William Bendix Overview:

Legendary character actor, William Bendix, was born on Jan 14, 1906 in New York City, NY. Bendix died at the age of 58 on Dec 14, 1964 in Los Angeles, CA and was laid to rest in San Fernando Mission Cemetery in Mission Hills, CA.

MINI BIO:

Likeable American character star, with fair, wavy hair and soft, Brooklynese voice, built like a barrel, and often cast as amiable, dimwitted thugs. Appeared in a memorable series of Paramount thrillers in the forties, but his later success in comedy meant his virtual loss to TV from 1953 on. Died from lobar pneumonia. Oscar nominee for Wake Island.

(Source: available at Amazon Quinlan's Film Stars).

HONORS and AWARDS:

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Although Bendix was nominated for one Oscar, he never won a competitive Academy Award.

Academy Awards

YearAwardFilm nameRoleResult
1942Best Supporting ActorWake Island (1942)Smacksie RandallNominated
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He was honored with two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the categories of Radio and Television.

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William Bendix Quotes:

Hardy Cathcart: [whispering] Tell him you need two hundred dollars to leave town.
Stauffer, alias Fred Foss: [on the phone to Galt] I need two yards, powder money.


Stauffer, alias Fred Foss: It didn't work. It was a busto-crusto.


Van Morgan Duff: [to Quinn] I never did like you. You talk too fast and too much.


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Best Supporting Actor Oscar 1942






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William Bendix on the
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William Bendix Facts
Bendix was a descendant of composer Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy. This was revealed on TV show "This Is Your Life" (1952); host Ralph Edwards awarded Bendix with a framed document signed by Mendelssohn.

He attracted the attention of producer Cheryl Walker in the late 1930s and appeared in six of her productions at the Theatre Guild.

In 1922, when he was 15, Bendix was a bat boy for the New York Yankees, and became a favorite of Babe Ruth, who entrusted Bendix with various personal errands. Years later, in 1948, Bendix played Ruth in The Babe Ruth Story (1948).

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