Sitelinks. He is survived by his third wife, Diana, and a son, Justin. Mirroring his anti-war and medical roles in his film work, Ayres was a pacifist who sought to become a member of the Medical Corps during World War II. Diana Hall's relationship with Lew Ayres ended when Lew Ayres died on December 30, 1996. I couldn't bring myself to kill other men. Full Name: Lew Ayres; Known As: Laverne Ayres; Lew Ayers; S F Ayres; Lavern Ayres; Laverne A See; Name Variants: Lewis Ayres; Related To: Gary Vansickle, 82; Barbara Toth, 83; Jessica Miller, 41; Carole Nichols, 88; Cayd Ayres, 49; Phones (616) 827-0300 (770) 534-5788 (616) 361-0983 Pacifism, it said, is a doctrine for the other-worldly and for saints, and there will never be enough of those to interfere with our war efforts., Ironically, it was a soldier, Private Eugene B. Crowe, who offered the staunchest support in a letter to Time magazine, writing: Lew Ayres, instead of being detrimental to our public good, is indicative of what the American people wrote into their Bill of Rights and what we fight our wars aboutthe right to freedom in a democracy.. Ayres wrote, "I was a member of Henry Halstead's orchestra in 1927 at the Mission Beach Ballroom in San Diego, California for the summer. He returned to acting in the films The Dark Mirror (1946) with Olivia de Havilland and The Unfaithful (1947) with Ann Sheridan. When any man dies, you are dying a little yourself.. America was outraged, and theaters vowed never to show his films again, but quietly he achieved the Medical Corps status he had requested, serving as a medic under fire in the South Pacific and as a chaplain's aid in New Guinea and the Phillipines. Ex-husband of Dorothy Wilma Davis; Lola Lane and Ginger Rogers Throughout his career, which lasted for 65 years, he was featured in lots of movies as well as television series - some of them are "All Quiet on the Western Front" and . He was buried under a simple headstone at Westwood Memorial Park in Los Angeles, California next to the unmarked grave of musician Frank Zappa. Had portrayed the title character for the syndicated radio show "The Story of Dr. Kildare" (1950-1951). Playing an idealistic young physician, Ayres became what the Los Angeles Times called a household symbol across the nation, embodying everything that was good and decent and upstandingand American.. He was born Lewis Ayer in Minneapolis. And then there was Lew Ayres. Died in his sleep after being in a coma for several days. The cause of death was not reported. Born Lewis Frederick Ayres III on December 28, 1908 in Minneapolis, Minnesota and reared in San Diego, California, Ayres began acting in bit player roles in films in 1927. Ayres' college-boy good looks led to extra work in the movies, and before he was 21 the young actor was starring opposite Greta Garbo in The Kiss (1929). For Hollywood movie star Lew Ayres, standing on pacifistic principles proved to be its own kind of fight, BORN IN MINNEAPOLIS on December 28, 1908, Ayres had dropped out of high school to work as a musician. To Selective Service director Lewis B. Hershey, it was essential to properly classify COs: every objector inducted into uniform freed a non-CO for combat duty, while every erroneous IV-E classification did the opposite. The YOUNG DR. KILDARE did not make many friends when he became a conscientious objector during World War II due to his faith in the Bible and God. During this time, Ayres also co-starred with Joan Crawford and James Stewart in The Ice Follies of 1939. Before the war, he had felt that filmmaking was a silly business. But while overseas, he saw the ability of movies to provide a distraction and even emotional support to war-torn minds; films could be a contribution, in their own way, to the war effort. A COs objections to war had to have a religious basis. The son of a court reporter, actor Lew Ayres began his performing career upon high school graduation when he attempted to make a living as a banjo player. Lew Ayres died on December 30, 1996best remembered for the soldier he played on screen and the one he refused to play in real life. He was leading . "But when I went overseas, I changed my mind. Lew Ayres Biography American actor onscreen from 1929. He returned from the war to a public grown more tolerant of unconventional views. Instead, the board inexplicably classified him IV-Emeant for those who objected to all military serviceand assigned him to a civilian work camp in Wyeth, Oregon. ''Young Dr. Kildare'' in 1938 was a popular breakthrough, followed by eight more Kildare films. In late 1941 Hollywood leading man Lew Ayres became the first prominent American to refuse to fight. Death and legacy [] In 1960, Lew Ayres was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame with two stars. Ayres passed away in 1996 after a series of illnesses. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. Within a year, he was playing Garbo's youthful lover. He studied medicine at the University of Arizona. