Wikipedia

Mark Stevens (actor)

Mark Stevens (born Richard William Stevens; December 13, 1916 – September 15, 1994) was an American actor who appeared in films and on television. He was one of four men who played the lead role in the television series Martin Kane, Private Eye, appearing in 1953–54.

Mark Stevens
Stevens in 1950
Born
Richard William Stevens

(1916-12-13)December 13, 1916
Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
DiedSeptember 15, 1994(1994-09-15) (aged 77)
Majores, Spain
Other namesStephen Richards
OccupationActor
Years active1943–1987
Spouse
Annelle Hayes
​
​
(m. 1945; div. 1962)​
Children2

Early life

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Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Stevens first studied to become a painter before becoming active in theater work. He then launched a radio career as an announcer in Akron.[1]

Early career

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Warner Bros.

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Moving to Hollywood, Stevens became a Warner Bros. contract actor at $100 a week in 1943. The studio darkened and straightened his curly red hair and covered his freckles. At first he was billed as Stephen Richards, assigned to small, often uncredited parts in which he played servicemen in films such as Destination Tokyo (1943), Passage to Marseille (1944), The Doughgirls (1944), Hollywood Canteen (1944), Objective, Burma! (1945), God Is My Co-Pilot (1945), The Horn Blows at Midnight (1945), Rhapsody in Blue (1945) and Pride of the Marines (1945).

Career at 20th Century-Fox

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Stevens was signed to 20th Century-Fox and changed his stage name to Mark Stevens at the suggestion of Darryl Zanuck.

His first film for the studio was Within These Walls (1945), playing the romantic male lead. Stevens was borrowed by RKO to play the lead role in From This Day Forward (1946) with Joan Fontaine.

At Fox, Stevens appeared in The Dark Corner (1946) with Lucille Ball and Clifton Webb, a film noir that attempted to repeat the success of Laura (1944). In 1946, exhibitors voted him the fifth-most promising "star of tomorrow."[2]

Fox cast Stevens in the hit musical I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now (1947), playing Joseph E. Howard. Also successful was The Street With No Name (1948), in which Stevens played an FBI man on an undercover assignment, and The Snake Pit (1948), in which he played Olivia de Havilland's loyal husband.

Stevens appeared in the Western Sand (1949) and another musical biopic with Haver, Oh, You Beautiful Doll (1949), playing Fred Fisher.[3] He supported William Powell in Dancing in the Dark (1949). He was borrowed by MGM to play Matthew Kinston, one of Deborah Kerr's three suitors in Please Believe Me (1950). For Columbia, he starred in the film noir Between Midnight and Dawn (1950).

Career after 20th Century-Fox

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Stevens next signed a contract at Universal and appeared in Target Unknown (1951), Katie Did It (1951), Little Egypt (1951) and Reunion in Reno (1951).

In 1951, he starred in the DuMont series News Gal, which was later syndicated on ABC in 1957.

Stevens appeared in Mutiny (1952) for the King Brothers and traveled to England to appear in The Lost Hours (1952). He appeared in Torpedo Alley (1953) and took the lead role in the Martin Kane, Private Eye television series from 1953 to 1954.

From 1954 to 1956, Stevens played a newspaper managing editor in the series Big Town, having replaced Patrick McVey, who starred in the role from 1950 to 1954. Reruns of Big Town began airing on DuMont under the title City Assignment while new episodes of the series were still appearing on CBS.

As director

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In the 1950s and 1960s, Stevens directed and starred in several features: Cry Vengeance (1954), Time Table (1956), Gun Fever (1958), Man on a Raft (1958), The Man in the Water (1963) and Sunscorched [de] (1965). In a contemporary review for Time Table, New York Times critic Milton Esterow called Stevens "the latest Hollywood triple-threat" for his versatility as a director, film actor and television star.[4]

As an actor, he appeared in Gunsight Ridge (1956), September Storm (1960) and Fate Is the Hunter (1964).

Later career

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Beginning in the 1960s, Stevens lived in semi-retirement in Spain.[citation needed] His occasional film credits included Spain Again (1969) and The Fury of the Wolfman (1972). In the 1980s, he made guest appearances on television shows including Magnum, P.I. and Murder, She Wrote.

