Leon Ames


Leon Ames was an American film and television actor. He is best remembered for playing father figures in such films as Meet Me in St. Louis, Little Women, On Moonlight Bay, and By the Light of the Silvery Moon. His best-known dramatic role may have been in the crime film The Postman Always Rings Twice.

Early years

Leon Ames was born Harry Leon Wycoff on January 20, 1902, in Portland, Indiana, to Charles Elmer Wycoff and Cora Alice Wycoff. Some sources list his original last name as Wykoff or Waycoff, and in his early films, he acted under the name of Leon Waycoff. In 1935 Ames explained that he had changed his name because Waycoff was often misspelled and mispronounced. Ames was his mother's maiden name.
In the 1910 census, when his family was residing in Fowler, Indiana, Ames' name was given as Harry L. Wycoff and his father was listed as a manager of a meat market. During World War I, Ames served in the field artillery of the U.S. Army and later in the flying corps.

Stage

Ames' involvement with entertainment began when he worked as a stage manager for the Charles K. Champlin Theatre Company. He ventured into acting with the group and progressed to the lead in a production of Tomorrow and Tomorrow in Los Angeles. He acted for three years with the Stuart Walker Stock Company in Cincinnati.
Ames debuted on Broadway in It Pays to Sin. His other Broadway credits include Howie, Winesburg, Ohio,, Slightly Married, The Russian People, Little Darling, Guest in the House, The Land Is Bright, The Male Animal, Thirsty Soil, A House in the Country, and Bright Honor.

Film

Ames made his film debut in Quick Millions in 1931. During the 1940s, he was under contract to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Among his important roles at MGM was his portrayal of Mr. Smith in the studio's 1944 hit film Meet Me in St. Louis.
Ames was also featured in The Postman Always Rings Twice, portraying district attorney Kyle Sackett. He appeared in the Doris Day-Gordon MacRae film On Moonlight Bay, its sequel By the Light of the Silvery Moon, Peyton Place, and From the Terrace.
In the 1961 Walt Disney comedy The Absent-Minded Professor, Ames played college president Rufus Daggett. He reprised the role in the film's 1963 sequel, Son of Flubber. In 1970 he was cast as Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox in the action war film Tora! Tora! Tora! His last screen role occurred in Peggy Sue Got Married, playing the grandfather of Kathleen Turner's character.

Radio and television

Ames' first radio broadcast was in January 1942 on Grand Central Station.
Ames' television roles included leads in the adaptations of Life with Father and Father of the Bride. His role in Father of the Bride was soon expanded because he had become the series' dominant character. Ames played the G.P. Doctor, on the series "My Three Sons", as titled "Dr. Osborne, M.D." Season 9, Episode 14, in 1968, when Katie and Robbie were deciding on a doctor to care for her during her pregnancy; Dr. Osborne had a call from the hospital stating he had an expectant mother awaiting him as he was checking in on Katie at the Douglas home. They decided Dr. Osborne was the best for their first child.
Ames had the title role of judge John Cooper in the syndicated series Frontier Judge and played Howard McMann on Bewitched. He joined the cast of Mister Ed as a neighbor, following the death of actor Larry Keating. Ames also appeared in episodes of the NBC anthology series The Barbara Stanwyck Show and on the short-lived CBS legal drama Storefront Lawyers. He played a grandfather in the 1975 The Jeffersons episode “Jenny’s Grandparents”.

Other professional activities

Ames was a founder of the Screen Actors Guild in 1933, and he served as its president in 1957. During the 1960s, Ames owned several Ford dealerships in California.

Personal life

Ames was the father of Robert Fletcher, who was left with his mother when she and Ames split up in 1923.
Ames wed actress Christine Gossett in 1938. The couple had a daughter, Shelley, and a son, Leon. Christine retired early from acting to raise their family. They remained married until Ames' death in 1993.
Ames supported Barry Goldwater in the 1964 United States presidential election.

Kidnapping

On February 12, 1964, Ames and his wife were held hostage in their home by an intruder who demanded $50,000 before he would free them. Ames called his business partner, who obtained the money from a bank and delivered it to the house as instructed. After inspecting the cash, the kidnapper left Ames in the house, bound with tape, and instructed Mrs. Ames to drive him in the couple's car. He also forced both the business partner and a guest in the Ames house into the trunk. Eventually, police surrounded the car and freed the hostages.

Death

On October 12, 1993, Ames died at the age of 91 in Laguna Beach, California, of complications after suffering a stroke. His gravesite is at Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles.

Recognition

In 1980, after 50 years in show business, Ames received the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award.

