) as Marullus; "Vera Cruz" (1954)
as Emperor Maximillian; "A Kiss Before Dying" (1956) as Leo Kingship;
"Paths of Glory" (1957) as Gen. Mireau, perhaps his best role
as a malevolent military leader; "Jet Over the Atlantic" (1959)
as Lord Robert Leverett; "Two Weeks in Another Town" (1962) as
Lew Jordan; "Taras Bulba" (1962) as Governor; "Seven Days
in May" (1964) with Kirk Douglas, as Christopher Todd, another fine
role; "Where Love Has Gone" (1964) as Gordon Harris; "The
Great Race" (1965) with Jack Lemmon & Tony Curtis, as Gen. Kuhster;
"Tora! Tora! Tora!" (1970) as Sec. of State Cordell Hull and "The
Return of Count Yorga" (1971) as Prof. Rightstat, his last film. On
TV he was a regular on the series: "Peyton Place" (1965-68) as
Martin Peyton. He also appeared in TV movies including: "The Three
Musketeers" (1960); "Memorandum for a Spy" (1965); "The
Young Lawyers" (1969) and "Night Gallery" (1969). He also
guest starred on the TV series: "Alfred Hitchcock Presents"; "The
Rifleman"; "Gunsmoke"; "Perry Mason"; "Wanted:
Dead or Alive"; "Thriller"; "Twilight Zone" and
"The Man from U.N.C.L.E." He was married to Elizabeth Dana and
they had three children: Michael, Lisa and Marcia. They were divorced in
1942. He died of emphysema on July 2, 1973 in Hollywood, California at age
73.
