Sidney Blackmer

Sidney Alderman Blackmer (July 13, 1895 – October 6, 1973) was an American actor who appeared in dozens of movies between 1914 and 1971, usually in major supporting roles. He was also a major Broadway performer.

Sidney Blackmer
1940s
Born
Sidney Alderman Blackmer

(1895-07-13)July 13, 1895
Salisbury, North Carolina, U.S.
DiedOctober 6, 1973(1973-10-06) (aged 78)
New York City, U.S.
Other namesS.A. Blackmer
OccupationActor
Years active1914–1971
Spouse(s)
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(m. 1928; div. 1939)​

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(m. 1943)​
Children2
AwardsNorth Carolina Award, Fine Arts

Biography

Blackmer was born and raised in Salisbury, North Carolina, the son of Clara Deroulhac (née Alderman) and Walter Steele Blackmer.[1] He started off in an insurance and financial business but gave up on it. While working as a builder's laborer on a new building, he saw a Pearl White serial being filmed and immediately decided to go into acting. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.[1] Blackmer went to New York, hoping to act on the stage. While in the city, he took jobs and extra work at various film studios at the then motion picture capital, Fort Lee, New Jersey, including a bit part in the highly popular serial The Perils of Pauline (1914), his film debut.[2]

He made his Broadway debut in 1917, but his career was interrupted by service in the U.S. military in World War I. After the war, he returned to the theatre. In 1919, Blackmer played a major role in the strike that led to the formation of Actors' Equity Association.In 1929 he returned to motion pictures and went on to be a major character actor in more than 120 films.

He won the 1950 Tony Award for Best Actor (Drama) for his role in the Broadway play Come Back, Little Sheba, co-starring with Shirley Booth.[3]

In film, Blackmer is remembered for his more than a dozen portrayals of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt and for his memorable role as Roman Castevet in the Academy Award-winning 1968 Roman Polanski film about urban New York witches, Rosemary's Baby, in which he played an overly solicitous neighbor. A humanitarian, Blackmer served as the national vice president of the United States Muscular Dystrophy Association. He also helped start up the North Carolina School of the Arts.[4][5] In 1972, he was honored with the North Carolina Award in the Fine Arts category. It is the State of North Carolina's highest civilian award. On his death in 1973, Blackmer was interred in the Chestnut Hill Cemetery in his hometown of Salisbury, North Carolina.

Personal life

Blackmer was married to actress Lenore Ulric from 1928 to 1939. His second wife was Suzanne Kaaren to whom he was married from 1943 to his death in 1973. He and Kaaren had two sons. They lived in the family home in Salisbury, North Carolina.

For his contributions to the film industry, Blackmer has a motion pictures star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1625 Vine Street.[6]

Filmography
Blackmer in the trailer for the 1934 film The Count of Monte Cristo
Blackmer in The High and the Mighty (1954)

Blackmer also appeared in television roles, such as Don't Come Back Alive episode of the 1955 TV series Alfred Hitchcock Presents and "The Premature Burial" episode of the 1961 TV series Thriller. Blackmer also guest starred twice in the western TV series Bonanza in the episodes "The Dream Riders" (1961) and "The Late Ben Cartwright" (1968). Among his most notable roles was the character of Presidential candidate William Lyons Selby in the Outer Limits episode "The Hundred Days of the Dragon".

References
  1. Scarvey, Katie (17 January 2010). "Blackmer a star of stage and screen". Salisbury Post. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
  2. "Sidney Blackmer, Lois Wilson Stars of Empress Comedy". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. Missouri, St. Louis. November 30, 1952. p. 58. Retrieved November 19, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Winners (Sidney Blackmer)". Tony Awards. The American Theatre Wing. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  4. "Residence of W. S. Blackmer". Theo. Buerbaum's Salisbury. Rowan Public Library. Archived from the original on 8 June 2012. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
  5. Scarvey, Katie (2 March 2012). "Blackmer home will likely be torn down soon". Salisbury Post.
  6. "Hollywood Walk of Fame - Sidney Blackmer". walkoffame.com. Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
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