Person Details

Birthday:

Aliases: High Ghere , William Aughe Ghere , Уилл Гир

Gender: Male

Place of birth: Frankfort, Indiana, USA

Homepage:

Movie Involvements: 59

TV Involvements: 13


Most Famous Work

Biography

​From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Will Geer (March 9, 1902 – April 22, 1978) was an American actor and social activist. His original name was William Aughe Ghere. He is remembered for his portrayal of Grandpa Zebulon Tyler Walton in the 1970s TV series, The Waltons.   Geer made his Broadway debut as Pistol in a 1928 production of Much Ado About Nothing, created the role of Mr. Mister in Marc Blitzstein's The Cradle Will Rock, played Candy in John Steinbeck's theatrical adaptation of his novella Of Mice and Men, and appeared in numerous plays and revues throughout the 1940s. From 1948 to 1951, he appeared in more than a dozen movies, including Winchester '73 (as Wyatt Earp), Broken Arrow, Comanche Territory (all 1950) and Bright Victory (1951). Geer became a member of the Communist Party of the United States in 1934. Geer was also influential in introducing Harry Hay to organizing in the Communist Party. In 1934, Geer and Hay gave support to a labor strike of the port of San Francisco; the 1934 West Coast waterfront strike which lasted 83 days. Though marred by violence, it was an organizing triumph, one that became a model for future union strikes Geer became a reader of the West Coast Communist newspaper People's World. Geer became a dedicated activist, touring government work camps in the 1930s with folk singers like Burl Ives and Woody Guthrie (whom he introduced to the People's World and the Daily Worker; Guthrie would go on to write a column for the latter paper). In 1956, the duo released an album together on Folkways Records, titled Bound for Glory: Songs and Stories of Woody Guthrie. In his biography, fellow organizer and homosexual rights pioneer Harry Hay described Geer's activism and outlined their activities while organizing for the strike. Geer is credited with introducing Guthrie to Pete Seeger at the 'Grapes of Wrath' benefit Geer organized in 1940 for migrant farm workers. Geer acted with the Group Theatre (New York) studying under Harold Clurman, Cheryl Crawford and Lee Strasberg. Geer also acted in radio, appearing as Mephistopheles (the Devil) in the 1938 and 1944 productions of Norman Corwin's The Plot to Overthrow Christmas. He also acted in the radio soap opera Bright Horizon. Geer was blacklisted in the early 1950s for refusing to testify before the House Committee on Un-American Activities. As a result, Geer appeared in very few films over the next decade. Among them was Salt of the Earth (1954) which was produced, directed, written, and starring blacklisted Hollywood personnel and told the story of a miners' strike in New Mexico from a pro-union standpoint. The film was denounced as "subversive" and faced difficulties in its production and distribution as a consequence. Description above from the Wikipedia article Will Geer, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Most Famous Work

The Invaders
Average
7

The Invaders

(1967) Hank Willis
Bonanza
Average
8

Bonanza

(1959) Zach Randolph
Hawaii Five-O
Average
7

Hawaii Five-O

(1968) Professor Harold Lochner
Gunsmoke
Average
7

Gunsmoke

(1955) Slocum
Columbo
Average
8

Columbo

(1971) Edmund Hidemann
Run for Your Life
Average
7

Run for Your Life

(1965) Judge David P. Andrews
The Waltons
Average
7

The Waltons

(1972) Grandfather Walton
Daniel Boone
Average
7

Daniel Boone

(1964) Adam Jarrett

Acting

Year Character Movie/Tv
2019 N/A
Narrator
2017 Self
1988 Self (archive footage)
1981 N/A
1979 Narrator
1978 Thomas Garrett
Narrator (voice)
Zom
Host
1977 Choo-Choo Trayne
Franklyn Bootherstone
N/A
N/A
1976 Rockfield
Pat Crowley
Grandfather
1975 Reverend Davis
N/A
Dr. Simpson
1974 Self
Dr. McCutcheon
Motel Manager
Crazy Jack
Judge Cotton
Nameless
N/A
1973 Ferguson
Len McNeil
N/A
Lemuel Lovell
Ben
Joel Ryker
J. Smiley Krenshaw
1972 N/A
Grandfather Walton
Bear Claw
Grandpa
Stan
Roy Jurroe
N/A
Justice Gilead Merton
1971 Edmund Hidemann
Doc Thomas
Simon Anderson
Seth
1970 Walt Peckinpah
The Bishop
Mike Patterson
Mr. Baylor
1969 Boss
N/A
N/A
Harry I. Madison
Mr. Kane
1968 Captain Charles Wolford
Professor Harold Lochner
Malcolm Stoddard
Pop Chaney
Candy
1967 Dr. Lee-Evan
Prosecutor
N/A
Giles Corey
Hank Willis
1966 Old Man
N/A
1965 Judge Lindemann
Judge David P. Andrews
1964 Adam Jarrett
N/A
Truckdriver
1962 Senate Minority Leader
1959 Ferris Callahan
Zach Randolph
1956 Self - Performer
Harry Robinson
1955 Slocum
1954 Sheriff
1951 Dan Paget - Miami Mayor / Postmaster
Homer Crowley
Mr. Nevins
N/A
Tom Botts
1950 Jack Mackay
Rancher
Convict Mapes
Wyatt Earp
William Musk - Father
Dan'l Seeger
O'Fallon
1949 Sheriff Hampton
Noah
Deputy Ray Covin
Schultzy
1948 Nick Driver
1940 Narrator (voice)
Ballou
1939 Foreman (uncredited)
1935 Spectator (uncredited)
1934 Poker Player (uncredited)
West Fry
1932 McMahon - Asylum Guard
Year Character Movie/Tv

Join the discussion

Please Log in to comment