Leon Ames

Leon Ames (born Harry Leon Wycoff; January 20, 1902 – October 12, 1993) was an American film and television actor. He is best remembered for playing father figures in such films as Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), Little Women (1949), On Moonlight Bay (1951), and By the Light of the Silvery Moon (1953). His best-known dramatic role may have been in the crime film The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946).

Leon Ames (born Harry Leon Wycoff; January 20, 1902 – October 12, 1993) was an American film and television actor. He is best remembered for playing father figures in such films as Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), Little Women (1949), On Moonlight Bay (1951), and By the Light of the Silvery Moon (1953). His best-known dramatic role may have been in the crime film The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946).

Early years

Leon Ames was born Harry Leon Wycoff on January 20, 1902, in Portland, Indiana, to Charles Elmer Wycoff and Cora Alice (DeMoss) Wycoff. Some sources list his original last name as Wykoff or Waycoff, and in his early films, he acted under the name of Leon Waycoff. In 1935, Ames explained that he had changed his name because Waycoff was often misspelled and mispronounced. Ames was his mother's maiden name. In the 1910 census, when his family was residing in Fowler, Indiana, Ames' name was given as Harry L. Wycoff and his father was listed as a manager of a meat market. During World War I, Ames served in the field artillery of the U.S. Army and later in the flying corps (the Army Air Service).

Stage

Ames' involvement with entertainment began when he worked as a stage manager for the Charles K. Champlin Theatre Company. He ventured into acting with the group and progressed to the lead in a production of Tomorrow and Tomorrow in Los Angeles. He acted for three years with the Stuart Walker Stock Company in Cincinnati. Ames debuted on Broadway in It Pays to Sin (1933). His other Broadway credits include Howie (1958), Winesburg, Ohio, (1958), Slightly Married (1943), The Russian People (1942), Little Darling (1942), Guest in the House (1942), The Land Is Bright (1941), The Male Animal (1940), Thirsty Soil (1937), A House in the Country (1937), and Bright Honor (1936).

Personal life

Ames was the father of Robert Fletcher, who was left with his mother when Ames and she split up in 1923. Ames wed actress Christine Gossett in 1938. The couple had a daughter, Shelley (b. 1940), and a son, Leon (b. 1943). Christine retired early from acting to raise their family. They remained married until Ames' death in 1993. Ames supported Barry Goldwater in the 1964 United States presidential election.

Kidnapping

On February 12, 1964, Ames and his wife were held hostage in their home by an intruder who demanded $50,000 before he would free them. Ames called his business partner, who obtained the money from a bank and delivered it to the house as instructed. After inspecting the cash, the kidnapper left Ames in the house, bound with tape, and instructed Mrs. Ames to drive him in the couple's car. He also forced both the business partner and a guest in the Ames house into the trunk. Eventually, police (who had been alerted by the partner while he was picking up the money) surrounded the car and freed the hostages.

