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'Edward Albert Heimberger' (April 22, 1906 – May 26, 2005) was a popular Oscar and Emmy Award-nominated American stage, film, character actor, gardener, and humanitarian activist, perhaps best known for playing Bing Edwards in the ''Brother Rat'' films, or for his role in the 1960s television comedy ''Green Acres''. He was nominated for Oscars in 1954 for his performance in ''Roman Holiday'' and in 1973 for ''The Heartbreak Kid''. In an acting career that spanned nearly seven decades, two of his better known television roles were Oliver Wendell Douglas on the popular 1960s sitcom, ''Green Acres'', and Frank MacBride on the popular 1970s crime drama, ''Switch''. He also had a recurring role as Carlton Travis on ''Falcon Crest'', opposite Jane Wyman.

Contents

Early life

Career

World War II

Prolific character actor

Stage actor

1950s and 1960s movie career

Television series

''Green Acres''

''Switch''

Later film work

Later television work

Hobbies and Activism

Private life

Death

Quotes

Filmography

References

External links

Early life

Edward Albert Heimberger was born on April 22, 1906 in Rock Island, Illinois. His year of birth was frequently shown as 1908, but this is incorrect. While many Hollywood figures have often given years of birth later than their true ones (in order to present themselves as being younger than they are), the motivation in this case was that Albert's parents were unmarried when Albert was born, but had married by 1908. His mother altered his birth certificate to 1908 at some point. Albert was the oldest of five children born to Christian German immigrants Frank Heimberger, a real estate agent, and Julia Heimberger, a stay-at-home mother.
Just one year after he was born, Albert and his family moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota. They had a difficult time adjusting to life in the city, and tempers flared between Eddie and his family. When he was 6, he was forced to get his first job as a newspaper boy. During World War I, he was taunted as "the enemy" by his classmates in the third grade. At age 14, he enrolled at Central High School where he joined the school's Drama Department. His interests were restricted to the stage, but he had a strong appetite for reading—everything from philosophy to science. After graduation from high school in 1924, he entered The University of Minnesota where he majored in business, and subsequently looked for a business job. However, all that changed when the stock market crashed in 1929. He then took several odd jobs such as an amateur singer, a trapeze performer, an insurance salesman, and a nightclub singer.
Albert dropped his last name "Heimberger", because it was almost invariably mangled into "Hamburger", changing his name to Eddie Albert. In 1933, he traveled to New York City, where he co-hosted on the popular radio show, ''The Honeymooners — Grace and Eddie Show'', which ran for three years. Due to his popularity on the radio show, in 1936 he was offered a film contract by Warner Bros..

Career

In the 1930s Albert performed in Broadway stage productions, including ''Brother Rat'', which opened in 1936. He had lead roles in ''Room Service'' (1937-1938) and ''The Boys from Syracuse'' (1938-1939). In 1936, Albert had also become one of the earliest television actors, performing live in RCA's first television broadcast, a promotion for their New York City radio stations.
In 1938, he made his feature film debut in the Hollywood version of Brother Rat with Ronald Reagan and Jane Wyman, reprising his Broadway role as cadet "Bing" Edwards. His contract with Warner Bros. was abruptly terminated in 1941, purportedly because of an affair he was having with studio head Jack L. Warner's wife. (Warner had previously pulled him off a picture as it was being shot and kept him under contract for a period afterwards primarily as a way of preventing him from getting other work). The next year, he starred in ''On Your Toes,'' adapted for the screen from the Broadway smash by the "hot" playwright of the day Lawrence Riley ''et al''. Another example of the pictures he was doing during this period is ''Treat 'Em Rough'' (1942) with William Frawley and Peggy Moran, in which he played a boxer called "the Panama Kid."

World War II

Albert served as a lieutenant in the United States Navy in the Pacific during World War II. A genuine war hero, he was awarded the Bronze Star for his actions during the Battle of Tarawa in 1943, when, as a landing ship pilot, he rescued 70 wounded Marines while under heavy enemy machine-gun fire. He later described some of these events during a short interview in a segment of a program about the war, which appeared on the History Channel. Albert returned from the war a different actor with a darker screen persona, although it would take another ten years before he became better known to audiences.

Prolific character actor

Since 1948, Albert enjoyed being both a popular and beloved character actor, and guest-starred in over 90 TV series. He made his guest-starring debut on an episode of ''The Ford Theatre Hour''. This part led to other roles such as ''The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre'', ''Suspense'', ''Lights Out'', ''Somerset Maugham TV Theatre'', ''Schlitz Playhouse of Stars'', ''Studio One'', ''Danger'', ''The Philco Television Playhouse'', ''The Phillip Morris Playhouse'', ''Your Show of Shows'', ''General Electric Theater'', ''Front Row Center'', and ''The Alcoa Hour'', among others. He also starred as lawyer, Oliver Wendell Douglas, on ''Green Acres'', a Spin-off of ''Petticoat Junction'', in 1965.

