Paul Stewart

albatros1 ( 2007-12-12 )

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Esteemed character actor made his living for decades playing dark, callous, shiftless villains. Not a well-known name per se, he was nevertheless a reliable and perfectly determined sort for film noir and gangland crime drama. Born in New York City on March 13, 1908, Stewart make his Broadway debut with "Two Seconds" in 1931, following graduation from Columbia University. He met and made an impression upon Orson Welles. As a result he became a founding member of the Mercury Theatre. He married band singer/actress Peg La Centra (1910-1996) in 1939. Welles next put Stewart in films with the classic Citizen Kane (1941)and found himself in demand. He essayed a number of stark, sinister types to perfection, including roles in Johnny Eager (1942), Mr. Lucky (1943), Champion (1949), Twelve O'Clock High (1949), Carbine Williams (1952), The Bad and the Beautiful (1952), and Kiss Me Deadly (1955). In the 1950s Stewart turned to stage and TV directing, helming a number of popular crimers such as "Peter Gunn," "Michael Shayne, "Perry Mason," "It Takes a Thief," "Hawaii 5-0" and "Remington Steele." In 1974 Stewart suffered a heart attack while on location in New Mexico for the movie Bite the Bullet (1975), but returned sporadically to films. He suffered a second and fatal heart attack in 1986 at age 77.