Than Wyenn

Than Wyenn (May 2, 1919  January 30, 2015) was an American character actor. His acting career spanned more than forty years with more than 150 credits in film and television.[1] He may be best known for his role in the 1960 Twilight Zone episode "Execution", as well as roles in Imitation of Life in 1959 and Splash in 1984.[1][2]

Than Wyenn
Born
Nathaniel Wyenn

May 2, 1919
New York City, New York
DiedJanuary 30, 2015 (age 95)
Woodland Hills, California
Resting placeMount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery
OccupationActor
Spouse(s)Guy Wyenn
Children2 sons

Early life

Wyenn was from New York City.[1] He made his debut at the age of nine[3] and studied acting as teenager under Michael Chekhov, Harry Coult, and Lee Strasberg.[2] He toured nationally with a Shakespearean troupe of actors.[2] Wyenn worked on a farm in Vermont during World War II as part of the U.S. war effort.[2]

Than Wyenn and his wife, Guy Wyenn, moved to Los Angeles following the end of World War II.[1][2] He was cast in a starring role in the world premiere of Baruch Lumet's stage production Once Upon a Tailor, which debuted at The Circle Theater.[1] His role in Once Upon a Tailor earned him a talent agent, which launched his television and film career.[2]

Film

While much of career focused on television, Wyenn appeared in several notable film roles. Wyenn portrayed Romano, an Italian film representative who attempts to recruit Lana Turner's character, Lora Meredith, in Imitation of Life in 1959.[1] He was also cast as Mr. Ambrose in the 1984 film Splash, opposite Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah. Other film roles included Beginning of the End in 1957, Pete Kelly's Blues in 1959, The Boy and the Pirates in 1960, and Being There in 1979.[1]

Television

In 1960, Wyenn appeared as Paul Johnson, a villain, in Execution during The Twilight Zone's first season.[1] In the episode, Wyenn's character transported to the past straight into a hangman's gallows in the American frontier during the 1800s.[1] Execution also starred Russell Johnson and Albert Salmi.[2] He also guest starred on Combat!, in 1965 as Captain Beggs, along with guest star Frank Gorshin in the third-season episode "The Hell Machine". Wyenn's numerous other television credits, spanning the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, included Leave it to Beaver, Gunsmoke, Dragnet, Barnaby Jones, Mission: Impossible, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Perry Mason, Quincy, M.E., The Six Million Dollar Man, T. J. Hooker, Hart to Hart, The Untouchables, Wanted: Dead or Alive, Burke's Law and Zorro.[1][2]

Other activities

Wyenn became a voting member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1966.[2] He worked as a drama consultant Los Angeles Bureau of Jewish Education for 37 years.[1]

Wyenn and his wife were highly-active in Jewish causes. He was a co-founder of the Yiddish Kinder Theater in Los Angeles.[2] He began documenting Jewish life throughout the world during the 1980s through traveling and painting.[2]

Death

Than Wyenn died at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, California, on January 30, 2015, at the age of 95.[1] He was survived by his wife of 71 years, Guy Wyenn, and their sons, Joel and Neil, and five grandchildren.[1]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1949The Undercover ManCabbieUncredited
1953A Slight Case of LarcenyClerkUncredited
1954Tennessee ChampUsherUncredited
1954The Human JungleForgerUncredited
1954The Adventures of Hajji BabaAuctioneerUncredited
1954Black TuesdayBank TellerUncredited
1955Pete Kelly's BluesRudy Shulak
1955The Naked StreetRosalie's DoctorUncredited
1955Good Morning, Miss DoveMr. Harry LevineUncredited
1956The Ten CommandmentsSlaveUncredited
1957Hot Rod RumbleArnie's Boss
1957Beginning of the EndFrank Johnson
1957The Invisible BoyProf. Zeller
1958The Brothers KaramazovWaiterUncredited
1958The True Story of Lynn StuartNatUncredited
1958I Want to Live!San Francisico HoodUncredited
1959Imitation of LifeRomano
1960The Boy and the PiratesHunter
1965The Money TrapPhil KennyUncredited
1966GambitAirport OfficialUncredited
1967Rosie!Psychiatrist
1968The Pink JungleCustoms Agent
1977Black SundayIsraeli Ambassador
1977The Other Side of MidnightGreek Priest
1979Being ThereAmbassador Gaufridi
1980Enola Gay: The Men, the Mission, the Atomic BombGeneral Curtis LeMay
1984SplashMr. Ambrose

References

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