Dean Jagger

Dean Jagger (November 7, 1903 – February 5, 1991) was an American actor who worked across film, stage, and television over several decades. Born Dean Jeffries Jagger in Columbus Grove, Ohio, he grew up on a farm and developed an early interest in performance, practicing oratory while doing farm work and eventually winning several oratory competitions. At fourteen he worked as an orderly at a sanatorium, and at seventeen he taught all eight grades at a rural elementary school before relocating to Chicago. There he studied at the Conservatory of Drama under Elias Day, which led to work on the Chautauqua circuit, and later trained at Chicago's Lyceum Arts Conservatory. He attended Wabash College, where he was a member of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity and played football, but left in his second year. During his Chicago stage work he played Young Matt in a production of Shepherd of the Hills, an experience that prompted him to pursue opportunities in New York City.

Jagger joined a stock company as Spencer Tracy's replacement and performed in vaudeville, on radio, and on stage. His Broadway debut came in 1925 in a bit part in a George M. Cohan production, followed by an appearance in Remote Control in 1928. A vaudeville tour brought him to Los Angeles, where he made his film debut opposite Mary Astor in The Woman from Hell (1929), followed by Handcuffed (1929). He subsequently attempted to move into film production, helping raise money for a feature that was never released, before returning to New York.

His Broadway career gained momentum in 1933 when he was cast in a lead role in Tobacco Road, a production that ran until 1941. Jagger departed the show in 1934 to appear in They Shall Not Die, which ran 62 performances. In April 1934 he signed a contract with Paramount, beginning an extensive run of Hollywood work that included You Belong to Me (1934) with Lee Tracy, College Rhythm (1934) with Jack Oakie, Behold My Wife! (1934) with Sylvia Sidney, Wings in the Dark (1935) with Myrna Loy and Cary Grant, and the B Western Wanderer of the Wasteland (1935). He also appeared in Revolt of the Zombies (1936) for Victor Halperin, films at 20th Century Fox, MGM, Columbia, and Republic Pictures, and Under Cover of Night (1937) at MGM.

Jagger returned to Broadway during this period, appearing in Missouri Legend (1938), which ran 48 performances, followed by Everywhere I Roam (1938–39), Brown Danube (1939), Farm of Three Echoes (1939–40) with Ethel Barrymore, and The Unconquered (1940), a play by Ayn Rand. His Broadway activity spanned from 1933 to 1948, with Dr. Social (1948) marking his final appearance on the New York stage, though that production had a short run.

His film breakthrough came with Brigham Young (1940) at 20th Century Fox, in which he portrayed Mormon leader Brigham Young alongside Tyrone Power under director Henry Hathaway. He was cast in the role on the basis of his performance in Missouri Legend. George D. Pyper, a technical consultant on the film who had personally known Brigham Young, noted that Jagger not only resembled Young but also shared some of his speech patterns and mannerisms. Thirty-two years after making the film, in 1972, Jagger was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Fox signed him to a long-term contract following the film, and he appeared in Fritz Lang's Western Union (1941).

Subsequent film work in the 1940s included The North Star (1943) for Sam Goldwyn, When Strangers Marry (1944) for the King Brothers, I Live in Grosvenor Square (1945) with Anna Neagle and Rex Harrison, Sister Kenny (1946) with Rosalind Russell, and Pursued (1947) with Robert Mitchum. He also began appearing on television programs including The Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse, Studio One, and The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre.

The defining achievement of Jagger's career came with Twelve O'Clock High (1949), directed by Henry King at Fox. He played Major and later Lieutenant Colonel Harvey Stovall, a middle-aged World War II veteran adjutant who serves as an advisor to General Savage, portrayed by Gregory Peck. The performance earned Jagger the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

He continued working steadily through the 1950s in supporting roles across a wide range of productions. These included Rawhide (1951) with Hathaway and Power, the anti-communist drama My Son John (1952) at Paramount, the biblical epic The Robe (1953) in which he played the weaver Justus of Cana, and White Christmas (1954), where he portrayed retired Army Major General Tom Waverly. He played an impotent local sheriff in Bad Day at Black Rock (1955) starring Spencer Tracy, and appeared as the father of Elvis Presley's character in King Creole (1958), directed by Michael Curtiz. Other notable credits from the decade included Forty Guns (1957) for Sam Fuller, The Proud Rebel (1958) with Alan Ladd, and The Nun's Story (1959), in which he played the father of Audrey Hepburn's character. In 1960 he appeared in Elmer Gantry as the traveling manager for an evangelist played by Jean Simmons.