Who is Gary Merrill?
Gary Fred Merrill was an American film and television actor. Among his numerous acting and television credits are over 50 feature films, six mostly brief TV series, and numerous guest appearances on television. In addition, he gained notoriety by marrying Bette Davis, with whom he had a co-starring role in the movie All About Eve.
On August 2, 1915, Merrill was born in Hartford, Connecticut. He attended Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, and Trinity College in Hartford. He debuted as an actor in the 1944 play Winged Victory while still serving in the US Army Air Forces.
Gary Merrill Wife
Merrill’s first marriage to Barbara Leeds ended in divorce in Mexico on July 28, 1950. On the same day, he got married to Bette Davis, his co-star in All About Eve.
Gary Merrill Children
Barbara Merrill, Davis’s daughter from a previous relationship, was adopted by Merrill. Two more children, Michael Merrill and Margot Merrill, were adopted by him and Bette Davis. Following Barbara Hyman’s book “My Mother’s Keeper” controversy, Merrill later cut off her relationship and declined to speak with her ever again.
Gary Merrill Net Worth
Gary Merrill’s estimated net worth at the time of his death was $1.5 million. His career as an actor had brought him a great deal of wealth.
Gary Merrill Death
At the age of 74, Merrill passed away in Falmouth, Maine on March 5, 1990 due to lung cancer. only five months following the passing of Bette Davis, his second ex-wife. His grave is located in Pine Grove Cemetery.
Gary Merrill Career
Before breaking into the movie business, Merrill’s deep, rich voice helped him land a recurring role as Batman in the Superman radio series. With roles in films like All About Eve (1950) and Twelve O’Clock High (1949), his acting career took off, but he rarely made it past supporting parts in his numerous Westerns, war films, and medical dramas. He played a detective and the love interest of Barbara Stanwyck’s character in the 1954 movie Witness to Murder.
He worked on television for a long time. He played Jason Tyler in the crime drama Justice from 1954 to 1956.
Except for the occasional narrator role, Merrill essentially stopped working in the entertainment industry after 1980. Shortly before he died, in 1989, he released his autobiography, Bette, Rita and the Rest of My Life.
He was active in politics on a regular basis and helped elect Edmund Muskie governor of Maine in 1958. He also took part in the 1965 marches from Selma to Montgomery, which were intended to boost Black voter turnout. He unsuccessfully campaigned against U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Vietnam War policy as an anti-war, pro-environment candidate for the Maine legislature.
