Lew Ayres

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

163

Gender

Male

Birthday

1908-12-28

Day of death

1996-12-30 (88 years old)

Place of Birth

Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

Lew Ayres

Biography

Lew Ayres was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota and raised in San Diego, California. A college dropout, he was found by a talent scout in the Coconut Grove nightclub in Los Angeles and entered Hollywood as a bit player. He was leading man to Greta Garbo in The Kiss (1929), but it was the role of Paul Baumer in All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) that was his big break. He was profoundly affected by the anti-war message of that film, and when, in 1942, the popular star of Young Dr. Kildare (1938) and subsequent Dr. Kildare films was drafted, he was a conscientious objector. America was outraged, and theaters vowed never to show his films again, but quietly he achieved the Medical Corps status he had requested, serving as a medic under fire in the South Pacific and as a chaplain's aid in New Guinea and the Phillipines. His return to film after the war was undistinguished until Johnny Belinda (1948) - his role as the sympathetic physician treating the deaf-mute Jane Wyman won him an Academy Award nomination as Best Actor. Subsequent movie roles were scarce; an opportunity to play Dr. Kildare in television was aborted when the network refused to honor his request for no cigarette sponsorship. He continued to act, but in the 1970s put his long experience into a project to bring to the west the philosophy of the East - the resulting film, Altars of the World (1976), while not a box-office success, won critical acclaim and a Golden Globe Award. Lew Ayres died in Los Angeles, California on December 30, 1996, just two days after his 88th birthday.

Known For

  • Columbo

    Columbo

  • The Love Boat

    The Love Boat

  • Knots Landing

    Knots Landing

  • The Virginian

    The Virginian

  • The A-Team

    The A-Team

  • Little House on the Prairie

    Little House on the Prairie

  • Quincy, M.E.

    Quincy, M.E.

  • Hawaii Five-O

    Hawaii Five-O

  • Hawaii Five-O

    Hawaii Five-O

  • Hawaii Five-O

    Hawaii Five-O

  • My Three Sons

    My Three Sons

  • Magnum, P.I.

    Magnum, P.I.

  • Hotel

    Hotel

  • Simon & Simon

    Simon & Simon

  • Climax!

    Climax!

  • Trapper John, M.D.

    Trapper John, M.D.

  • The Big Valley

    The Big Valley

  • The Big Valley

    The Big Valley

  • Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre

    Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre

  • Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre

    Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre

  • Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre

    Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre

  • Highway to Heaven

    Highway to Heaven

  • Route 66

    Route 66

  • Ben Casey

    Ben Casey

  • The F.B.I.

    The F.B.I.

  • Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law

    Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law

  • L.A. Law

    L.A. Law

  • Cagney & Lacey

    Cagney & Lacey

  • The Mary Tyler Moore Show

    The Mary Tyler Moore Show

  • Fame

    Fame

  • Kraft Suspense Theatre

    Kraft Suspense Theatre

  • Gunsmoke

    Gunsmoke

  • Omnibus

    Omnibus

  • Laramie

    Laramie

  • The Streets of San Francisco

    The Streets of San Francisco

  • The Bionic Woman

    The Bionic Woman

  • McMillan & Wife

    McMillan & Wife

  • Wonder Woman

    Wonder Woman

  • Battlestar Galactica

    Battlestar Galactica

  • The Barbara Stanwyck Show

    The Barbara Stanwyck Show

  • Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse

    Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse

  • Here Come the Brides

    Here Come the Brides

  • The DuPont Show with June Allyson

    The DuPont Show with June Allyson

  • All Quiet on the Western Front

    All Quiet on the Western Front

  • Cavalcade of America

    Cavalcade of America

  • Screen Director's Playhouse

    Screen Director's Playhouse

  • Finder of Lost Loves

    Finder of Lost Loves

  • The Capture

    The Capture

  • Damien - Omen II

    Damien - Omen II

  • ABC Stage 67

    ABC Stage 67

  • Battle for the Planet of the Apes

    Battle for the Planet of the Apes

  • Bus Stop

    Bus Stop

  • The Magician

    The Magician

  • Salem's Lot

    Salem's Lot

  • Checking Out: Grand Hotel

    Checking Out: Grand Hotel

  • Heatwave!

    Heatwave!

