William Eythe was an American actor who rose to fame in the 1940s, starring in several films for 20th Century Fox. He had the charm and good looks of a leading man, but his career was cut short by personal problems and a fatal illness. He died of hepatitis at the age of 38, leaving behind a legacy of unfulfilled potential
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A Talented Actor from Pennsylvania
Eythe was born on April 7, 1918, in Mars, Pennsylvania, a small town near Pittsburgh. He developed an interest in acting and theater from a young age, and converted an old barn into a stage where he performed his own plays. He studied drama at Carnegie Tech University, where he appeared in over 80 plays. He also worked as a radio announcer and a TV host in New York
He made his Broadway debut in The Moon is Down (1942), a play by John Steinbeck. During the rehearsals, he injured his hearing, which made him unfit for military service during World War II. This gave him an advantage over other young actors who were drafted, and he caught the attention of a talent scout from 20th Century Fox
A Rising Star in Hollywood
Eythe signed a contract with Fox in 1942, and made his film debut in The Ox-Bow Incident (1943), a classic western starring Henry Fonda and Dana Andrews. He played the son of a lynch mob member who tries to stop the execution of three innocent men. He received positive reviews for his performance, and was hailed as a promising newcomer
He followed this with a role in The Song of Bernadette (1943), an Oscar-winning biopic of a French girl who claimed to see visions of the Virgin Mary. He played a young man who falls in love with Bernadette, played by Jennifer Jones. He also appeared in Wilson (1944), a biopic of President Woodrow Wilson, and The Eve of St. Mark (1944), a war drama based on a play by Maxwell Anderson. He proved his versatility as an actor, and was considered one of Fox’s top stars
A Declining Career and Personal Troubles
However, Eythe’s career soon began to decline, as he was given less challenging and interesting roles. He starred in The House on 92nd Street (1945), a spy thriller based on a true story, but his performance was overshadowed by the documentary-style narration and the use of actual FBI footage. He also replaced Tyrone Power in A Royal Scandal (1945), a historical comedy directed by Ernst Lubitsch and Otto Preminger, but he failed to match Power’s charisma and chemistry with Tallulah Bankhead. He was relegated to supporting roles in musicals like Centennial Summer (1946) and Alexander’s Ragtime Band (1948), where he had little opportunity to showcase his talents
Eythe also faced difficulties in his personal life, as he struggled with his sexuality and his alcoholism. He was married to actress Buff Cobb from 1947 to 1949, but the marriage was unhappy and ended in divorce. He was rumored to have had affairs with both men and women, including his co-star Lon McCallister and his mentor Burgess Meredith. He was arrested several times for drunk driving and public intoxication, and his reputation suffered. He left Fox in 1948, and tried to revive his career on stage and television, but with little success
A Tragic Death from Hepatitis
In 1957, Eythe was hospitalized in Los Angeles for acute hepatitis, a liver infection that can be caused by alcohol abuse or viral infection. He died on January 26, 1957, at the age of 38. His death was announced by his former studio, Fox, and his former co-stars and friends paid tribute to him. He was buried in his hometown of Mars, Pennsylvania
William Eythe was a talented actor who had a promising start in Hollywood, but his career and life were cut short by personal problems and a fatal illness. He left behind a legacy of unfulfilled potential, and a few memorable films that show his charm and skill. He will always be remembered as one of the stars of the 1940s, who could have been so much more
