Bottom

Born: 4 November 1913 St. Cloud, Minnesota, USA
Died: 19 October 1978 New York, New York, USA. (suicide)
Spouse: Elaine Williams (1963 - 1966) (divorced)
Elizabeth Montgomery (28 December 1956 - 1963) (divorced)
Rosenstein, Sophia (1950 - 1952) (her death)
Sheila Stapler (1939 - 1947) (divorced)
Kim Schmidt (27 September 1978 - 19 October 1978) (her death)
Birth Name: Byron Elsworth Barr
Height: 6' 1" (1.85 m)

Gig Young co starred with Elvis in Kid Galahad as Willy Grogan

Affable, immensely likable American actor, usually in second leads. A native of Minnesota, his parents John and Emma Barr raised him in Washington DC. He developed a passion for the theatre while appearing in high school plays, then after some amateur experience, he applied for and received a scholarship the acclaimed Pasadena Community Playhouse. While acting in "Pancho, " a south-of-the-border play by Lowell Barrington, he and the leading actor in the play, George Reeves, were spotted by a Warner Bros. talent scout. Both actors were signed supporting player contracts with the studio. Still acting under his given name, Byron Barr, he played bits and even extra roles. He experimented with varying screen names because his real name was at odds with the studio vision for the handsome young man with the winning smile and because of another actor with the same name (see Byron Barr. In 1942, in the picture Gay Sisters, The (1942), he was given the role of a character with the name Gig Young and thereafter adopted the name as his own. Although he had been supplementing his income working in a gasoline station, The Gay Sisters gave him a career boost. Although service with the Coast Guard interrupted his ascension, he returned from the war and soon established himself as a reliable player of light leading men roles, usually secondarily to bigger stars. A dramatic part in Come Fill the Cup (1951) won him a nomination for the Best Supporting Actor Oscar, a feat he repeated seven years later in a comedic role in Teacher's Pet (1958). A prolific television career complemented his film work. In 1969, his surprisingly seedy portrayal of a dance-marathon emcee in They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969) finally won him the Oscar. A succession of marriages, including one to actress Elizabeth Montgomery, had failed (Young was widowed once), and worse was to come. In 1978, three weeks after marrying German actress Kim Schmidt, Young apparently shot her to death in their New York City apartment and then turned the gun on himself. The direct cause of murder-suicide remains unclear. Young was not quite 65, his bride 31.

Trivia

Daughter Jennifer Young born 1964.

Adopted the name 'Gig Young' verbatim from that of the character he portrayed in 'The Gay Sisters' (1942).

Cast in "Blazing Saddles" as the Waco Kid. Replaced by Mel Brooks with Gene Wilder shortly after filming began.

On the April Winchell Radio Show on May 11,2002 April's mom (the wife of actor Paul Winchell) revealed that during a party at their house Gig Young got extremely drunk and fell asleep underneath their dining room table and Gig also tried to french kiss April's sister Amber in the pantry.