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002. Ayres was married three times. Mr. Ayres's role as the disillusioned young German soldier would be the most memorable of his career. Here's a Photoplay interview with star Lew Ayres from 1932 where he atones for his weak output from the previous two years, blaming his hobbies like sculpting, star gazing, and rock collecting for why he was seen as so snooty and disagreeable around Hollywood. Kildare' says his documentary, 'Altars of the World,' represents the bigger part of his life today", "Lew Ayres, Actor, Dies at 88; Conscience Bound His Career", "DIVORCES LEW AYRES. Ayres, too, continued to play his part. Fellowship among soldiers, with each man sharing his part of a common burden, is a wonderful thing to experience, Ayres said. Add or change photo on IMDbPro Add to list More at IMDbPro Contact info Agent info Known for Username. Ayres was assigned to first-aid work and was popular with the other men. Relation: Name: Birth: Father: Lew Ayres: Dec 28 1908: Mother: Diana Hall: Spotted an error? He was leading man to Greta Garbo in The Kiss (1929), but it was the role of Paul Baumer in All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) that was his big break. Appears in three Best Picture Oscar nominees: He was a lifelong conservative Republican. With Hollywood stars like Clark Gable, James Stewart, and Henry Fonda already in uniform or soon to be, and others like John Wayne flying below the radar with draft deferments, the Ayres story made front-page news. Actor. Lew Ayres, the movie actor who skyrocketed to fame as a disillusioned German soldier in ''All Quiet on the Western Front'' in 1930 and was also celebrated for playing the title role in ''Young Dr. Kildare'' and the series of films that followed it, died on Monday in Los Angeles, where he lived. He recorded one of the earliest Vitaphone movie shorts called Carnival Night in Paris (Warner Brothers, 1927). Discovered by a talent scout while playing the banjo and guitar at the Cocoanut Grove nightclub in Hollywood, he soon landed a role in the 1929 film The Kiss, opposite Greta Garbo. An audience needs to forget itself, if only for a little while. Those classified as I-A-O were eligible for noncombatant military service, which would include the Medical Corps role Ayres had requested. Lew Ayres was born on December 28, 1908 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, is Actor, Soundtrack, Director. From Astro-Databank. Why, I even became a fan myself.". Four stylii were used to transfer these records. He was buried under a simple headstone at Westwood Memorial Park in Los Angeles, California next to the unmarked grave of musician Frank Zappa. Justin Ayers passed away at the age of 27 in Hanover, Pennsylvania. All Information about Lew Ayres. Get our L.A. Subsequent movie roles were scarce; an opportunity to play Dr. Kildare in television was aborted when the network refused to honor his request for no cigarette sponsorship. Assigned to an evacuation hospital, he counseled and comforted sick and wounded GIs. Ayres finished his training on August 15, 1942, and the army gushed over him accordingly. We need you! He was 88. Harmadik hzassga, Diana Hallal 1964-tl a hallig tartott. Americans were sick of war and its end was a relief to the country. He moved to poverty row studio Republic Pictures to pursue a second career as a director, including the film Hearts in Bondage (1936), starring James Dunn and Mae Clarke. Hershey immediately ordered the California board to consider reclassifying Ayres, and his office told the local board that the widest possible publicity by you would have great morale effect on nation., While the draft board reassessed his classification, Ayres reached the camp at Wyeth, Oregon, on April 1, 1942. [11] His third marriage, to Diana Hall, lasted from 1964 until his death in 1996. After the war, he resumed his career and made scores of movies, but never reached the peak of his early Hollywood stardom. "Making movies seemed to me very trivial," the actor said in 1946. For Ayres, who belonged to no organized religion and had no formal religious training, the stakes were high. Actor Lew Ayres, who starred in the Academy Award-winning classic All Quiet on the Western Front--and who was a reluctant warrior in life as well as on film--died Monday. On screen and off, he projected a sincerity and strength of character, all of which suited him well, especially when he played doctors. He continued to act, but in the 1970s put his long experience into a project to bring to the west the philosophy of the East - the resulting film, Altars of the World (1976), while not a box-office success, won critical acclaim and a Golden Globe Award. Lew Ayres (1908-1996) became known to the public when he portrayed the leading character in the epic war film All Quiet on the Western Front. The most comprehensive and authoritative history site on the Internet. : December 30, 1996 (Los Angeles, CA) Cause of Death: Location: Westwood Memorial; Section D Biographical Notes: Lew Ayres career spanned seven decades and more than 60 films. The blowback was immediate and fierce. His marriages to actresses Lola Lane and Ginger Rogers ended in divorce. In the summer of 1958, Ayers hosted eleven original episodes of a CBS Western anthology television series called Frontier Justice, a production of Dick Powell's Four Star Television. Shunned by the studios after he became a conscientious objector during World War II, he managed to revive his career and get an Academy Award nomination for "Johnny Belinda" in 1948. IN THE FALL OF 1945, Ayres returned home to a public that was starkly different than it had been three years earlier. The film was a technical masterpiece, depicting the violence of the battlefield in graphic terms never before seen on the screen. Battlestar Galactica: Saga of a Star World, List of actors with Academy Award nominations, "Lew Ayres, Star of Dr. Kildare Movie Series, Dies", "Ayres Backs His Project Religiously: Film: Actor best known for 'Dr. As expected, the announcement that a Hollywood actor objected to the war was a major source of public outcry and debate. He was profoundly affected by the anti-war message of that film, and when, in 1942, the popular star of Young Dr. Kildare (1938) and subsequent Dr. Kildare films was drafted, he was a conscientious objector. AYRES, Lew Source for information on Ayres, Lew: International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers dictionary. His marriage in 1931 to sometime-actress