Stage actor

The 1950s also saw a return to Broadway for Albert, including roles in ''Miss Liberty'' (1949-1950) and ''The Seven Year Itch'' (ran 1952-1955). In 1960, Albert replaced Robert Preston in the lead role of Professor Harold Hill, in the Broadway production of The Music Man. Albert also did some Regional Theater. He performed at The Muny Theater in St. Louis, Mo. in roles like Harold Hill in The Music Man in 1966 and Alfred P. Doolittle in My Fair Lady in 1968.

1950s and 1960s movie career

The 1950s saw Albert appear in film roles, such as Lucille Ball's husband in ''The Fuller Brush Girl'' (1950) and a traveling salesman in ''Carrie'' (1952). He was nominated for his first Oscar as Best Supporting Actor with ''Roman Holiday'' (1953). In ''Oklahoma!'' (1955), he played a womanizing peddler, and in ''Who's Got the Action?'' (1962), he portrayed a lawyer helping his partner (Dean Martin) cope with a gambling addiction. He appeared in several military roles, including ''The Longest Day'' (1962), about the Normandy Invasion. The film ''Attack!'' (1956) provided Albert with his most serious role as a cowardly, psychotic Army captain whose behavior threatens the safety of his company, including a wounded lieutenant played by Jack Palance. In a similar vein he played a psychotic United States Army Air Force colonel in ''Captain Newman, MD'', opposite Gregory Peck.

Television series

''Green Acres''

In 1965, after turning down the lead roles in ''Mister Ed'' and ''My Three Sons'', Albert was approached by producer Paul Henning to star in a new sitcom for CBS called, ''Green Acres''. His character, Oliver Wendell Douglas, was a lawyer who wanted to leave his busy city life to enjoy a simple life as a farmer. Co-starring on the show was Eva Gabor, who had good chemistry with Eddie. Also starring on the show were a bunch of familiar actors (who are currently surviving stars after Albert's death in 2005): Frank Cady, who played the role of storekeeper Sam Drucker (also a recurring role on its parent show, ''Petticoat Junction''); Sid Melton, who had a recurring role as the incompetent carpenter Alf Monroe; and Mary Grace Canfield, who also had a recurring role as Alf's sister, Ralph Monroe. Unfamiliar actor Tom Lester was cast in the role of Oliver's and Lisa's farmhand, Eb Dawson, who also called them his parents.
The show was an immediate hit, achieving fifth place in the ratings in its first season. By 1971, ''Green Acres'' was still reasonably popular, but was cancelled when CBS decided to discontinue their lineup of rural-themed programs due to changing tastes and because they were sensitive to the fact that they had been disparagingly referred to in the press as the "Country Broadcasting System".

''Switch''

After a four-year-absence from the small screen, and upon reaching age 69 in 1975, Albert starred in the popular 1970s adventure/crime drama, ''Switch'' for CBS, about a retired police officer who chooses to work as a private detective with a former criminal. Co-starring on the show was another veteran movie, television star and a devoted fan of Albert's, Robert Wagner, who played Albert's TV ex-con man and friendly partner, Det. Pete T. Ryan, a very young unfamiliar actress Sharon Gless (who previously co-starred on ''Marcus Welby, M.D.'') as Frank's and Pete's classy and charismatic receptionist Maggie, and New York comedian Charlie Callas played the role of Pete's and Frank's restaurant owner, Malcolm Argos, who was a thief and con man, and the entire cast got along great with Albert. During its first season ''Switch'' was a hit. By late 1976, the show became more serious and traditional, as ''Switch's storylines turned into a crime drama, whose shows played second-only to: ''Hawaii Five-O'', ''Kojak'', ''McMillan and Wife'', ''The Rockford Files'', ''Police Woman'', ''The Streets of San Francisco'', among many other detective series. At the end of its third season in 1978, ratings were beginning to drop, and the show was cancelled after 68 episodes.
Long before Wagner co-starred with Albert on ''Switch'', he said of his idol and friend about a movie he watched as a mere eight-year-old, "The first impression I ever had of Eddie, when I was a kid and went to see 'Brother Rat', and he was absolutely fantastic in that picture. His humor and his wit and the things that he did were so profound for that time as they kept growing and growing." Robert also said during his tenure on ''Switch'', "It was an interesting premise: I was always doing it in an illegitimate way and he was doing it in a legitimate way. He always was striving to do better and more and take another look at it, and approached it in a different way, and I learned a lot from him. He was one of the highlights of my life, because I liked him so much. We became friends as it was a much joyful experience." The following year, after the demise of ''Switch'', Wagner would be reunited with Albert for one last time to star in '', before he went on to gain greater fame starring in the successful 1980s crime drama, ''Hart to Hart''. In addition, Margo's death in 1985, grew Albert & Wagner very stronger, as he was one of the people to pass his condolences to the grief-stricken star, who lost his beloved wife. After the show's cancellation, Wagner kept in touch with him for the next 27 years until Albert's death.

