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IMDbPro

Walter Pidgeon(1897-1984)

  • Actor
  • Soundtrack
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Walter Pidgeon, 1936.
Home Video Trailer from Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Play trailer1:45
Two-Minute Warning (1976)
34 Videos
99+ Photos
Walter Pidgeon, a handsome, tall and dark-haired man, began his career studying voice at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. He then did theater, mainly stage musicals. He went to Hollywood in the early 1920s, where he made silent films, including Mannequin (1926) and The Girl from Rio (1927). When talkies arrived, Pidgeon made some musicals, but he never received top billing or recognition in these. In 1937 MGM put him under contract, but only in supporting roles and "the other man" roles, such as in Saratoga (1937) opposite Jean Harlow and Clark Gable and in The Girl of the Golden West (1938) opposite Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy. Although these two films were big successes, Pidgeon was overlooked for his contributions to them. MGM lent him out to Fox, where he finally had top billing, in How Green Was My Valley (1941). When he returned to MGM the studio tried to give him bigger roles, and he was cast opposite his frequent co-star Greer Garson. However, Garson seemed to come up on top in Blossoms in the Dust (1941) and Mrs. Miniver (1942), although Pidgeon did receive an Academy Award nomination for his role in the latter film.

Pidgeon remained with MGM through the mid-'50s, making films like Dream Wife (1953) and Hit the Deck (1955) with Jane Powell and old pal Gene Raymond. In 1956 Pidgeon left the movies to do some work in the theater, but he returned to film in 1961.

Pidgeon retired from acting in 1977. He suffered from several strokes that eventually led to his death in 1984.
BornSeptember 23, 1897
DiedSeptember 25, 1984(87)
BornSeptember 23, 1897
DiedSeptember 25, 1984(87)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Nominated for 2 Oscars
    • 15 wins & 2 nominations total

Photos308

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Known for

Maureen O'Hara, Roddy McDowall, Sara Allgood, Donald Crisp, John Loder, Walter Pidgeon, and Evan S. Evans in How Green Was My Valley (1941)
How Green Was My Valley
7.7
  • Mr. Gruffydd
  • 1941
Forbidden Planet (1956)
Forbidden Planet
7.5
  • Dr. Morbius
  • 1956
Barbra Streisand and Omar Sharif in Funny Girl (1968)
Funny Girl
7.4
  • Florenz Ziegfeld
  • 1968
Joan Bennett, George Sanders, and Walter Pidgeon in Man Hunt (1941)
Man Hunt
7.2
  • Captain Alan Thorndike
  • 1941

Credits

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IMDbPro

Actor



  • Sextette (1977)
    Sextette
    3.9
    • The Chairman
    • 1977
  • Charlton Heston, Martin Balsam, Beau Bridges, John Cassavetes, Jack Klugman, Gena Rowlands, David Groh, Marilyn Hassett, David Janssen, Brock Peters, and Walter Pidgeon in Two-Minute Warning (1976)
    Two-Minute Warning
    6.2
    • The Pickpocket
    • 1976
  • John Savage and Gig Young in Gibbsville (1976)
    Gibbsville
    6.8
    TV Series
    • Charles Kinsworth
    • 1976
  • Bruce Dern, Madeline Kahn, Art Carney, and Augustus von Schumacher in Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976)
    Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood
    4.8
    • Grayson's Butler
    • 1976
  • Ellery Queen (1975)
    Ellery Queen
    8.3
    TV Series
    • Hamilton Drew
    • 1976
  • The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case (1976)
    The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case
    6.7
    TV Movie
    • Judge Trenchard
    • 1976
  • Farrah Fawcett and Robert Stack in Murder on Flight 502 (1975)
    Murder on Flight 502
    5.3
    TV Movie
    • Charlie Parkins
    • 1975
  • You Lie So Deep, My Love (1975)
    You Lie So Deep, My Love
    6.7
    TV Movie
    • Uncle Joe Padway
    • 1975
  • The Girl on the Late, Late Show (1974)
    The Girl on the Late, Late Show
    6.2
    TV Movie
    • John Pahlman
    • 1974
  • Live Again, Die Again (1974)
    Live Again, Die Again
    5.3
    TV Movie
    • Thomas Carmichael
    • 1974
  • Helen Hayes and Mildred Natwick in The Snoop Sisters (1972)
    The Snoop Sisters
    7.8
    TV Series
    • Keith Follett
    • 1974
  • James Coburn in Harry in Your Pocket (1973)
    Harry in Your Pocket
    6.3
    • Casey
    • 1973
  • Ernest Borgnine, Ben Gazzara, Yvette Mimieux, and Walter Pidgeon in The Neptune Factor (1973)
    The Neptune Factor
    4.4
    • Dr. Samuel Andrews
    • 1973
  • Skyjacked (1972)
    Skyjacked
    5.7
    • Senator Arne Lindner
    • 1972
  • The Screaming Woman (1972)
    The Screaming Woman
    6.5
    TV Movie
    • Dr. Amos Larkin
    • 1972