  • The Spirit of Notre Dame

    The Spirit of Notre Dame

  • Earth II

    Earth II

  • The Fantastic Journey

    The Fantastic Journey

  • Holiday

    Holiday

  • Young Dr. Kildare

    Young Dr. Kildare

  • Advise & Consent

    Advise & Consent

  • Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker

    Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker

  • Up for Murder

    Up for Murder

  • Spring Tonic

    Spring Tonic

  • Flying High

    Flying High

  • Hawkins

    Hawkins

  • Suddenly, Love

    Suddenly, Love

  • Broadway Serenade

    Broadway Serenade

  • Battlestar Galactica

    Battlestar Galactica

  • The Ice Follies of 1939

    The Ice Follies of 1939

  • Dr. Kildare Goes Home

    Dr. Kildare Goes Home

  • Johnny Belinda

    Johnny Belinda

  • Calling Dr. Kildare

    Calling Dr. Kildare

  • The Secret of Dr. Kildare

    The Secret of Dr. Kildare

  • Hollywood: Style Center of the World

    Hollywood: Style Center of the World

  • Saints and Sinners

    Saints and Sinners

  • The Stranger

    The Stranger

  • Slattery's People

    Slattery's People

  • Night World

    Night World

  • Let’s Be Ritzy

    Let’s Be Ritzy

  • A New Romance of Celluloid: The Miracle of Sound

    A New Romance of Celluloid: The Miracle of Sound

  • East Is West

    East Is West

  • The Carpetbaggers

    The Carpetbaggers

  • Many a Slip

    Many a Slip

  • Cocoon

    Cocoon

  • Francis Gary Powers: The True Story of the U-2 Spy Incident

    Francis Gary Powers: The True Story of the U-2 Spy Incident

  • Of Mice and Men

    Of Mice and Men

  • From the Ends of the Earth

    From the Ends of the Earth

  • Don Camillo

    Don Camillo

  • The Biscuit Eater

    The Biscuit Eater

  • Shakedown

    Shakedown

  • Maisie Was a Lady

    Maisie Was a Lady

  • The Dark Mirror

    The Dark Mirror

  • Dr. Kildare's Victory

    Dr. Kildare's Victory

  • King of the Newsboys

    King of the Newsboys

  • The Way of Peace

    The Way of Peace

  • Dr. Kildare's Strange Case

    Dr. Kildare's Strange Case

  • Remember?

    Remember?

  • One Against Many

    One Against Many

  • The Leathernecks Have Landed

    The Leathernecks Have Landed

  • Servants' Entrance

    Servants' Entrance

  • New Mexico

    New Mexico

  • End of the World

    End of the World

  • The Interns

    The Interns

  • Scandal Street

    Scandal Street

  • Donovan's Brain

    Donovan's Brain

  • The Story of Noah

    The Story of Noah

  • MGM: When the Lion Roars

    MGM: When the Lion Roars

  • Blow-Ups of 1946

    Blow-Ups of 1946

  • Okay, America!

    Okay, America!

  • Spring Madness

    Spring Madness

  • Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

    Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

  • State Fair

    State Fair

  • Heaven on Earth

    Heaven on Earth

  • Lime Street

    Lime Street

  • The Man

    The Man

  • Hart to Hart: Crimes of the Hart

    Hart to Hart: Crimes of the Hart

  • The Impatient Maiden

    The Impatient Maiden

  • Dr. Kildare's Wedding Day

    Dr. Kildare's Wedding Day

  • The Kiss

    The Kiss

  • Iron Man

    Iron Man

  • Panic on the Air

    Panic on the Air

  • The Sophomore

    The Sophomore

  • Hold 'Em Navy

    Hold 'Em Navy

  • Don't Bet on Love

    Don't Bet on Love

  • No Escape

    No Escape

  • Reunion

    Reunion

  • Outlaws

    Outlaws

  • San Francisco International Airport

    San Francisco International Airport

  • Silk Hat Kid

    Silk Hat Kid

  • The Unfaithful

    The Unfaithful

  • Murder with Pictures

    Murder with Pictures

  • The Crime Nobody Saw

    The Crime Nobody Saw

  • She Waits

    She Waits

  • Dr. Kildare's Crisis

    Dr. Kildare's Crisis

  • The Last Train from Madrid

    The Last Train from Madrid

  • That's Entertainment, Part II

    That's Entertainment, Part II

  • Rich Man, Poor Girl

    Rich Man, Poor Girl

  • My Weakness

    My Weakness

  • The Family Nobody Wanted

    The Family Nobody Wanted

  • The Questor Tapes

    The Questor Tapes

  • Marcus Welby, M.D.: A Matter of Humanities

    Marcus Welby, M.D.: A Matter of Humanities

  • Fingers at the Window

    Fingers at the Window

  • Kung Fu

    Kung Fu

  • The Doorway to Hell

    The Doorway to Hell

  • Under Siege

    Under Siege

  • The Cohens and Kellys in Hollywood

    The Cohens and Kellys in Hollywood

  • Big News

    Big News

  • The Golden Fleecing

    The Golden Fleecing

  • The Lottery Lover

    The Lottery Lover

  • The Ken Murray Show

    The Ken Murray Show

  • Dr. Kildare (Unaired Pilot)

    Dr. Kildare (Unaired Pilot)

  • Salem's Lot 1979

    Salem's Lot 1979

  • Letters from Frank

    Letters from Frank

  • These Glamour Girls

    These Glamour Girls

  • Bruised Celluloid

    Bruised Celluloid

  • Common Clay

    Common Clay

  • The People Vs. Dr. Kildare

    The People Vs. Dr. Kildare

  • She Learned About Sailors

    She Learned About Sailors

  • Cast the First Stone

    Cast the First Stone

  • Lady Be Careful

    Lady Be Careful

  • Cross Country Cruise

    Cross Country Cruise