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Lew Ayres 1908 - 1996

Lew Ayres was born on December 28, 1908 in Minneapolis, MN, and died at age 88 years old on December 30, 1996 in Los Angeles,, CA. Lew Ayres was buried at Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park 1218 Glendon Ave, in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County.

Lew Ayres
Lewis Frederick Ayer III
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December 28, 1908
Minneapolis, MN
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December 30, 1996
Los Angeles,, CA
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Lew Ayres Lew Ayres (1908 - 1996)
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Lew Ayres' History: 1908 - 1996

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  • Introduction

    Lew Ayres - Biography Born December 28, 1908 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA Died December 30, 1996 in Los Angeles, California, USA (complications from a coma) Birth Name Lewis Frederick Ayer III Height 5' 9½" (1.77 m) Mini Bio (1) Lew Ayres was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota and raised in San Diego, California. A college dropout, he was found by a talent scout in the Coconut Grove nightclub in Los Angeles and entered Hollywood as a bit player. He was leading man to Greta Garbo in The Kiss (1929), but it was the role of Paul Baumer in All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) that was his big break. He was profoundly affected by the anti-war message of that film, and when, in 1942, the popular star of Young Dr. Kildare (1938) and subsequent Dr. Kildare films was drafted, he was a conscientious objector. America was outraged, and theaters vowed never to show his films again, but quietly he achieved the Medical Corps status he had requested, serving as a medic under fire in the South Pacific and as a chaplain's aid in New Guinea and the Phillipines. His return to film after the war was undistinguished until Johnny Belinda (1948) - his role as the sympathetic physician treating the deaf-mute Jane Wyman won him an Academy Award nomination as Best Actor. Subsequent movie roles were scarce; an opportunity to play Dr. Kildare in television was aborted when the network refused to honor his request for no cigarette sponsorship. He continued to act, but in the 1970s put his long experience into a project to bring to the west the philosophy of the East - the resulting film, Altars of the World (1976), while not a box-office success, won critical acclaim and a Golden Globe Award. Lew Ayres died in Los Angeles, California on December 30, 1996, just two days after his 88th birthday. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Bruce Cameron Spouse (3) Diana Hall (7 February 1964 - 30 December 1996) ( his death) ( 1 child) Ginger Rogers (14 November 1934 - 20 March 1941) ( divorced) Lola Lane (15 September 1931 - 3 February 1933) ( divorced) Trivia (16) Died in his sleep after being in a coma for several days. Born at 12:15am-CST Following his death, he was interred next to Frank Zappa at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles, California. Zappa's grave is unmarked but to the right of Ayres. Had portrayed the title character for the syndicated radio show "The Story of Dr. Kildare" (1950-1951). Big Band musician before becoming an actor. His instruments were tenor banjo, long-neck banjo and guitar. Had one son with Diana Hall: Justin Ayres. As a child, he wanted to be a doctor. His wife, Diana Hall, is a former flight attendant. Biography in: "American National Biography". Supplement 1, pp. 22-23. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002. He was awarded 2 Stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Motion Pictures at 6385 Hollywood Boulevard; and for Radio at 1724 Vine Street in Hollywood, California. He was a conscientious objector during World War II, which made him rather unpopular at the studio. Had played the Vice-President of the United States twice (in Advise & Consent (1962) and The Man (1972)), the President twice (in Advise & Consent (1962) and Earth II (1971)), and the Galactic President (in Battlestar Galactica (1978)). Appears in three Best Picture Oscar nominees: All Quiet on the Western Front (1930), State Fair (1933) and Johnny Belinda (1948), with All Quiet on the Western Front the only winner. He was a lifelong conservative Republican. In 1960, MGM toyed with the idea of doing an all-male remake of 1939's The Women which would have been entitled, Gentlemen's Club. Like the female version, this would have involved an all masculine cast and the plot would have involved a man (Jeffrey Hunter) who recently discovers among his comrades that his wife is having an affair with another man (Earl Holliman) and after going to Reno to file for divorce and begin a new life, he later finds himself doing what he can to rectify matters later on when he discovers that the other man is only interested in money and position and he decides to win his true love back again. Although nothing ever came of this, it would have consisted of the following ensemble had it did: Jeffrey Hunter (Martin Heal), Earl Holliman (Christopher Allen), Tab Hunter (Simon Fowler), Lew Ayres (Count Vancott), Robert Wagner (Mitchell Aarons), James Garner (Peter Day), Jerry Mathers (Little Martin), James Stewart (Mr. Heal), Ronald Reagan (Larry), Troy Donahue (Norman Blake), and Stuart Whitman (Oliver, the bartender who spills the beans about the illicit affair). On August 28, 2018, he was honored with a day of his film work during the TCM Summer Under The Stars. Personal Quotes (5) To me, war was the greatest sin. I couldn't bring myself to kill other men. [on the closing scene in All Quiet on the Western Front, in 1984]: And everyone remembers that, they always say to me: "Oh, but I remember the butterfly scene!" I kind of analyzed why they remember that so well and it seemed to be that in a subliminal way, in a kind of another sense, the butterfly, which emerges from being only a caterpillar, is a little bit like - maybe they don't think that way - men reaching for his soul. I never had a great talent, but I suppose I must have had something to hang around for 50 years. I don't have any proclivity for acting. It was always difficult for me to learn my lines, which is something that should come easily to any actor. I considered myself a Hollywood success, but there was something wrong with that success. I had everything, yet I had nothing. I had my books, my home, my companions, my music. But somehow, I was lonely." I've always tried to make characters real and vulnerable. How I do this I'd be hard-pressed to say, but when you do achieve it, when you are totally credible, the audience can forget itself and live through you on the screen. An audience needs to forget itself, if only for a little while.
  • 12/28
    1908

