Edward Andrews

Edward "Ed" Andrews (October 9, 1914 – March 8, 1985) played the role of Sam Jordan, a corrupt local land developer who attempts to offer Watts area Committe member Fred a bribe in order to block the committee from preventing him to build in the Watts district in the Sanford and Son episode titled "Committee Man" (Season #6, episode 7). Ed was arguably one of the most recognizable character actors on television and films between the 1950s and the 1980s. His stark white hair, portly build and horn-rimmed glasses added to the type of roles he received, as he was often cast as an ornery boss, a cagey businessman, or a strict disciplinarian of some type.

Biography

Life and career

Ed was born in Griffin, Georgia, the son of an Episcopal minister, and grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Cleveland, Ohio and Wheeling, West Virginia. As a child, he attended Pittsburgh's Nixon Theatre and would nab a balcony seat so as to catch a good view of the 'headliners'. At age 12, he did a walk-on in a stock theatre production which featured James Gleason and he was 'hooked' on an acting career.

Ed attended the University of Virginia, and at age 21, made his stage debut in 1935, progressing to Broadway by 1935. During this period, Andrews starred in the short-lived but very well received military drama "So Proudly We Hail" in the lead role opposite Richard Cromwell. In 1936, Andrews debuted in the film Rushin' Art. However, it was not until 1955 that he appeared in his second film. He was cast as the subversive and corrupt character of Rhett Tanner, head of a knock-them-off political machine, in The Phenix City Story.

Films

While Andrews' film acting career began in earnest in his forties, he was consistently typecast as a grandfatherly type, and thus he is most strongly associated with these roles in later films. Among his roles are those that are soft and friendly though Andrews was equally adept at portraying sleazy businessman types or sinister bureaucrats and officials.

Well-known films in which Andrews acted include Send Me No Flowers(1964) , with Doris Day and Rock Hudson, Advise and Consent (1962), The Harder They Fall (1956), The Young Savages (1961), Elmer Gantry (1960), in which he was memorable as George F. Babbitt, The Absent-Minded Professor and Son of Flubber (1963), in both of which he played the Defense Secretary, and Avanti!, in which he was a very convincing agent of the State Department. Among his other film credits are: Summertime (1955) with Katharine Hepburn; Tension at Table Rock (1956); The Harder They Fall (1956) with Humphrey Bogart; Tea and Sympathy (1956); Three Brave Men (1957); The Young Doctors (1961); Youngblood Hawke (1964); Good Neighbor Sam (1964); The Glass Bottom Boat (1966); "The Trouble with Girls with Elvis Presley (1969)"Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970) as Admiral Harold R. Stark; How to Frame a Figg (1971); Charley and the Angel (1973); and The Seniors (1978). In 1984, he played the character of Howard Baker in John Hughes' Sixteen Candles. He also appeared in Gremlins, filmed later the same year, which would be his final film.

Television roles

Ed also guested on many television series including: Thriller (U.S. TV series), Goodyear Television Playhouse, Hands of Mystery, The United States Steel Hour, Justice, Cheyenne, The Twilight Zone, The Eleventh Hour, Route 66, Naked City, Gunsmoke, Rawhide, Bonanza, Alias Smith and Jones, The Wild Wild West, The F.B.I., The Beverly Hillbillies, Sanford and Son, Ellery Queen, The Invaders, Bewitched, Hawaii Five-O, Charlie's Angels, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour and The Bob Newhart Show. He was a regular on the series: Broadside (1964–1965) as Commander Rogers Adrian. He played the character of Charley in the 1966 dramatization of Death of a Salesman, and constantly acted throughout the 1970s as Elton Dykstra on The Intruders, Ernest W. Stanley on The Man Who Came to Dinner, Mayor Chrisholm alongside Don Knotts in the 1971 film How to Frame a Figg, and Mayor Massey on The Whiz Kid and the Mystery at Riverton (1974). In 1968, he played a safecracker in a 4-part episode of I Dream of Jeannie. He played Conductor Harry Flood on the short-lived series Supertrain. He played Jack Tripper's grandfather in an episode of the ABC-TV sitcom series Three's Company.

Family and personal life

Ed and his wife Emily had two daughters and a son. He was an avid yachtsman and loved sailing. He died of a heart attack in Santa Monica, California, at the age of 70 and was cremated, his ashes scattered at sea.

External links

• Edward Andrews at the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)
• Edward Andrews at the Internet Broadway Database (IBDb)
• Edward Andrews at AllRovi
• Andrews at Find a Grave Memorial