Whitfield Connor

Whitfield Connor (December 3, 1916 – July 16, 1988) was an actor, director, and producer born in Rathdowney, Ireland, whose career spanned stage, film, and television across several decades. He began his professional life in radio during the 1930s before transitioning to the stage, where he would build a Broadway career lasting from 1946 to 1969.

Connor made his Broadway debut in 1945 as Horatio in a production of Hamlet. Three years later, he earned a Theatre World Award for his portrayal of Macduff opposite Michael Redgrave in Macbeth. His Broadway credits included The Duchess of Malfi, Tipping the Winner, and Everything in the Garden, among other productions. In 1960, he took on the role of the father of Jane Fonda's character in There Was a Little Girl under circumstances that required considerable composure: when Louis Jean Heydt collapsed and died in the wings during the Boston tryout, Connor was asked the following morning to assume the part. He studied the role during the flight from New York to Boston before stepping into the production.

Connor's association with the Elitch Theatre in Denver, Colorado, became one of the defining commitments of his professional life. He joined the resident company there in 1948 and returned the following year as leading man for the summer stock season, a position he held through 1953. It was during the 1953 season that he met actress Haila Stoddard, who had been engaged as the leading lady. The two married in New York City on January 26, 1956, and remained together until his death. In 1964, Connor became general manager of the Elitch Theatre under producer Helen Bonfils, and together they converted the venue from a traditional summer stock format to a Star Package System built around touring productions headlined by established performers. Following Bonfils's death, Connor assumed the role of producer alongside Stoddard and her son, Christopher Kirkland. The three continued to operate the theatre until it closed in 1987. In 1967, Connor was elected president of the Council of Stock Theaters.

His screen work included the films Tap Roots, Scarlet Angel, Prince of Pirates, The President's Lady, City of Bad Men, The Saracen Blade, and BUtterfield 8. On television, he appeared in series including The Bigelow Theatre, Guiding Light, Dragnet, The Loretta Young Show, Studio One, The Star and the Story, The Millionaire, Willy, Front Row Center, The Big Story, Decoy, The Phil Silvers Show, and The Doctors. He also served as the commercial spokesperson for the Gulf Oil Corporation, a role that brought him particular visibility during the company's sponsorship of NBC News programming, including coverage of NASA space missions in the early 1960s.

Connor had previously been married to Helen Catherine Clausen on November 1, 1941; the couple had a daughter, Erin Catherine Connor, born August 31, 1947. He died on July 16, 1988, in Norwalk, Connecticut, following stomach surgery, at the age of 71.