- Born
- Died
- Birth nameWalter Myron McCormick
- American character actor of vast stage experience who appeared infrequently but memorably in films. A native of Albany, Indiana, he attended Princeton University, where he was an honors student and Phi Beta Kappa. In 1929, he joined the University Players in Massachusetts, joining and eventually sharing a New York City apartment with a trio of struggling performers: Henry Fonda, Joshua Logan, and James Stewart. While Fonda and Stewart found their greatest success in Hollywood, Logan and McCormick gravitated to and were most closely tied the New York stage. McCormick also became one of the busiest actors in radio drama. He made occasional movies, such as when the Broadway cast of Maxwell Anderson's "Winterset" reunited for the film version. He won fame as Luther Billis in Logan's production of "South Pacific" (the role was played by Ray Walston in the film) and as "Sergeant King" in No Time for Sergeants (1958) a part he repeated in the movie version. Cancer claimed him in 1962 at the age of 54.
- IMDb mini biography by: Jim Beaver <jumblejim@prodigy.net>
- SpousesBarbara MacKenzie(July 8, 1956 - July 30, 1962) (his death, 1 child)Martha Hodge(June 9, 1940 - ?) (divorced, 1 child)
- Was blacklisted by senator Joseph McCarthy.
- Was the only member of the original cast of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "South Pacific" to remain with the show for its entire Broadway run, playing the role of "Luther Billis" for 1,925 performances. When the curtain went down on the show for the last time, in 1953, McCormick led the cast and audience in singing "Auld Lang Syne."
- Awarded the 1950 Tony Award for Best Supporting or Featured Actor in a musical for his performance as Luther Billis in 'South Pacific.'.
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