Occupation Actor Books Letters from an actor Role Actor | Name William Redfield Years active 1939-1976 Children Adam Redfield | |
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Born January 26, 1927 ( 1927-01-26 ) New York City, New York, U.S. Spouse Linda Redfield (m. ?–1976) Movies One Flew Over the Cuckoo's, Death Wish, Fantastic Voyage, Mr Billion, The Hot Rock Similar People Louise Fletcher, Will Sampson, Sydney Lassick, Michael Berryman, Dean Brooks | ||
William Redfield (January 26, 1927 – August 17, 1976) was an American actor and author who appeared in numerous theatrical, film, radio, and television roles.
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Early years
Born in New York City, Redfield was the son of Henry C. Redfield and the former Mareta A. George. His father was a conductor and arranger of music, while his mother was a Ziegfeld Follies chorus girl.
Acting career
Redfield began acting when he was 9 years old, appearing in the Broadway production Swing Your Lady (1936). He appeared in the original 1938 Broadway production of Our Town. A founding member of New York's Actors Studio, Redfield's additional theatre credits include A Man for All Seasons, Hamlet, You Know I Can't Hear You When the Water's Running, and Dude. He also sang & danced the role of "Mercury" in Cole Porter's Out of This World.
Other Broadway credits include: Excursion (1937), Virginia (1937), Stop-over (1938), Junior Miss, Snafu, U.S.A., Barefoot Boy With Cheek (1947), Montserrat (1949), Misalliance (1953), Double in Hearts (1956), Midgie Purvis (1961), A Minor Adjustment (1967) and The Love Suicide at Schofield Barracks (1972).
His film credits include The Connection, Such Good Friends, Fantastic Voyage, A New Leaf, For Pete's Sake, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Redfield's best known film appearance was as Dale Harding in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. It was during the filming of the Oscar-winning movie that Redfield was diagnosed with leukemia by doctor Dean Brooks, who also portrayed Dr. Spivey.
On television, Redfield played the title role in the DuMont series Jimmy Hughes, Rookie Cop (1953), and appeared in The Philco Television Playhouse, Lux Video Theatre, The United States Steel Hour, Studio One, As the World Turns, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Naked City, Maude, Rich Man, Poor Man Book II, and The Bob Newhart Show. He is best known as Floyd, the younger brother of Felix Unger (played by Tony Randall), on The Odd Couple.
Author
In his book Letters from an Actor, Redfield published a colorful and personal recollection of his work in the renowned 1964 international stage production of Hamlet, starring Richard Burton and directed by Sir John Gielgud. He also was a columnist for Playfare Magazine and collaborated with Wally Cox on Mr. Peepers, a book about the television character with that name.
Death
Redfield died at Saint Clare's Hospital on August 17, 1976 at age 49, with the cause of death given as "a respiratory ailment complicated by leukemia." He was survived by his wife, a son, a daughter, and his mother.