Thursday, September 30, 2010

Fredric March Milestones

1917: Enlisted in the US Army; eventually commissioned as a lieutenant
1919: Moved to NYC after a year in the Army to become a banker; worked as parttime newspaper and magazine model and as trainee at National City Bank until he suffered appendicitis and turned to acting during recuperation leave
1920: Professional stage debut in David Belasco's production of "Debarau" in Baltimore; later moved to Broadway
1921: Worked as an extra in films
1924: At suggestion of director John Cromwell, changed name to Fredric March
1926: Joined stock company in Denver where he met Florence Eldridge
1927: Last Broadway appearance for over a decade, "The Devil in the Cheese"
1928: Enjoyed stage success as Barrymoresque actor Tony Cavendish in the Los Angeles production of "The Royal Family"; spotted by a talent scout from Paramount and signed to a contract
1929: Film debut in "The Dummy"
1929: Played a professor who catches the attention of student Clara Bow in "The Wild Party"
1929: Co-starred in the film version of Philip Barry's play "Paris Bound"
1930: Acted in "Sarah and Son"
1930: Reprised role of Tony Cavendish in the film "The Royal Family of Broadway"; garnered first Academy Award nomination
1931: Received first Oscar for title role in "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde"; tied for award with Wallace Beery ("The Champ")
1933: Starred in the film adaptation of Noel Coward's play "Design for Living"
1934: Portrayed Death in human form in the film "Death Takes a Holiday"
1934: Had title role in "The Affairs of Cellini"
1934: Portrayed Robert Browning to Norma Shearer's Elizabeth Barrett in "The Barretts of Wimpole Street"
1935: Cast as Jean Valjean in "Les Miserables" and Vronsky to Greta Garbo's "Anna Karenina"
1936: Had title role in "Anthony Adverse"
1937: Portrayed the washed-up, alcoholic actor Norman Maine in the first screen version of "A Star Is Born", opposite Janet Gaynor; received Oscar nomination for Best Actor
1937: Teamed with Carole Lombard in "Nothing Sacred"
1937: Listed as the fifth highest-paid actor in Hollywood (earning nearly $500,000 a year)
1938: Called to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee
1938: Returned to Broadway with Florence Eldridge in "Yr. Obedient Husband"; show was quick flop
1940: Appeared in the Oscar-nominated Best Picture "One Foot in Heaven"
1941: Cast a playwright trying to stop his actress-wife from retiring in "Bedtime Story"
1942: Starred opposite Veronica Lake in "I Married a Witch"
1942: Had lead role in the award-winning play "The Skin of Our Teeth" by Thornton Wilder
1944: Played the title role in "The Adventures of Mark Twain"
1946: Received second Academy Award for playing a returning soldier in "The Best Years of Our Lives"
1947: Earned one of the first Tony Awards for Lead Actor in a Play for his work in the Broadway production of "Years Ago"; tied with Jose Ferrer
1948: Starred in "Another Part of the Forest"
1949: Offered the stage role of Willy Loman in the original Broadway production of "Death of a Salesman" but rejected it as being too "grim"; later starred in the 1951 film version
1949: Had title role in "Christopher Columbus"
1950 - 1951: Acted on Broadway with Florence Eldredge in "Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep", "The Autumn Garden" and "An Enemy of the People" (the latter adapted by Arthur Miller)
1951: Earned fifth Academy Award nomination for "Death of a Salesman"
Was "grey-listed" during the 1950s
1954: Played an unscrupulous financial executive in "Executive Suite"
1954: Once again played Tony Cavendish in a CBS TV production of "The Royal Family"
1954: Cast as Scrooge in CBS musical version of "A Christmas Carol"
Co-starred with Eldridge on Broadway in premiere of Eugene O'Neill's "Long Day's Journey Into Night"; won second Tony Award
1958: Played Arthur Winslow in the CBS version of "The Winslow Boy"
1960: Starred opposite Spencer Tracy in the fictionalized version of the Scopes trial, "Inherit the Wind"; played character based on William Jennings Bryan; Eldridge portrayed his wife
1961: Final Broadway role, "Gideon"; nominated for a Tony Award
1964: Appeared as the US President facing a military plot to overthrow the government in "Seven Days in May"
1967: Acted in "Hombre"
1970: Returned to features in "... tick ... tick ... tick ..."
1970: First diagnosed with cancer; underwent treatment
1973: Last film appearance as Harry Hope in "The Iceman Cometh"


Timeline via Turner Classic Movies (TCM)

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