Filmography

  • Quick Millions as Hood
  • Cannonball Express as Jack Logan
  • Murders in the Rue Morgue as Pierre Dupin
  • Stowaway as Tommy
  • State's Attorney as First Trial Prosecutor
  • The Famous Ferguson Case as Judd Brooks
  • Thirteen Women
  • A Successful Calamity as Barney Davis - Witon's Junior Associate
  • That's My Boy as Al Williams
  • Uptown New York as Max Silver
  • Silver Dollar as Yates' Secretary
  • Parachute Jumper as Pilot with Alabama
  • Forgotten as Louie Strauss
  • Alimony Madness as John Thurman
  • The Man Who Dared as
  • Ship of Wanted Men as Capt. John Holden
  • Only Yesterday as Lee
  • The Crosby Case as Clifford Mulford
  • I'll Tell the World as Spud Marshall
  • Now I'll Tell as Max
  • The Count of Monte Cristo as Beauchamp
  • Mutiny Ahead as McMurtrie
  • Rescue Squad as Lester Vaughn
  • Reckless as Ralph Watson
  • Strangers All as Frank Walker
  • Get That Man as Don Clayton / McDonald
  • Death in the Air as Carl Goering
  • Song of Revolt as Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle
  • Soak the Poor as Special Investigator Stanton
  • Charlie Chan on Broadway as Buzz Moran
  • Dangerously Yours as Phil
  • Murder in Greenwich Village as Rodney Hunter
  • 45 Fathers as Vincent
  • The Spy Ring as Frank Denton
  • International Settlement as Monte Silvers
  • Walking Down Broadway as Frank Gatty
  • Bluebeard's Eighth Wife as Ex-Chauffeur
  • Island in the Sky as Marty Butler
  • Come On, Leathernecks! as Otto Wagner / Baroni
  • Mysterious Mr. Moto as Paul Brissac
  • Suez as Napoleon III - Emperor of France
  • Cipher Bureau as Maj. Philip Waring
  • Strange Faces as Joe Gurney
  • Secrets of a Nurse as Joe Largo
  • Mr. Sheldon Goes to Town as Salesman
  • Risky Business as Hinge Jackson
  • Blackwell's Island as County Prosecutor Ballinger
  • I Was a Convict as Jackson
  • Panama Patrol as Maj. Phillip Waring
  • Mr. Moto in Danger Island as Commissioner Madero
  • Code of the Streets as "Chick" Foster
  • Man of Conquest as John Hoskins
  • Help Wanted as J. T. Evans - Labor Commissioner
  • Fugitive at Large as Carter
  • Thunder Afloat as Recruiting Officer
  • Calling All Marines as Murdock
  • Pack Up Your Troubles as Adjutant
  • The Marshal of Mesa City as Sheriff Jud Cronin
  • Legion of Lost Flyers as Smythe
  • East Side Kids as Pat O'Day
  • No Greater Sin as Dr. Edward Cavanaugh
  • Ellery Queen and the Murder Ring as John Stack
  • Crime Doctor as William Wheeler
  • The Iron Major as Robert 'Bob' Stewart
  • Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo as Lieut. Jurika
  • The Thin Man Goes Home as Edgar Draque
  • Meet Me in St. Louis as Mr. Alonzo Smith
  • Between Two Women as Mr. Masters
  • Fall Guy as Floyd Parkson
  • Son of Lassie as Anton
  • Anchors Aweigh as Admiral's Aide
  • Week-End at the Waldorf as Henry Burton
  • Yolanda and the Thief as Mr. Candle
  • They Were Expendable as Major James Morton
  • The Postman Always Rings Twice as Kyle Sackett
  • No Leave, No Love as Colonel Elliott
  • The Cockeyed Miracle as Ralph Humphrey
  • The Show-Off as Frank Harlin
  • The Great Morgan as K.F. Studio Exec
  • Lady in the Lake as Derace Kingsby
  • Undercover Maisie as Amor aka Willis Farnes
  • Song of the Thin Man as Mitchell Talbin
  • The Amazing Mr. Nordill as Everett Nordill, aka Everton
  • Merton of the Movies as Lawrence Rupert
  • Alias a Gentleman as Matt Enley
  • On an Island with You as Commander Harrison
  • The Velvet Touch as Gordon Dunning
  • A Date with Judy as Lucien T. Pringle
  • Little Women as Mr. March
  • Any Number Can Play as Dr. Palmer
  • Scene of the Crime as Capt. A.C. Forster
  • Battleground as The Chaplain
  • Ambush as Maj. C.E. Breverly
  • The Big Hangover as Carl Bellcap
  • The Skipper Surprised His Wife as Dr. Philip Abbott
  • Crisis as Sam Proctor
  • The Happy Years as Samuel H. Stover - Sr.
  • Dial 1119 as Earl
  • Watch the Birdie as Grantland D. Farns
  • On Moonlight Bay as George Winfield
  • Cattle Drive as Chester Graham Sr.
  • It's a Big Country as Secret Service Man
  • Angel Face as Fred Barrett
  • By the Light of the Silvery Moon as George Winfield
  • Let's Do It Again as Chet Stuart
  • Sabre Jet as Lt. Col. George Eckert
  • Engagement Party as Elliott Winston
  • Peyton Place as Mr. Harrington
  • From the Terrace as Samuel Eaton
  • New Comedy Showcase as Mark Bradley
  • The Absent-Minded Professor as President Rufus Daggett
  • Son of Flubber as President Rufus Daggett
  • The Misadventures of Merlin Jones as Judge Holmsby / Lex Fortas
  • The Monkey's Uncle as Judge Holmsby
  • On a Clear Day You Can See Forever as Burt Clews
  • Tora! Tora! Tora! as Frank Knox
  • Toklat as Old Man / Narrator
  • Hammersmith Is Out as General Sam Pembroke
  • Brother of the Wind as Narrator
  • The Meal as Bernard Wallace Kroger
  • Timber Tramps as Deacon
  • Sherlock Holmes in New York as Daniel Furman
  • Claws as Ben Jones, Forest Commissioner
  • The Best Place to Be as William Callahan
  • Just You and Me, Kid as Manduke the Magnificent
  • Testament as Henry Abhart
  • Jake Speed as Pop Winston
  • Peggy Sue Got Married as Barney Alvorg