John Kerr, star of 'Tea and Sympathy,' 'South Pacific,'
dies at 81
Tony winner eventually became Beverly Hills attorney
By Variety Staff
John Kerr, a Tony winner and the star of the films
"Tea and Sympathy" and "South Pacific," died suddenly after
a short illness on Feb. 1. He was 81.
Kerr began his
acting career on the stage, making his Broadway debut in "Bernardine"
in 1953. He won a Tony for his role as a sensitive, effeminate schoolboy in the
Robert Anderson play "Tea and Sympathy" and starred with Deborah Kerr
(no relation) in the 1956 film version. He played Lt. Joe Cable, who grows
beyond the racism he learned as a child, in the 1958 film version of Rodgers
and Hammerstein musical "South Pacific."
The actor was also noted for his performance in Vincent
Price horror film "The Pit and the Pendulum" (1961) and had a
substantial career acting in television. Kerr first appeared on TV in a 1953
episode of "Lux Video Theatre," appeared on "Studio One in
Hollywood" and "Playhouse 90" and made guest appearances on
shows ranging from "Gunsmoke" to "The Alfred Hitchcock
Hour." He recurred as an assistant district attorney on "Arrest and
Trial" and as the DA on "Peyton Place."
John Grinham Kerr was born in New York City into a family
of actors; his parents were Geoffrey Kerr and June Walker.
He was educated at Phillips Exeter Academy and Harvard
College.
In the late 1960s he sought to become a television
director, and though he was mentored by Leo Penn, he soon decided that such
work was not for him, and Kerr went to UCLA law school and became a practicing
attorney in Beverly Hills. He continued to make occasional appearances on
television, however, recurring as a prosecutor on "The Streets of San
Francisco."
Kerr was married to Priscilla Smith from 1952-72.
Survivors include second wife Barbara Chu, whom he
married in 1979; a son and two daughters by his first marriage; and two
stepchildren by his second.
KERR, John (John Grinham Kerr)
Born: 11/5/1931, New York City, New York, U.S.A.
Died: 2/1/2013
John Kerr’s westerns – actor:
Riverboat (TV) – 1959 (Jefferson Carruthers)
Rawhide (TV) – 1960 (Bert Eaton)
Gunsmoke (TV) – 1962 (Lute Willis)
The Virginian (TV) – 1963 (Oliver Smith)
Wagon Train (TV) – 1963 (Jim Whitlow)
The High Chaparral (TV) – 1967 (Creed Hallock)
Yuma (TV) – 1971 (Captain White)
Alias Smith and Jones (TV) – 1973 (George Sterling)
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