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Jeff Chandler

Jeff Chandler

Jeff Chandler (December 15, 1918 - June 17, 1961) was a popular American film actor in the 1950s.

Born Ira Grossel in Brooklyn, New York Chandler attended Erasmus Hall High School, the nucleus of many stage and film personalities. Later, he took a drama course and spent two years in stock companies before serving in World War II. After discharged, he was a busy radio actor both in drama and comedy. His first film appearance was in Johnny O'Clock (1947).

In the 1950s, Chandler became a star in western and action movies. His first important role was in Sword in the Desert (1948), as an Israeli freedom fighter. He would be nominated for an Academy Award for his role as Cochise in Broken Arrow (1950), the first of three screen appearances as the legendary Apache chief, followed by The Battle of Apache Pass (1952) and Taza, Son of Cochise (1954).

The rest of the decade, Chandler turned in a top leading man. His sex appeal, curiously heightened by his prematurely gray hair and tanned features, would put him into drama and costume movies. Some of his pictures in this period include Away All Boats, Toy Tiger, Drango, The Tattered Dress, Man in the Shadow, Foxfire, A Stranger in My Arms, and Thunder in the Sun. His leading ladies would include June Allyson, Joan Crawford, Rhonda Fleming, Susan Hayward, Maureen O'Hara, Jane Russell and Esther Williams.

Shortly after completing his role in Merrill's Marauders (1962), Chandler died in Los Angeles, California at age of 42, from blood poisoning following disc herniation surgery. He was interred in the Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Culver City, California.

Jeff Chandler is honored with a star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame.


Note: This profile was written in or before 2004.

Jeff Chandler Facts

Birth NameIra Grossel
OccupationActor
BirthdayDecember 15, 1918
SignSagittarius
BirthplaceBrooklyn, New York, USA
Date of deathJune 17, 1961 (age 42)
Height6' 5" (1m96)  How tall is Jeff Chandler compared to you?

Selected Filmography

Broken Arrow
Iron Will
Merrill's Marauders
Female on the Beach
The Great Sioux Uprising
Public Enemies
Pillars of the Sky
Away All Boats
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