Ed Begley

Edward James Begley Sr. was born on March 25, 1901, in Hartford, Connecticut, to Irish immigrants Hannah (née Clifford) and Michael Joseph Begley. After leaving school as a fifth-grader, he ran away from home on multiple occasions and worked for carnivals, fairs, and small circuses. He later held jobs selling brushes and delivering milk before serving four years in the United States Navy during World War I.

Begley launched his career in theatre and radio while still a teenager. His Broadway work began as early as 1917, when he appeared in the musical Going Up, which also played in London the following year. His stage career extended through 1969 and encompassed productions including Land of Fame, All Summer Long, All My Sons, and Our Town, as well as starring roles in Zelda and Advise and Consent. In 1956, he took on the role of Matthew Harrison Brady in the Broadway production of Inherit the Wind, a performance that earned him the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play.

Alongside his stage work, Begley built a substantial radio career. His credits included the program Stroke of Fate, a period playing Charlie Chan, the role of Sgt. O'Hara on The Fat Man, and a recurring part as Lieutenant Walter Levinson on Richard Diamond, Private Detective during the 1950s. He was elected a member of The Lambs in 1943, and his brother Martin Begley, who also became a member of the organization, served briefly as his manager.

Beginning in the late 1940s, Begley transitioned into film and television. He co-starred with Eddie Albert in the CBS sitcom Leave It to Larry during the 1952–1953 season and appeared in a 1954 episode of Robert Montgomery Presents, playing an engineer for the Union Pacific Railroad. One role he performed in multiple formats was William Briggs in Rod Serling's Patterns, which he played twice on television in 1955 and again in the 1956 theatrical film. His film credits include Deadline – U.S.A. (1952), 12 Angry Men (1957), in which he played juror number ten, Odds Against Tomorrow (1959), The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964), Wild in the Streets (1968), and Hang 'Em High (1968). He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Sweet Bird of Youth (1962). He also received an Emmy Award nomination for his portrayal of Matthew Harrison Brady in a television adaptation of Inherit the Wind.

His television appearances spanned numerous series, including Justice, The Virginian, Bonanza, The Fugitive, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Wild Wild West, My Three Sons, Wagon Train, Target: The Corruptors, The Invaders, Empire, and Going My Way with Gene Kelly.

In his personal life, Begley married his first wife, Amanda Huff, in 1922, and they had two children together. Huff died in 1957. A second marriage ended in divorce, and his third wife, Helen, survived him. He is the father of actor and environmental activist Ed Begley Jr. Begley died of a heart attack on April 28, 1970, while attending a party at the home of Jay Bernstein in Hollywood, California. He is buried at the San Fernando Mission Cemetery in Mission Hills, California.