Burl Ives

BURL IVES.

Burl Isle Ivanhoe Ives was born June 14, 1909 (Hunt, Illinois, USA).

Ives graduated from Eastern Illinois University and traveled the country for a while, earning his living as a handyman, before heading to New York City. In 1940 he made a name for himself by appearing on the CBS radio series "The Wandering Stranger."

At the end of that decade, Ives began recording albums. In 1949 he topped the music charts with the song "Lavender Blue." His film debut was the western "Smoky" (1946), then he starred as the lovable cousin in the Disney pastoral feature film "So Sweet to My Heart" (1948). Elia Kazan helped the actor rise to a higher level by casting him as Sheriff Sam in "East of Eden" (1955). Ives appeared to audiences as the cruel and oppressive patriarch in Eugene O'Neill's adaptation of Love Under the Elms (1958) and in Tennessee Williams' Cat on a Hot Roof (1958). Later, the roles of the big uncle began to be written specifically for Ives.

This was followed by work in William Wyler's epic western The Big Country (1958), for which he won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Nicholas Ray cast the actor in Wind Over the Plains (1958) as a free, strong but doomed man, then his violent villain in All Out Day (1959). All of these roles illustrate the multi-faceted talent of Ives. The actor's most recent work was as the tough and fearless trainer in Sam Fuller's White Dog (1982) and the sheriff in the melodrama The Merging of the Two Moons (1988).

He died in 1995 (Anacortes, Washington, USA).

PRIZES AND AWARDS

Academy Award (1958):

Best Supporting Actor ("The Big Country")

Golden Globe Award (1958):

Best Supporting Actor ("The Big Country")