    Birthday

    December 28, 1908
    Birthdate
    Minneapolis, MN
    Birthplace
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  • Early Life & Education

    Lewis Ayres was born in Minneapolis and went to high school in San Diego. At the University of Arizona, he studied medicine, a career that he later undertook with dedication on the screen. At Arizona, he also played in a university jazz band, and he continued as a musician in Los Angeles, where he was discovered by an agent who had seen him dancing with the actress Lily Damita. Within a year, he was playing Garbo's youthful lover.

  • Military Service

    In a case of life imitating art, Mr. Ayres was a conscientious objector during World War II and for that reason became a Hollywood outcast. Before the war, he had been one of the most popular leading men in the movies. But when he announced his pacifism, which had a religious basis, he was shunned by the studios, and in some cities exhibitors refused to show his movies. He said that to bear arms would cause him ''to live in a nightmare of hypocrisy.'' After two months in a labor camp, he entered the Army as a noncombatant, serving for three and a half years in the Medical Corps and winning three battle stars.

  • Professional Career

    In 1962, under the direction of Otto Preminger, he became President of the United States in the movie ''Advise and Consent.'' When the President (Franchot Tone) died, his Vice President (Mr. Ayres) was elevated to that office. For the director and the actor, there was a certain justice in that event. More than many actors, Mr. Ayres seemed to suffer from the moral judgments of the movie industry. He was discovered by an agent who had seen him dancing with the actress Lily Damita. Within a year, he was playing Garbo's youthful lover. Cast as Paul Baumer, the sensitive young soldier in Lewis Milestone's disturbing film version of Erich Maria Remarque's antiwar novel ''All Quiet on the Western Front,'' Mr. Ayres made a riveting impression on the moviegoing public. The scene on the battlefield in which he reaches for a butterfly remains one of the most heartbreaking in screen history. Was paired with Mae Clarke in three films: The Impatient Maiden (1932), Night World (1932) and, Silk Hat Kid (1935). She also starred in his only outing as a director, the civil war drama, Hearts in Bondage (1936). Co-starred with Lana Turner in three films: Rich Man, Poor Girl (1938), Calling Dr. Kildare (1939), and These Glamour Girls (1939). Appeared alongside Laraine Day in eight films: Calling Dr. Kildare (1939), The Secret of Dr. Kildare (1939), Dr. Kildare's Strange Case (1940), Dr. Kildare Goes Home (1940), Dr. Kildare's Crisis (1940), The People vs. Dr. Kildare (1941), Dr. Kildare's Wedding Day (1941), and Fingers at the Window (1942). Ayres and Maureen O'Sullivan appeared together in three movies - Okay America! (1932), Spring Madness (1938), and Maisie Was a Lady (1941). He and Janet Gaynor co-starred three times, in the films State Fair (1933), and Servants' Entrance (1934), and in a segment of the television series, The Love Boat: Doc's Dismissal/A Frugal Pair/The Girl Next Door (1981). He appeared with Anita Louise in two films - Heaven on Earth (1931), made at Universal and These Glamour Girls (1939) at MGM.

