John Dall (May 26, 1920 â€" January 15, 1971)[Note 1] was an American
actor.Primarily a stage actor, he is best remembered today for two
film roles: the cool-minded intellectual killer in Alfred Hitchcock's
Rope (1948), and the trigger-happy lead in the 1950 film noir Gun
Crazy. He also had a substantial role in Stanley Kubrick'sSpartacus
(1960). He first came to fame as the young prodigy who comes alive
under the tutelage of Bette Davis in The Corn Is Green (1945), for
which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting
Actor.John Dall Thompson (he used his middle name for his acting
career) was born in New York City on 26 May 1920, the younger son of
Charles Jenner Thompson (1873â€"1929) and his wife Henry (née
Worthington). (Sources which cite Dall's birth name as John Jenner
Thompson and his birth year as 1918 appear to be in error.[Note 1])
His father was a civil engineer. His elder brother, Worthington
Thompson, was later a decorated lieutenant in the 517th Parachute
Regimental Combat Team.In the 1920s the Thompsons moved to Panama,
where Charles worked on the construction of the airport there. While
in Panama, Dall was in a theatre when a cast member fell ill and Dall
stepped in; this caused him to get the desire to act. His father
committed suicide in 1929, and his widow returned to New York City
with John the following year.[Note 2]
actor.Primarily a stage actor, he is best remembered today for two
film roles: the cool-minded intellectual killer in Alfred Hitchcock's
Rope (1948), and the trigger-happy lead in the 1950 film noir Gun
Crazy. He also had a substantial role in Stanley Kubrick'sSpartacus
(1960). He first came to fame as the young prodigy who comes alive
under the tutelage of Bette Davis in The Corn Is Green (1945), for
which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting
Actor.John Dall Thompson (he used his middle name for his acting
career) was born in New York City on 26 May 1920, the younger son of
Charles Jenner Thompson (1873â€"1929) and his wife Henry (née
Worthington). (Sources which cite Dall's birth name as John Jenner
Thompson and his birth year as 1918 appear to be in error.[Note 1])
His father was a civil engineer. His elder brother, Worthington
Thompson, was later a decorated lieutenant in the 517th Parachute
Regimental Combat Team.In the 1920s the Thompsons moved to Panama,
where Charles worked on the construction of the airport there. While
in Panama, Dall was in a theatre when a cast member fell ill and Dall
stepped in; this caused him to get the desire to act. His father
committed suicide in 1929, and his widow returned to New York City
with John the following year.[Note 2]
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