Oothout Zabriskie Whitehead (March 1, 1911 â€" July 29, 1998) was an
American stage and film character actor. He was born in New York City
and attended Harvard University. Called "O.Z." or "Zebby", he also
authored several volumes of biographical sketches of early members of
the Baháʼà Faith especially in the West after he moved ("pioneered"
as a BaháʼÃ) to Dublin, Ireland in 1963.Whitehead first appeared on
Broadway in Martin Beck Theatre performing in The Lake (1933) in 55
performances from December 1933 to February 1934 (which was Katharine
Hepburn's first Broadway leading role) and 11 other plays by 1939.
Hepburn encouraged his early career.O. Z. Whitehead was one of the
last surviving members of John Ford's "stock company" of character
actors. Along with John Carradine, Donald Meek, Ward Bond, Ben
Johnson, Harry Carey, Jr. et al., Whitehead was one of the many actors
regularly employed by Ford to breathe life into even the smallest
roles in his films. His best-known part was that of Al in Ford's 1940
adaptation of John Steinbeck's novel The Grapes of Wrath.Whitehead's
film debut was in The Scoundrel (1935) by Ben Hecht, and Charles
MacArthur which won a 1936 Oscar for Best Original Story Whitehead
most famously played Al Joad (Henry Fonda's younger brother) in John
Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath (1940) which was nominated for, and won,
several Oscars. Whitehead starred as Clarence in a stage production of
Life with Father with Lillian Gish among a total of more than 50 films
and TV series episodes performances. Whitehead's first TV episode was
The Arrow and the Bow in Cavalcade of America in 1953 and continued in
other shows like Gunsmoke (1958), Bonanza (1960), and two episodes of
Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1960â€"61). In 1961 he made a guest
appearance on Perry Mason as murderer Harry Beacom in "The Case of the
Cowardly Lion." Shortly thereafter Whitehead moved to Ireland and
participated in theatre arts there.
American stage and film character actor. He was born in New York City
and attended Harvard University. Called "O.Z." or "Zebby", he also
authored several volumes of biographical sketches of early members of
the Baháʼà Faith especially in the West after he moved ("pioneered"
as a BaháʼÃ) to Dublin, Ireland in 1963.Whitehead first appeared on
Broadway in Martin Beck Theatre performing in The Lake (1933) in 55
performances from December 1933 to February 1934 (which was Katharine
Hepburn's first Broadway leading role) and 11 other plays by 1939.
Hepburn encouraged his early career.O. Z. Whitehead was one of the
last surviving members of John Ford's "stock company" of character
actors. Along with John Carradine, Donald Meek, Ward Bond, Ben
Johnson, Harry Carey, Jr. et al., Whitehead was one of the many actors
regularly employed by Ford to breathe life into even the smallest
roles in his films. His best-known part was that of Al in Ford's 1940
adaptation of John Steinbeck's novel The Grapes of Wrath.Whitehead's
film debut was in The Scoundrel (1935) by Ben Hecht, and Charles
MacArthur which won a 1936 Oscar for Best Original Story Whitehead
most famously played Al Joad (Henry Fonda's younger brother) in John
Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath (1940) which was nominated for, and won,
several Oscars. Whitehead starred as Clarence in a stage production of
Life with Father with Lillian Gish among a total of more than 50 films
and TV series episodes performances. Whitehead's first TV episode was
The Arrow and the Bow in Cavalcade of America in 1953 and continued in
other shows like Gunsmoke (1958), Bonanza (1960), and two episodes of
Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1960â€"61). In 1961 he made a guest
appearance on Perry Mason as murderer Harry Beacom in "The Case of the
Cowardly Lion." Shortly thereafter Whitehead moved to Ireland and
participated in theatre arts there.
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