  • Personal Life & Family

    He was married to Ginger Rogers for seven years.
  • 12/30
    1996

    Death

    December 30, 1996
    Death date
    Unknown
    Cause of death
    Los Angeles,, CA
    Death location
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  • Gravesite & Burial

    mm/dd/yyyy
    Funeral date
    Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park 1218 Glendon Ave, in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California 90024, United States
    Burial location

  • Obituary

    Lew Ayres, Actor, Dies at 88; Conscience Bound His Career By Mel Gussow Jan. 1, 1997 Lew Ayres, the movie actor who skyrocketed to fame as a disillusioned German soldier in ''All Quiet on the Western Front'' in 1930 and was also celebrated for playing the title role in ''Young Dr. Kildare'' and the series of films that followed it, died on Monday in Los Angeles, where he lived. He was 88. In a case of life imitating art, Mr. Ayres was a conscientious objector during World War II and for that reason became a Hollywood outcast. Before the war, he had been one of the most popular leading men in the movies. But when he announced his pacifism, which had a religious basis, he was shunned by the studios, and in some cities exhibitors refused to show his movies. He said that to bear arms would cause him ''to live in a nightmare of hypocrisy.'' After two months in a labor camp, he entered the Army as a noncombatant, serving for three and a half years in the Medical Corps and winning three battle stars. After the war, he resumed his career and made scores of movies, but never reached the peak of his early Hollywood stardom. On screen and off, he projected a sincerity and strength of character, all of which suited him well, especially when he played doctors. He was also cast as a lawyer or journalist and occasionally played a gangster, but his archetypal role was as a wise and compassionate physician. In ''Donovan's Brain'' in 1953, he mixed two worlds: he was a doctor who was transformed into a fiend. He played opposite many of Hollywood's leading ladies, including Lana Turner, Laraine Day, Ann Sothern, Ann Sheridan and Alice Faye. On-screen he did not always marry his co-star, but off screen he married Ginger Rogers; they were later divorced. His first wife was the actress Lola Lane. He is survived by his third wife, Diana, and a son, Justin. In his career, which spanned more than 60 years, Mr. Ayres seesawed between stardom and character roles, and often seemed to be in a state of constant revival. There were many high points, beginning with his first major movie role in 1929, opposite Greta Garbo in ''The Kiss,'' and including a performance as the sweet-tempered alcoholic brother in Philip Barry's ''Holiday'' (1938), with Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn. For his role as a doctor in ''Johnny Belinda,'' he received an Academy Award nomination; Jane Wyman, who starred in the film, won an Oscar as best actress. Under the direction of Otto Preminger, he became President of the United States in the movie ''Advise and Consent.'' When the President (Franchot Tone) died, his Vice President (Mr. Ayres) was elevated to that office. For the director and the actor, there was a certain justice in that event. More than many actors, Mr. Ayres seemed to suffer from the moral judgments of the movie industry. Lewis Ayres was born in Minneapolis and went to high school in San Diego. At the University of Arizona, he studied medicine, a career that he later undertook with dedication on the screen. At Arizona, he also played in a university jazz band, and he continued as a musician in Los Angeles, where he was discovered by an agent who had seen him dancing with the actress Lily Damita. Within a year, he was playing Garbo's youthful lover. Cast as Paul Baumer, the sensitive young soldier in Lewis Milestone's disturbing film version of Erich Maria Remarque's antiwar novel ''All Quiet on the Western Front,'' Mr. Ayres made a riveting impression on the moviegoing public. The scene on the battlefield in which he reaches for a butterfly remains one of the most heartbreaking in screen history. Many of his subsequent films were lighter and far less demanding. In typical studio fashion, he simply went from movie to movie. In 1933, he was a newspaper reporter in ''State Fair'' and a plumber who bets on horses in ''Don't Bet on Love'' (with Miss Rogers). He also played opposite the English actress Lilian Harvey in the musical ''My Weakness.'' Though his movies were often minor, he seemed to approach them with ease. ''Young Dr. Kildare'' in 1938 was a popular breakthrough, followed by eight more Kildare films. In the first film, the young doctor turned his back on his father's small-town medical practice and became an intern in a large general hospital. Earnest Dr. Kildare came under the tutelage of the irascible Dr. Gillespie (Lionel Barrymore). Years later, television was periodically flooded with hospital dramas, from adaptations of ''Kildare'' and ''Ben Casey'' through ''St. Elsewhere'' and ''E.R.,'' but the big-screen ''Kildare'' was there first: unassuming but filled with expert medical knowledge. After the war, Mr. Ayres returned to the screen, playing, naturally, a doctor: opposite Olivia de Havilland in ''The Dark Mirror,'' directed by Robert Siodmak. He followed that with ''The Unfaithful'' (with Ann Sheridan and Zachary Scott) and ''Johnny Belinda,'' in which he played a doctor who teaches sign language to a deaf young woman (Miss Wyman). He left the screen in the 1950's to direct a religious documentary, ''Altars of the East,'' returning in 1962 at the request of Mr. Preminger. He continued acting for almost 30 years, appearing in, among other films, ''The Carpetbaggers,'' ''Battle for the Planet of the Apes'' and ''Battlestar Galactica.'' It was often suggested that as an actor he sacrificed his career for his principles. Once, thinking about the highs and lows, Mr. Ayres said, ''A fellow's never through till he quits trying.''
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13 Memories, Stories & Photos about Lew

