Biography

Hurd Hatfield

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William Rukard Hurd Hatfield was an American leading man best known for his portrayal of the title character in the Oscar-winning movie The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945). A native of New York, Hatfield came to England to study acting at the Chekhov Theatre Studio in Devonshire. He had resided in Ireland since the early 1970s. Despite numerous roles in scores of other movies, television and stage productions, he was forever associated with his starring role in the movie version of Oscar Wilde's classic novel.
- IMDb mini biography by: Anonymous

Became lifelong friends with Dame Angela Lansbury when they were making The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945) together; he appeared three times on her successful television series Murder, She Wrote (1984) and she convinced him to buy property close to hers in Ireland.
Hatfield eventually came to resent his having initially come to the public's attention playing the title role in The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945). He believed that the film was ahead of its time and that its undertones of narcissism and bisexuality typecast him and stymied his hopes for a successful career as a mainstream leading man.
Like Dorian Gray, Hurd Hatfield maintained a good, relatively youthful appearance well into his seventies. He credited this to the fact that he neither drank nor smoked and exercised regularly.
Always maintained that he preferred comedic to dramatic roles, and always regretted that he got to play in so few of them because he was typed as an elegant menace.
Years later, a friend of his bought the painting of young Dorian Gray that was used in the movie The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945) at an auction, and gave it to Hatfield.

You know, I was never a great beauty in (Dorian) Gray and I never understood why I got the part, and have spent my career regretting it.
I'm glad that The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945) found its audience, but for the longest time I worried that people wouldn't realize that for me Dorian Gray was a character part. That wasn't me!

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