Filmography

Quick Millions (1931) as Hood (as Leon Waycoff) Cannonball Express (1932) as Jack Logan (as Leon Waycoff) Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932) as Pierre Dupin (as Leon Waycoff) Stowaway (1932) as Tommy (as Leon Waycoff) State's Attorney (1932) as First Trial Prosecutor (uncredited) The Famous Ferguson Case (1932) as Judd Brooks (as Leon Waycoff) Thirteen Women (1932) (scenes cut) A Successful Calamity (1932) as Barney Davis - Witon's Junior Associate (as Leon Waycoff) That's My Boy (1932) as Al Williams (as Leon Waycoff) Uptown New York (1932) as Max Silver (as Leon Waycoff) Silver Dollar (1932) as Yates' Secretary (uncredited) Parachute Jumper (1933) as Pilot with Alabama (uncredited) Forgotten (1933) as Louie Strauss (as Leon Waycoff) Alimony Madness (1933) as John Thurman (as Leon Waycoff) The Man Who Dared (1933) as (as Leon Waycoff) Ship of Wanted Men (1933) as Capt. John Holden (as Leon Waycoff) Only Yesterday (1933) as Lee (uncredited) The Crosby Case (1934) as Clifford Mulford (uncredited) I'll Tell the World (1934) as Spud Marshall (as Leon Waycoff) Now I'll Tell (1934) as Max (as Leon Waycoff) The Count of Monte Cristo (1934) as Beauchamp (uncredited) Mutiny Ahead (1935) as McMurtrie Rescue Squad (1935) as Lester Vaughn (as Leon Waycoff) Reckless (1935) as Ralph Watson (as Leon Waycoff) Strangers All (1935) as Frank Walker Get That Man (1935) as Don Clayton / McDonald (as Leon Waycoff) Death in the Air (1936) as Carl Goering Song of Revolt (1937, Short) as Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle Soak the Poor (1937, Short) as Special Investigator Stanton Charlie Chan on Broadway (1937) as Buzz Moran Dangerously Yours (1937) as Phil Murder in Greenwich Village (1937) as Rodney Hunter 45 Fathers (1937) as Vincent The Spy Ring (1938) as Frank Denton International Settlement (1938) as Monte Silvers Walking Down Broadway (1938) as Frank Gatty Bluebeard's Eighth Wife (1938) as Ex-Chauffeur (uncredited) Island in the Sky (1938) as Marty Butler Come On, Leathernecks! (1938) as Otto Wagner / Baroni Mysterious Mr. Moto (1938) as Paul Brissac Suez (1938) as Napoleon III - Emperor of France Cipher Bureau (1938) as Maj. Philip Waring Strange Faces (1938) as Joe Gurney Secrets of a Nurse (1938) as Joe Largo Mr. Sheldon Goes to Town (1939 short) as Salesman Risky Business (1939) as Hinge Jackson Blackwell's Island (1939) as County Prosecutor Ballinger (uncredited) I Was a Convict (1939) as Jackson Panama Patrol (1939) as Maj. Phillip Waring Mr. Moto in Danger Island (1939) as Commissioner Madero Code of the Streets (1939) as "Chick" Foster Man of Conquest (1939) as John Hoskins Help Wanted (1939, Short) as J. T. Evans - Labor Commissioner (uncredited) Fugitive at Large (1939) as Carter Thunder Afloat (1939) as Recruiting Officer (uncredited) Calling All Marines (1939) as Murdock Pack Up Your Troubles (1939) as Adjutant The Marshal of Mesa City (1939) as Sheriff Jud Cronin Legion of Lost Flyers (1939) as Smythe East Side Kids (1940) as Pat O'Day No Greater Sin (1941) as Dr. Edward Cavanaugh Ellery Queen and the Murder Ring (1941) as John Stack Crime Doctor (1943) as William Wheeler The Iron Major (1943) as Robert 'Bob' Stewart Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944) as Lieut. Jurika The Thin Man Goes Home (1945) as Edgar Draque Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) as Mr. Alonzo Smith Between Two Women (1945) as Mr. Masters (uncredited) Fall Guy (1945 short) as Floyd Parkson Son of Lassie (1945) as Anton Anchors Aweigh (1945) as Admiral's Aide Week-End at the Waldorf (1945) as Henry Burton Yolanda and the Thief (1945) as Mr. Candle They Were Expendable (1945) as Major James Morton The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946) as Kyle Sackett No Leave, No Love (1946) as Colonel Elliott The Cockeyed Miracle (1946) as Ralph Humphrey The Show-Off (1946) as Frank Harlin The Great Morgan (1946) as K.F. Studio Exec Lady in the Lake (1947) as Derace Kingsby Undercover Maisie (1947) as Amor aka Willis Farnes Song of the Thin Man (1947) as Mitchell Talbin The Amazing Mr. Nordill (1947, Short) as Everett Nordill, aka Everton Merton of the Movies (1947) as Lawrence Rupert Alias a Gentleman (1948) as Matt Enley On an Island with You (1948) as Commander Harrison The Velvet Touch (1948) as Gordon Dunning A Date with Judy (1948) as Lucien T. Pringle Little Women (1949) as Mr. March Any Number Can Play (1949) as Dr. Palmer Scene of the Crime (1949) as Capt. A.C. Forster Battleground (1949) as The Chaplain Ambush (1950) as Maj. C.E. Breverly The Big Hangover (1950) as Carl Bellcap The Skipper Surprised His Wife (1950) as Dr. Philip Abbott Crisis (1950) as Sam Proctor The Happy Years (1950) as Samuel H. Stover - Sr. Dial 1119 (1950) as Earl Watch the Birdie (1950) as Grantland D. Farns On Moonlight Bay (1951) as George Winfield Cattle Drive (1951) as Chester Graham Sr. It's a Big Country (1951) as Secret Service Man Angel Face (1952) as Fred Barrett By the Light of the Silvery Moon (1953) as George Winfield Let's Do It Again (1953) as Chet Stuart Sabre Jet (1953) as Lt. Col. George Eckert Engagement Party (1956 short) as Elliott Winston Peyton Place (1957) as Mr. Harrington From the Terrace (1960) as Samuel Eaton New Comedy Showcase (1960, TV series, Season 1 Episode 5: "Maggie") as Mark Bradley The Absent-Minded Professor (1961) as President Rufus Daggett Son of Flubber (1963) as President Rufus Daggett The Misadventures of Merlin Jones (1964) as Judge Holmsby / Lex Fortas The Monkey's Uncle (1965) as Judge Holmsby On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970) as Burt Clews Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970) as Frank Knox Toklat (1971) as Old Man / Narrator Hammersmith Is Out (1972) as General Sam Pembroke Brother of the Wind (1973) as Narrator (voice) The Meal (1975) as Bernard Wallace Kroger Timber Tramps (1975) as Deacon Sherlock Holmes in New York (1976, TV Movie) as Daniel Furman Claws (1977) as Ben Jones, Forest Commissioner The Best Place to Be (1979, TV Movie) as William Callahan Just You and Me, Kid (1979) as Manduke the Magnificent Testament (1983) as Henry Abhart Jake Speed (1986) as Pop Winston Peggy Sue Got Married (1986) as Barney Alvorg (final film role)

Partial television credits

Life with Father (1953–1955) as Clarence Day Sr. Westinghouse Studio One (1958), episode "Tongue of Angels" as Cyrus Walker General Electric Theater (1960), episode "Adam's Apples" as Malcolm Fownes Father of the Bride (1961–1962) as Stanley Banks Mister Ed (1963–1965) as Gordon Kirkwood The Beverly Hillbillies Season 5, Episodes 4 and 5 as Colonel Foxhall The Andy Griffith Show (Season 7, Episode 9, 1966) as Mr. Hampton My Three Sons (Season 9, Episode 2, 1968) as Dr. Osborne Bewitched (Season 6, Episode 21, 1970), episode "What Makes Darrin Run?" as Howard McMann The Ghost & Mrs. Muir (Season 2, Episode 24, 1970), episode "Wedding Day?????" as Bradford Williams The Jeffersons (Season 2, Episode 10, 1975) as Grandpa Willis in the episode “Jenny’s Grandparents.” Emergency! (Season 6, Episode 22, 1977) as Dr. Ned Tuttle in the episode "Upward and Onward" The Littlest Hobo (Season 1, Episode 8, 1979), episode "Heritage" as Jasper McGillicutty

See also

List of kidnappings

References

External links

Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1377319100 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.