Lew Ayres
Photo of Amanda S. Stevenson Amanda S. Stevenson
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Lew Ayres
Photo of Amanda S. Stevenson Amanda S. Stevenson
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12/28/2019
Lew Ayres
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Lew Ayres
Photo of Amanda S. Stevenson Amanda S. Stevenson
17.8k+ favorites
12/28/2019
Lew Ayres
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Lew Ayres
Photo of Amanda S. Stevenson Amanda S. Stevenson
17.8k+ favorites
12/28/2019
Lew Ayres
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Lew Ayres
Photo of Amanda S. Stevenson Amanda S. Stevenson
17.8k+ favorites
12/28/2019
Lew Ayres
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Lew Ayres
Photo of Amanda S. Stevenson Amanda S. Stevenson
17.8k+ favorites
12/28/2019
Lew Ayres
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Lew Ayres
Photo of Amanda S. Stevenson Amanda S. Stevenson
17.8k+ favorites
12/28/2019
Lew Ayres
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Lew Ayres
Photo of Amanda S. Stevenson Amanda S. Stevenson
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12/28/2019
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Other Biographies

Other Lew Ayres Biographies

Ayres, Lew (Jun 1, 1929 - Jan 20, 2013)
Ayres, Lew (May 29, 1923 - Nov 15, 1999)

Other Ayres Family Biographies

Ayres, Robert (Born Oct 5, 1874) Hubbs, Martha (Born Dec 21, 1872) Chandler, Mary Nancy (Born Aug 25, 1866) Ayres, Molly (Born Aug 25, 1866) Ayres, Mattie (Born Dec 21, 1872) Ayres, Martha Ann (Born Jan 1, 1840) Ayres, C Burgess (Feb 2, 1920 - Feb 12, 2000) Ayres, Edward (Feb 10, 1928 - Oct 11, 2001) Ayres, Marjorie (Mar 8, 1928 - Jun 24, 2005) Ayres, Douglas (Aug 17, 1934 - Mar 17, 1994)
Ayres, Kenneth (Jun 24, 1931 - Jun 27, 2001) Ayres, Vivian (Jul 12, 1912 - Mar 28, 2002) Ayres, Henry (Apr 23, 1886 - Jan 9, 1979) Ayres, Cora (Dec 15, 1868 - Dec 1969) Ayres, Evelyn (Feb 10, 1914 - Sep 1978) Ayres, Leonard (Jun 14, 1919 - Nov 7, 2005) Ayres, Elizabeth (Jun 4, 1929 - Jul 21, 2009) Ayres, Kenneth (Apr 28, 1912 - Nov 1983) Ayres, Edward (Dec 15, 1910 - Dec 1980) Ayres, Robert (Sep 30, 1905 - Feb 1976)
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