Happy 115th birthday to the incredibly talented Mr. Fredric March, one of my top 10 favorite actors of all-time. (August 3l, 1897 - April 14, 1975)
Born Ernest Frederick McIntyre Bickel, the two-time Oscar winning (and five-time nominated) Mr. March enjoyed success on both the screen and the stage. In fact, in addition to his two Academy Awards, his stage performances garnered him a Tony Award on two different occasions. With a career spanning five decades, Mr. March was an extremely versatile actor, fully capable of light comedy and heavy drama.
Mr. March has the distinction of having 2 of his films on my 10 all-time favorite movies list. By the very narrowest of margins, The Best Years of Our Lives (reviewed HERE) receives the honor of being my absolute favorite Fredric March film. A completely awesome movie (with the equally awesome cast of Myrna Loy, Dana Andrews, Teresa Wright, Harold Russell, Virginia Mayo, and Hoagy Carmichael), Best Years is one of the films for which Mr. March won a Best Actor Academy Award. He was completely stellar in his role...and very worthy of his Oscar win.
Rounding out my list of five favorite Fredric March films are:
2. Middle of the Night (with Kim Novak, this is also one of my 10 all-time favorite
movies---reviewed HERE)
3. A Star Is Born (with Janet Gaynor---reviewed HERE)
4. Death of a Salesman (with Mildred Dunnock, Kevin McCarthy, and Cameron
Mitchell---reviewed HERE)
5. The Desperate Hours (with Humphrey Bogart)
Just FYI, The Bridges at Toko-Ri is also a very favorite Fredric March film; however, since he is in support there (to William Holden), rather than a leading player, I decided to go with The Desperate Hours instead.
So, Mr. Fredric March, here's to you on your 115th birthday! You were a sensational actor, and you will always be one of my very favorites. Thank you for beautifying my life through so many wonderful films, including two which are among my ten favorite movies of all-time.
