David Wayne

Acting

Personal Info

gender

Male

birthday

January 30, 1914

died

February 9, 1995

place of birth

Traverse City - Michigan - USA

also known as

Wayne James McMeekan

total credits

50 movies

Biography

David Wayne (January 30, 1914 – February 9, 1995) was an American actor with a career spanning nearly 50 years.

Wayne was born Wayne James McMeekan in Traverse City, Michigan, the son of Helen Matilda (née Mason) and John David McMeekan. He grew up in Bloomingdale, Michigan. Wayne's first major Broadway role was Og the leprechaun in Finian's Rainbow, for which he won the Theatre World Award and the first ever Tony for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. While appearing in the play, he and co-star Albert Sharpe were recruited by producer David O. Selznick to play Irish characters in the film Portrait of Jennie (1948).

It was in 1948 as well that Wayne became one of those fortunate 50 applicants (out of approximately 700) granted membership in New York's newly formed Actors Studio. He was awarded a second Tony for Best Actor in a Play for The Teahouse of the August Moon and was nominated as Best Actor in a Musical for The Happy Time. He originated the role of Ensign Pulver in the classic stage comedy Mister Roberts and also appeared in Say, Darling, After the Fall, and Incident at Vichy.

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Known For

Filmography

50 credits · sorted by popularity · swipe or use arrows

The Andromeda Strain
7.1

The Andromeda Strain

1971as Dr. Charles Dutton
How to Marry a Millionaire
6.8

How to Marry a Millionaire

1953as Freddie Denmark
The Front Page
7.3

The Front Page

1974as Roy Bensinger
Adam's Rib
7.1

Adam's Rib

1949as Kip Lurie
Broadway's Lost Treasures III: The Best of The Tony Awards
7.2

Broadway's Lost Treasures III: The Best of The Tony Awards

2005as Grandpère Bonnard (segment "The Happy Time") (archive footage)
Finders Keepers
5.4

Finders Keepers

1984as Stapleton
That's Entertainment, Part II
7.0

That's Entertainment, Part II

1976as (archive footage)
The Apple Dumpling Gang
6.6

The Apple Dumpling Gang

1975as T.R. Clydesdale
M
6.4

M

1951as Martin W. Harrow
The Three Faces of Eve
7.2

The Three Faces of Eve

1957as Ralph White
Portrait of Jennie
7.2

Portrait of Jennie

1948as Gus O'Toole
Hell and High Water
6.0

Hell and High Water

1954as Tugboat Walker
It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman!
4.4

It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman!

1975as Dr. Abner Sedgwick
O. Henry's Full House
6.8

O. Henry's Full House

1952as Horace (segment "The Cop and the Anthem")
As Young as You Feel
6.4

As Young as You Feel

1951as Joe Elliott
The Survivalist
3.3

The Survivalist

1987as Dub Daniels
Marilyn
7.5

Marilyn

1963as archive footage
The Prize Fighter
4.8

The Prize Fighter

1979as Pop Morgan
The Catcher
7.0

The Catcher

1972as Armand Faber
The Tender Trap
6.2

The Tender Trap

1955as Joe McCall
The Big Gamble
6.0

The Big Gamble

1961as Samuel Brennan
Ellery Queen: Too Many Suspects
8.0

Ellery Queen: Too Many Suspects

1975as Insp. Richard Queen
The Naked Hills
4.6

The Naked Hills

1956as Tracy Powell
My Blue Heaven
7.5

My Blue Heaven

1950as Walter Pringle
We're Not Married!
5.9

We're Not Married!

1952as Jeff Norris
The Gift of Love
6.7

The Gift of Love

1978as O'Henry and Narrator
The Sad Sack
5.6

The Sad Sack

1957as Corporal Larry Dolan
Mooch Goes to Hollywood
4.8

Mooch Goes to Hollywood

1971as David Wayne (uncredited)
Poker Alice
6.9

Poker Alice

1987as Amos
The Last Angry Man
6.9

The Last Angry Man

1959as Woodrow Thrasher
An American Christmas Carol
6.2

An American Christmas Carol

1979as Merrivale
Stella
9.0

Stella

1950as Carl Granger
Return of the Big Cat
9.0

Return of the Big Cat

1974as Grandpa Jubal
Down Among the Sheltering Palms
6.5

Down Among the Sheltering Palms

1953as Lt. Carl G. Schmidt
Huckleberry Finn
6.0

Huckleberry Finn

1974as The Duke
The Reformer and the Redhead
7.6

The Reformer and the Redhead

1950as Arthur Maxwell
Tonight We Sing
9.5

Tonight We Sing

1953as Sol Hurok
Arsenic and Old Lace
7.0

Arsenic and Old Lace

1969as Teddy Brewster
Wait Till the Sun Shines, Nellie
5.8

Wait Till the Sun Shines, Nellie

1952as Ben Halper
The Girls in the Office
6.0

The Girls in the Office

1979as Ben Nayfack
In the Glitter Palace
4.0

In the Glitter Palace

1977as Nate Redstone
Lassie: The New Beginning
5.5

Lassie: The New Beginning

1978as Amos
With a Song in My Heart
6.1

With a Song in My Heart

1952as Don Ross
The Boy Who Stole the Elephant
4.0

The Boy Who Stole the Elephant

1970as Colonel Rufus Ryder
The F.B.I. Story: The FBI Versus Alvin Karpis, Public Enemy Number One
8.0

The F.B.I. Story: The FBI Versus Alvin Karpis, Public Enemy Number One

1974as Maynard Richards
Murder at the Mardi Gras
7.0

Murder at the Mardi Gras

1978as Mickey Mills
Tubby the Tuba
8.0

Tubby the Tuba

1975as Pee-Wee the Piccolo (voice)
The I Don't Care Girl
7.3

The I Don't Care Girl

1953as Ed McCoy
Up Front
7.0

Up Front

1951as Joe
Anatomy of an Accident
8.0

Anatomy of an Accident

1961as John Avery