Wendell Corey Biography

Fast Facts

• Was the president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences from 1961 to 1963
• Was a member of the board of directors of the Screen Actors Guild
• Was the master of ceremonies at the Republican National Conventions of 1956 and 1960
• Made an unsuccessful bid for the Republican nomination for a contested seat in Congress
• Met his future wife Alice Wiley while acting in the Works Progress Administration theater company
• Was born to Congregationalist clergyman Milton Rothwell Corey and mother Julia Etta McKenney
• Did a number of productions in summer stock early in his career
• Caught producer Hal Wallis's eye while playing a hardened newspaperman in "Dream Girl" on Broadway and took Wallis's advice to move to Hollywood
• Was known for his intensity and his commanding presence as an actor, playing magnetic businessmen, cowboys and gamblers
• In 1965, he was elected as a councilman in the Santa Monica City Council, a position he held until his death and used to promote parks and recreational areas