Filmography

• Game of Death (1978) .... Jim Marshall ... aka Bruce Lee's Game of Death (1978) ... aka Goodbye Bruce Lee: His Last • Game of Death (1978) ... aka Si wang you ju (1978)
• Spectre (1977) (TV) .... Dr. Ham Hamilton
• "Gibbsville" (1976) TV Series .... Ray Whitehead
• Sherlock Holmes in New York (1976) (TV) .... Mortimer McGrew, President International Gold Exchange
• Michele (1975)
• Hindenburg, The (1975) .... Edward Douglas
• Killer Elite, The (1975) .... Lawrence Weyburn
• Turning Point of Jim Malloy, The (1975) (TV) .... Ray Whitehead ... aka Gibbsville: The Turning Point of Jim Malloy (1975) (TV) ... aka John O'Hara's Gibbsville (1975) (TV)
• Fiocco nero per Deborah, Un (1974) ... aka Black Ribbon for Deborah (1974) (USA) ... aka Deborah (1974) (USA)
• Great Ice Rip-Off, The (1974) (TV) .... Harkey Rollins
• Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974) .... Quill ... aka Traiganme la cabeza de Alfredo Garcia (1974) (Mexico)
• Son-in-Law for Charlie McReady, A (1973) .... Charlie McReady
• Neon Ceiling, The (1971) (TV) .... Jones
• Lovers and Other Strangers (1970) .... Hal
• They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969) .... Rocky
• Companions in Nightmare (1968) (TV) .... Eric Nicholson
• Shuttered Room, The (1967) .... Mike Kelton ... aka Blood Island (1967)
• Strange Bedfellows (1965) .... Richard Bramwell
• "Rogues, The" (1964) TV Series .... Tony Fleming (1964-65)
• Ticklish Affair, A (1963) .... Key Weedon
• For Love or Money (1963) .... 'Sonny' John Dayton Smith ... aka Three on a Match (1963) ... aka Three-Way Match, The (1963)
• Couteau dans la plaie, Le (1962) .... David Barnes ... aka Coltello nella piaga, Il (1962) (Italy) ... aka Five Miles to Midnight (1963) (USA) ... aka Terza dimensione, La (1962) (Italy) ... aka Troisième dimension, La (1962)
• Kid Galahad (1962) .... Willy Grogan
• That Touch of Mink (1962) .... Roger
• Spiral Staircase, The (1961) (TV) .... Stephen Warren
• Ninotchka (1960) (TV) .... Leon Dolga
• Story on Page One, The (1960) .... Larry Ellis
• Philadelphia Story, The (1959) (TV) .... Dexter Haven
• Ask Any Girl (1959) .... Evan Doughton
• Tunnel of Love, The (1958) .... Dick Pepper
• Teacher's Pet (1958) .... Dr. Hugo Pine
• Desk Set (1957) .... Mike Cutler ... aka His Other Woman (1957) (UK)
• Desperate Hours, The (1955) .... Chuck Wright
• "Warner Brothers Presents" (1955) TV Series .... Host
• Young at Heart (1955) .... Alex Burke
• Torch Song (1953) .... Cliff Willard
• City That Never Sleeps (1953) .... Johnny Kelly
• Arena (1953) .... Hob Danvers
• Girl Who Had Everything, The (1953) .... Vance Court
• You for Me (1952) .... Dr. Jeff Chadwick
• Holiday for Sinners (1952) .... Jason Kent
• Too Young to Kiss (1951) .... John Tirsen
• Come Fill the Cup (1951) .... Boyd Copeland
• Slaughter Trail (1951) .... Ike Vaughn
• Only the Valiant (1951) .... Lt. William Holloway
• Target Unknown (1951) .... Capt. Reiner
• Hunt the Man Down (1950) .... Paul Bennett ... aka Seven Witnesses (1950) (USA)
• Tarnished (1950) .... Joe Pettigrew
• Tell It to the Judge (1949) .... Alexander Darvac
• Lust for Gold (1949) .... Pete Thomas ... aka For Those Who Dare (1949) (USA)
• Wake of the Red Witch (1948) .... Samuel 'Sam' Rosen
• Three Musketeers, The (1948) .... Porthos
• Woman in White, The (1948) .... Walter Hartright
• Escape Me Never (1947) .... Caryl Dubrok
• Old Acquaintance (1943) .... Rudd Kendall
• Air Force (1943) .... Lt. Bill Williams, co-pilot of Mary-Ann
• Gay Sisters, The (1942) .... Gig Young
• Mad Martindales, The (1942) (as Byron Barr) .... Peter Varney
• Male Animal, The (1942) (uncredited) .... Student
• Captains of the Clouds (1942) (uncredited) .... Student Pilot
• Man Who Came to Dinner, The (1942) (uncredited) .... Bit Part
• They Died with Their Boots On (1942) (uncredited) .... Lt. Roberts
• You're in the Army Now (1941) (uncredited) .... Soldier
• One Foot in Heaven (1941) (uncredited) .... First Groom Asking for Dog Licence
• Navy Blues (1941) (uncredited) .... Sailor in storeroom
• Dive Bomber (1941) (uncredited) .... Pilot Abbott
• Sergeant York (1941) (uncredited) .... Marching soldier
• Here Comes the Cavalry (1941) (uncredited) .... Bit Part
• Wagons Roll at Night, The (1941) (uncredited) .... Offscreen Narrator of Trailer
• Misbehaving Husbands (1940) (as Byron Barr) .... Floor Walker ... aka Dummy Trouble (1940)

Himself - filmography

• Bruce Lee, the Legend (1977) .... Himself
• 43rd Annual Academy Awards, The (1971) (TV) .... Himself - Presenter: Best Supporting Actress
• 42nd Annual Academy Awards, The (1970) (TV) .... Himself - Best Supporting Actor Winner
• Tanks Are Coming, The (1941) (as Byron Barr) .... Jim Allen

Top