Lola Lane ended in divorce, and his second marriage in 1934, to film star Ginger Rogers, ended a few years later. He is best known for starring as German soldier Paul Bumer in the film All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) and for playing Dr. Kildare in nine films. Ayres was discovered at a night club by talent agent Ivan Kahn. Fun facts: before fame, family life, popularity rankings, and more. This was followed by a distinguished film and television career spanning some 65 years. Louis, an amateur musician and court reporter, remarried soon afterwards. Will the luck of the Irish affect the Oscars? Mr. Ayres and Barrymore made eight Dr. Kildare movies from 1939 to 1942. Lew Ayres was in relationships with Christine Larson (1961), Nancy Valentine (1959), Joanne Dru (1958 - 1960), Mona Knox (1953), Coleen Gray (1951), Dorothy Patrick (1949), Estelita Rodriguez (1949), Jane Wyman (1948 - 1949), Janis Paige (1947), Helen Gilbert (1939), Sari Maritza (1938), Janet Gaynor (1933), Audrey Totter, Jean Harlow, Donna Reed In 1960, Lew Ayres was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame with two stars. Legend has it that when Greta Garbo spotted the handsome young actor before the camera, she picked him from a score of aspirants to be her leading man in the film. Suggest an alternative. Cause of death: Coma - Dec 30 1996 - Los Angeles, Dec 28 1908 - Minneapolis, Minnesota, Vereinigte Staaten, Dec 30 1996 - Los Angeles, Kalifornien, Vereinigte Staaten, Virginia Katherine Marshall (geb. The cathedral was soon flooded with wounded GIs and civilians. Male: Biological: Add/Edit a Child. Lewis Fredrick Lew Ayers (28 Dec 1908 - 30 Dec 1996) 0 references . The actor was willing to serve, but only in a noncombat role, and so he sought classification as a conscientious objector (CO). Ayres ' college-boy good looks led to extra work in the movies, and before he was 21 the young actor was starring opposite Greta Garbo in The Kiss (1929). Subscribe to receive our weekly newsletter with top stories from master historians. Discover Lew Ayres's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. Official Sites. Lew Ayres, best known for his role in the 1930 classic ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT, was not always celebrated in Hollywood. His co-star, Jane Wyman, won an Oscar for her role as a deaf-mute victim of a brutal rape. afwiki Lew Ayres; anwiki Lew Ayres; arwiki . Career: Mid-1920sfollowing high school, formed band with . Following his death, he was interred next to. Lew Ayres, 88, an actor for nearly seven decades who was the original Dr. Kildare of the 1930s and who starred in the Academy Award-winning classic "All Quiet on the Western Front," died here Dec. 30. Mingling with men and seeing so much of reality, I got my head out of the clouds., He even developed a new appreciation for the power of cinema. Justin Ayres Additional Crew Camera and Electrical Department Director IMDbPro Starmeter See rank Justin Ayres is known for Act Super Naturally (2019), A Bag of Hammers (2011) and CFI on Location: Naked GoPro Adventure at Deep Creek (2014). While never a general-run, box-office smash, the movie received critical acclaim and won a Golden Globe Award. "My feeling was that a medical show, particularly one that might appeal to children, should not be used to sell cigarettes," he explained later. Username. Submitted on July 23, 2013. My instruments were tenor banjo, long-neck banjo and guitar. In May 1944, Ayres landed in New Guinea. Brigadier General Roy C. Helfebower, commander of the medical training center, called him an excellent soldier and said he felt confident Ayres would render valuable service before his army career ends. An unnamed officer added, I wish I had a whole battalion of men just like him.. In 1980, the late Times columnist Jack Smith asked Ayres if the depiction of wars ugliness and horror in All Quiet had made him the man he had become. He continued acting for almost 30 years, appearing in, among other films, ''The Carpetbaggers,'' ''Battle for the Planet of the Apes'' and ''Battlestar Galactica. [6], Within a month it was determined that he had initially requested to be A-O-1, so that he could serve as a non-combat medic. Noting how much he learned from associating with soldiers, of sharing a common lot and working toward a common end, he felt that other American youngsters might benefit in the same manner by serving a short hitch in a peacetime army. He began to think that peacetime conscription might be a good idea. - IMDb Mini Biography By: He was offered the part of Dr. Kildare in an NBC series but his prescient request that the show have no cigarette advertising led to the offer being withdrawn, and the part going, in 1961, to Richard Chamberlain. I had imagined that war was a horrible thing. Wikipedia (30 entries) edit. For his contribution to motion pictures and radio, Ayres received two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Ayres died on December 30, 1996, just two days after his 88th birthday. And he retained his antiwar views, but with a twist. But Was He Drugged Into Confessing? Husband of Diana Hall LEW AYRES Signature in black ink on an index card Signature: "Lew Ayres", 5x3 card. [1] Born in Minneapolis and reared in San Diego, Ayres was a 20-year-old dropout from the University of Arizona, working as a banjo, guitar and piano player in Los Angeles, when a talent agent spotted him in a band at the Coconut Grove nightclub and wrangled him a spot as a bit player in the 1929 movie The Kiss.. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the justin ayres son of lew ayres Angeles Times 28, 1908 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, States... 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