Death

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On September 15, 1994, Stevens died of cancer in Mallorca, Spain at the age of 77.[5]

For his contribution to the television industry, Mark Stevens has a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame at 6637 Hollywood Boulevard.

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
1943 Destination Tokyo Admiral's aide uncredited
1944 Passage to Marseille Lieutenant Hastings uncredited
Roaring Guns Lance Ferris as Stephen Richards
Hollywood Canteen Soldier on deck uncredited
1945 Objective, Burma! Lt. Barker as Stephen Richards
God Is My Co-Pilot Sgt. Baldridge as Stephen Richards
The Horn Blows at Midnight Angel uncredited
Rhapsody in Blue Steve uncredited
Within These Walls Steve Purcell
Pride of the Marines Ainslee as Stephen Richards
1946 From This Day Forward Bill Cummings
The Dark Corner Bradford Galt
1947 I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now Joe Howard
1948 The Street with No Name Gene Cordell/George Manly
The Snake Pit Robert Cunningham
1949 Sand Jeff Keane
Oh, You Beautiful Doll Larry Kelly
Dancing in the Dark Bill Davis
1950 Please Believe Me Matthew Kinston
Between Midnight and Dawn Officer Rocky Barnes
1951 Target Unknown Capt. Jerome 'Steve' Stevens
Katie Did It Peter Van Arden
Little Egypt Wayne Cravat
Reunion in Reno Norman Drake
1952 Mutiny Capt. James Marshall
The Lost Hours Paul Smith
Torpedo Alley Lt. Bob Bingham
1953 Jack Slade Joseph Alfred Slade
1954 Cry Vengeance Vic Barron also director
1956 Time Table Charlie Norman also director
1957 Gunsight Ridge Velvet Clark
1958 Gun Fever Luke Ram also director
Gunsmoke in Tucson Jedediah (Chip) Coburn
1960 September Storm Joe Balfour
1963 Escape from Hell Island Capt. James also director
1964 Fate Is the Hunter Mickey Doolan
Frozen Alive Dr. Frank Overton original title: Der Fall X701
1965 Sunscorched [de] Sheriff Jeff Kinsley original title: Tierra de fuego
1969 Cry for Poor Wally Gaylord Blue – Radio DJ

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1957 Wagon Train Nels Stack "The Nels Stack Story"
1957 Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre Capt. John Hunter episode: "Dangerous Orders"
1958 Zane Grey Theatre Cort McConnell episode: "The Stranger"
1958 Decision Michael Shayne episode: "Man on a Raft"
1962 Rawhide John Shepard episode: "Incident of the Hunter"
1978 The Eddie Capra Mysteries Michael Ballinger episode: "How Do I Kill Thee?"
1986 Murder, She Wrote Nick Brody episode: "Obituary for a Dead Anchor"

Radio

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Year Program Role Notes
1947 Suspense Jimmy Dawson episode: "Tree of Life"[6]
1947 Lux Radio Theater Bradford Gault The Dark Corner
1947 Suspense Bill Cummings episode: From This Day Forward[7]
1952 Cavalcade of America Thaddeus Fairbanks episode: "The Yankee and the Scales"[8]

Notes

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  1. ^ Biography, rusc.com. Accessed August 9, 2023.
  2. ^ "The Stars of To-morrow". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. September 10, 1946. p. 11 Supplement: The Sydney Morning Herald Magazine. Retrieved April 24, 2012.
  3. ^ All Movie biography Archived April 26, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Esterow, Milton (March 17, 1956). "Triple-Threat 'Stevens in 'Timetable'". The New York Times. p. 13.
  5. ^ TCM Biography
  6. ^ Suspence radio drama website, escape-suspense.com. Accessed August 9, 2023. 
  7. ^ "LRT Guest". Harrisburg Telegraph. October 26, 1946. p. 21. Retrieved September 29, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.  
  8. ^ Kirby, Walter (April 20, 1952). "Better Radio Programs for the Week". The Decatur Daily Review. p. 46. Retrieved May 9, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.  
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