Louis Jean Heydt
Louis Jean Heydt was an American character actor in film, television, and theatre, most frequently seen in hapless, ineffectual, or fall-guy roles.
Early life
Heydt was born in 1903 in Montclair, New Jersey, the son of German parents George Frederick Heydt, a jeweler and the secretary and executor for Louis Comfort Tiffany, and the former Emma Foerster. He was educated at Montclair High School, Worcester Academy, and Dartmouth College, graduating from the latter in 1926. He initially wanted to be a journalist, and worked as a reporter for The New York World.
Career
Stage
Heydt received his start in the theatre while visiting a classmate backstage while The Trial of [Mary Dugan (play)|The Trial of Mary Dugan] was in rehearsal. As an actual reporter, he caught the attention of the producers and was offered the role of a reporter in the play. He made his stage debut therein, and went on to appear in a dozen plays, including Strictly Dishonorable, Before Morning, and Happy Birthday. He also played in the London company of The Trial of Mary Dugan as the male lead, replacing the deceased Rex Cherryman.
After he left the Broadway production of The Trial of Mary Dugan, Heydt acted in stock theatre with the Alice Brady Company in Buffalo, Rochester, and Toronto. In the mid-1930s, his wife and he were active in summer stock theatre in Skowhegan, Maine.
Film
In the 1930s, Heydt traveled to Hollywood, where he appeared in over 100 films, including Gone With the Wind, The Great McGinty, Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo, and The Big Sleep. He made an impression as an older, warm-hearted soldier in the 1945 John Ford PT-boat epic They Were Expendable, and co-starred in the 1951 film noir Roadblock in support of Charles McGraw. Heydt remained active in Hollywood throughout the 1950s, appearing in 32 films through 1959.
Television
Heydt moved early into television, initially taking roles in basic Westerns and related programs such as outlaw Tom Horn on the 1950s Western television series Stories of the Century, starring and narrated by Jim Davis. He appeared in 11 episodes of Richard Carlson's 1958-1959 Western series, Mackenzie's Raiders.
Heydt guest-starred on the Adventures of Superman, Treasury Men in Action, Cavalcade of America, TV Reader's Digest, Crossroads, Lux Video Theatre, Fury, The Man from Blackhawk, Wagon Train, and Maverick.
Heydt married Leona Maricle, an actress in the Broadway company of The Trial of Mary Dugan, on August 13, 1928, in New York. He later married Donna Hanor.
Heydt died of a heart attack on January 29, 1960, in Boston, where he collapsed immediately after leaving the stage following the first scene of a pre-Broadway performance of the play, There Was a Little Girl, in which he appeared opposite Jane Fonda. Actor Joseph Curtiss carried him to his dressing room, but he apparently had died instantly. Heydt's understudy, William Adler, finished the performance and the run.
Partial filmography
Before Morning - Neil KennedyMake Way for Tomorrow - DoctorBorrowing Trouble - Martin No Time to Marry - McCloskyTest Pilot - Greg BensonThey're Always Caught - Eddie DieselI Am the Law - John W. ButlerThey Made Me a Criminal - SmithLet Freedom Ring - Ned WilkieThey Made Her a Spy - GillianThe Flying Irishman - Man Betting Doug Won't Get Off the Ground Stronger Than Desire - Court Appointed Attorney Each Dawn I Die - LassiterCharlie Chan at Treasure Island - Paul EssexFull Confession - Defense Attorney Mr. Smith Goes to Washington - Soapbox Speaker Dad for a Day - Bill Henry Reno - Judge Jimmy HowardJoe and Ethel Turp Call on the President - Dr. Standish A Child Is Born - Mr. KempnerGone With the Wind - Hungry Soldier Holding Beau WilkesThe Hunchback of Notre Dame - Minor Role Abe Lincoln in Illinois - Mentor GrahamDr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet - Dr. KunzeJohnny Apollo - Guard with Doctor All About Hash - Bob Henry, Mickey's fatherIrene - 'Biffy' Webster - the Columnist The Man Who Talked Too Much - BartonThe Great McGinty - Tommy ThompsonPier 13 - Bill HamiltonSanta Fe Trail - Farmer Let's Make Music - Mr. StevensHigh Sierra - Bob - Tourist at Robbery Sleepers West - Everett JasonPower Dive - Johnny ColesDive Bomber - Swede LarsonHow Green Was My Valley - Miner Pacific Blackout - Harold KerminDr. Kildare's Victory - Mr. Ray Johnson Captains of the Clouds - Provost MarshalCanal Zone - Ralph Merrill Tortilla Flat - Young Doctor Ten Gentlemen from West Point - Jared DanforthNight in New Orleans - Bit The Glass Key - Man watching dice throw Manila Calling - Harold WatsonCommandos Strike at Dawn - Karl ArnesenOne Dangerous Night - ArthurMission to Moscow - American Newsman Stage Door Canteen - Captain Robinson First Comes Courage - Norwegian The Iron Major - Recruiting Sergeant Gung Ho! - Lt. Roland BrowningThe Miracle of Morgan's Creek - Army Officer See Here, Private Hargrove - Captain Administering Oath Her Primitive Man - GeraldThe Story of Dr. Wassell - Ensign The Great Moment - Dr. Horace WellsThirty Seconds Over Tokyo - Lieut. MillerBetrayal from the East - Jack MarsdenZombies on Broadway - Douglas WalkerYou Came Along - Navy Man Our Vines Have Tender Grapes - Mr. FaraassenThey Were Expendable - 'Ohio'To Each His Own - American Officer The Hoodlum Saint - Mike FlahertyThe Big Sleep - Joe BrodyGentleman Joe Palooka - ChairmanAbie's Irish Rose - Priest That Brennan Girl - Hefflin Sinbad the Sailor - Mercenary I Cover Big Town - John MoultonSpoilers of the North - Inspector Carl WintersCalifornia's Golden Beginning Bad Men of Tombstone - John StoverMake Believe Ballroom - Jerskin Elliott Come to the Stable - Al Newman The Kid from Cleveland - Carl NovakPaid in Full - Dr. Carter, PsychiatristThe Furies - BaileyAl Jennings of Oklahoma - John JenningsThe Great Missouri Raid - Charles FordRawhide - FickertRaton Pass - Jim PoznerTwo of a Kind - Chief Petty Officer Warpath - Herb WoodsonCriminal Lawyer - Frank BurnettDrums in the Deep South - Col. HouseRoadblock - Harry MillerThe Day the Earth Stood Still - Airforce Captain looking perplexed Close to My Heart - Probation Officer Duncan The Old West - Jeff BleekerSailor Beware - Naval Doctor Mutiny - Captain Herwig Flesh and Fury - WhiteyModels Inc. - CroninThe Vanquished - Luke Taylor Island in the Sky - FitchThe Boy from Oklahoma - Paul EvansA Star Is Born - Ocean Scene Director Ten Wanted Men - Tom Baines Many Rivers to Cross - Noah Crawford The Eternal Sea - Capt. Walter F. RodeeNo Man's Woman - Det. Lt. ColtonStranger at My Door - Sheriff John TatumWetbacks - Coast Guard Comdr. RandallThe Fastest Gun Alive - Myron Spink Official Detective - Detective HermanThe Wings of Eagles - Dr. John Keye The Badge of Marshal Brennan - Col. DonaphinRaiders of Old California - Judge Ward YoungThe Man Who Died Twice - Capt. Andy HamptonInside the Mafia - Rod Balcom