Trax Colton
Trax Colton (born Louis A. Morelli; May 26, 1929) is an American former motion picture actor who appeared in two films as a contract player for 20th Century Fox between 1960 and 1962.[1]
Trax Colton | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Born | Louis A. Morelli May 26, 1929 Highland Park, New Jersey, U.S. |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1960–1962 |
Parent(s) | Catherine De Angelis Angelo Morell |
— Time magazine on 23 March 1962[1]
— Dorothy Kilgallen on 22 March 1961[2]
Life and career
Colton was born on May 26, 1929 in Highland Park, New Jersey, to Catherine De Angelis and Angelo Morelli, both of Italy. He had a sister, Martha Morelli.[3] He was working as a used car salesman when he was discovered by Henry Willson, a Hollywood talent agent who had discovered Rock Hudson, Tab Hunter, Clint Walker, and Rory Calhoun, who changed his name to Trax Colton.[4]
Colton signed an exclusive contract with 20th Century Fox in 1960 and was given a small part in the film adaptation of The Marriage-Go-Round (1961), starring Susan Hayward and James Mason. Soon thereafter, he was given a lead role in It Happened in Athens, a comedy plotting the adventures surrounding a winner at the first modern Olympic games in 1896. He played Spiridon Loues, a Greek shepherd who enters the Olympics as a runner. It co-starred sex symbol Jayne Mansfield, whom Colton had a brief affair with during filming.[5][6] After the picture wrapped, Hollywood columnist Mike Connolly said in a 1961 column that Colton was Fox Studios' new "combination Rudolph Valentino–Ty Power".[7] In March 1961 Dorothy Kilgallen wrote that "his only other screen credit to date was a tiny role in Marriage-Go-Round but the female reaction around the nation was enough to give him a bigger chance" and speculated that Colton "may be our next matinee idol".[2]
In November 1961, he screen tested for a film entitled Celebration for the part of a man who convinces Joanne Woodward to perform in a pornographic film.[8] Celebration had been the film's working title, it was eventually produced in 1963 as The Stripper with Robert Webber in the role.[9]
It Happened in Athens was released in 1962, but by that time, Colton had been released from his studio contract and stopped making movies.[1]
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1961 | The Marriage-Go-Round | Crew Cut / Party Guest | |
1962 | It Happened in Athens | Spiridon Loues | (final film role) |
References
- "Egos: Melting the Pot". Time magazine. 23 March 1962.
- "Ginger Will Be TV Fashion Plate". Daily Reporter of Dover, Ohio. King Features. 22 March 1961 – via Newspapers.com.(subscription required)
- "Louis Morelli in the 1930 US census living in Highland Park, New Jersey". 1930. Retrieved 2016-01-05.
- "Old Hollywood's gay Pygmalion".
- James Robert Parish. The Hollywood Book of Breakups. p. 259.
- Jocelyn Faris (1994). Jayne Mansfield. p. 92.
- Connolly, Mike (March 1, 1961). "In Hollywood". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
- Mike Connolly (2 November 1961). "Notes From Hollywood". Pasadena Independent.
- Sanders, Ed (2016). Sharon Tate: A Life. Da Capo Press. p. 15. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
External links
![]() |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Trax Colton. |
- Trax Colton at IMDb
- Trax Colton at the New York Times