Lew Ayres Biography

Fast Facts

• Served in the U․S․ Army during World War II as a noncombatant medic and chaplain's aide
• Studied Medicine at the University of Arizona, but he was more interested in music and played banjo in the school's orchestra
• Was discovered by talent scout Paul Bern while performing with a dance band at Cocoanut Grove in Hollywood
• Made his screen acting debut in the film "The Sophomore" in 1929
• Quote: "If I were young again, I don't think I'd be an actor․ I've met some wonderful people, and it made many things possible for me, but if I had it all to do over again, my field would be philosophy․"
• Quote: "(On the years after "All Quiet on the Western Front"): "Hollywood, quick to acclaim, soon washed its hands of me - and the snubs you get sliding down aren't nearly as pleasant as the smiles going up․""
• Best known for his role as Paul in "All Quiet on the Western Front" and as the title character in the "Dr․ Kildare" film series
• Wrote, produced, and narrated the documentary "Altars of the East" in 1954
• Was appointed to a three-year term on the U․S․ National Committee in 1957 by Secretary of State John Foster Dulles
• Douglas Fairbanks, Jr․ was originally meant to play his role in "All Quiet on the Western Front," but Fairbanks' studio wouldn't loan him out and he happened to take his screen test the same day dialogue director George Cukor got the news