Soundtrack



  • Lesley Ann Warren in Cinderella (1965)
    Cinderella
    7.6
    TV Movie
    • performer: "Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful?" (reprise)
    • 1965
  • Tab Hunter, Jane Powell, and Ed Wynn in Meet Me in St. Louis (1959)
    Meet Me in St. Louis
    7.1
    TV Movie
    • performer: "You and I", "Meet Me In St. Louis (Finale)" (uncredited)
    • 1959
  • Paul Newman and Anne Francis in The Rack (1956)
    The Rack
    6.8
    • Soundtrack ("The Last Time I Saw Paris", uncredited)
    • 1956
  • The Miniver Story (1950)
    The Miniver Story
    6.3
    • performer: "Ol' Man River" (uncredited)
    • 1950
  • The Red Danube (1949)
    The Red Danube
    6.5
    • performer: "Row, Row, Row Your Boat", "You've Got to See Mamma Ev'ry Night (or You Can't See Mamma at All)", "Onward, Christian Soldiers" (uncredited)
    • 1949
  • Elizabeth Taylor, Greer Garson, Peter Lawford, and Walter Pidgeon in Julia Misbehaves (1948)
    Julia Misbehaves
    6.8
    • performer: "Wonderful One", "O Sole Mio" (1898) (uncredited)
    • 1948
  • Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon in Mrs. Parkington (1944)
    Mrs. Parkington
    7.0
    • performer: "Sweetly She Sleeps, My Alice Fair" (1851) (uncredited)
    • 1944
  • Madame Curie (1943)
    Madame Curie
    7.2
    • Soundtrack ("Auprès de ma Blonde", uncredited)
    • 1943
  • Hedy Lamarr and Walter Pidgeon in White Cargo (1942)
    White Cargo
    6.0
    • performer: "There's No Place Like Home (Home, Sweet Home)" (1823) (uncredited)
    • 1942
  • Walter Pidgeon and Rosalind Russell in Design for Scandal (1941)
    Design for Scandal
    6.2
    • performer: "Daisy Bell (A Bicycle Built For Two)" (1892) ("Wonderful One" (1923), "Daisy Bell (A Bicycle Built For Two)" (1892), uncredited)
    • 1941
  • Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon in Blossoms in the Dust (1941)
    Blossoms in the Dust
    6.9
    • performer: "Let Me Call You Sweetheart" (uncredited)
    • 1941
  • Virginia Bruce and Walter Pidgeon in Stronger Than Desire (1939)
    Stronger Than Desire
    6.5
    • performer: "Three Blind Mice" (uncredited)
    • 1939
  • Judy Garland, Mary Astor, Freddie Bartholomew, and Walter Pidgeon in Listen, Darling (1938)
    Listen, Darling
    6.5
    • performer: "Ten Pins in the Sky" (1938) ("On the Bumpy Road to Love" (1938), "Ten Pins in the Sky" (1938))
    • 1938
  • Myrna Loy, Walter Pidgeon, Rosalind Russell, and Franchot Tone in Man-Proof (1938)
    Man-Proof
    6.0
    • performer: "On a Sunday Afternoon" (uncredited)
    • 1938
  • Kiss Me Again (1931)
    Kiss Me Again
    5.5
    • performer: "Kiss Me Again" (1905), "Tomorrow May Bring Doubts and Tears" (1905) (uncredited)
    • 1931

Videos34

Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella: 50th Anniversary Edition
Clip 2:17
Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella: 50th Anniversary Edition
Official Trailer
Trailer 3:36
Official Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 3:36
Official Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 2:56
Trailer
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Trailer 2:01
Trailer
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Trailer 2:53
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Trailer 3:03
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Personal details

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  • Height
    • 6′ 2″ (1.88 m)
  • Born
    • September 23, 1897
    • Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada
  • Died
    • September 25, 1984
    • Santa Monica, California, USA(stroke)
  • Spouses
      Ruth WalkerDecember 12, 1931 - September 25, 1984 (his death)
  • Parents
      Caleb Burpee Pidgeon
  • Other works
    Unsold pilot: Starred in a pilot called "Grandparents" about an elderly couple who must raise their grandchildren after the deaths of their parents.
  • Publicity listings
    • 11 Articles
    • 1 Pictorial

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    His first wife Edna died in 1921 while giving birth to their daughter, whom Mr. Pidgeon also named Edna. His widowed mother Hannah moved out to California to help care for his daughter. She lived there for the next 38 years, dying at the age of 94.
  • Quotes
    [on Hollywood] It was like an expensive, beautifully-run fan club. You didn't need to carry money. Your face was your credit card--all over the world.
  • Salaries
      Funny Girl
      (1968)
      $40,000

FAQ

Powered by Alexa
  • When did Walter Pidgeon die?
    September 25, 1984
  • How did Walter Pidgeon die?
    Stroke
  • How old was Walter Pidgeon when he died?
    87 years old
  • Where did Walter Pidgeon die?
    Santa Monica, California, USA
  • When was Walter Pidgeon born?
    September 23, 1897

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