Later film work

In 1972, Albert resumed his film career and was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as an overprotective father, in ''The Heartbreak Kid'' (1972) and delivered a memorable performance as an evil prison warden in 1974's The Longest Yard. He was reunited with former ''Switch'' co-star (Robert Wagner) in the movie '', and also appeared in such '80s films as ''How to Beat the High Co$t of Living'' (1980), ''Yesterday'' (1981), ''Take This Job and Shove It'' (1981), ''Goliath Awaits'' (1981 TV movie), ''Yes, Giorgio'' (1982), and as the president in ''Dreamscape'' (1984). His final film role was as the chairman in ''Head Office'' (1985).

Later television work

In the mid-1980s, Albert was known for endorsing the popular ''public service'' message, the National Arbor Day Foundation, and was reunited with longtime friend and co-star of the ''Brother Rat'' and ''An Angel from Texas'' movies, Jane Wyman, in a recurring role as the villainous Carlton Travis in the popular 1980s soap opera, ''Falcon Crest''. He also guest starred on a popular episode of the 80s television series, Highway to Heaven, and in 1990 he reunited with Eva Gabor for a ''Return To Green Acres''. In 1993, he guest starred for several episodes on the popular ABC daytime soap opera ''General Hospital'' as Jack Boland.

Hobbies and Activism

Albert's hobbies included boating, jogging, swimming, winemaking, beekeeping, sculpting, organic gardening and world travel. He was an outspoken environmental and humanitarian activist, supporting issues such as creating of gardens in inner cities. He was one of the first people to call for a ban on the pesticide DDT.
In 1969, he and his son (Edward Albert), sailed to Anacapa Island off the coast of California, to examine the effects of DDT on the pelican population.
Albert helped to launch the first Earth Day in 1970, which was designated on April 22, partly in honor of his birthday. He was also a special consultant at the World Hunger Conference in Rome in 1974, and a director to the U.S. Commission on Refugees.

Private life

Albert married actress María Marguerita Guadalupe Boldao y Castilla O'Donnell (better known by her stage name Margo) on December 5 1945, and they remained together until her death of a brain tumor on July 17 1985.
Eddie and Margo Albert lived in Pacific Palisades, California. Their home was described as unpretentious. It was a Spanish-style house on an acre of land with a cornfield in the front yard. Eddie grew organic vegetables in a greenhouse he had in the back yard, and fondly remembered how his parents had a "liberty garden" at home during the First World War.
The Alberts had two children — Edward and Maria.

★ Edward Albert (1951-2006) was an actor, musician, singer, and linguist. He put his acting career aside for eight years to care for his father in his last years. He died at age 55, only one year after his father.

★ His adopted daughter, Maria Albert Zucht, who is married and has one daughter, Mia, worked as her father's business manager.
Eddie Albert suffered from Alzheimer's disease in his last years. Although unusual for Alzheimer's patients, he exercised regularly until shortly before his death.

Death

On May 26 2005, he died of pneumonia at the age of 99 at his home in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, California. He was interred at Westwood Memorial Park in Los Angeles, California, next to his wife, Margo and his ''Green Acres'' co-star Eva Gabor. Eddie's family was joined by many mourners at a private funeral, including Nanette Fabray, Shirley Jones, Jane Wyman, Robert Wagner, Charlie Callas, Sharon Gless, and several of Eddie's ''Green Acres'' co-stars, including Sid Melton, Mary Grace Canfield, and Frank Cady. Tom Lester did not attend the funeral due to other commitments (Eddie once stated that Tom Lester was his favorite actor and close friend).
Eddie Albert has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6441 Hollywood Boulevard.

Quotes

Eddie: "I don't really care how I am remembered as long as I bring happiness and joy to people." (Source: IMDB.com)
Eddie, in a personal journal: "By the time I leave this Earth, I hope to have improved our relationships here and now, so that in the next generation my son, daughter and friends have my shoulders on which to stand, so it's easier to make their contribution." (Source: ABC News)
Eddie about about his goals: "I always thought I was a singer, but I really am not." (Source: BrainyQuote.com)
Eddie: "Right now in California, we gain 40,000 new acres of desert every year, with all the building and the people coming in... housing going up like crazy." (Source: BrainyQuote.com)
Edward Jr. about his father: "With Papa, the thing that was most important was the quality of love and, almost equal to love, growth. Since I was little, he emphasized growth. That's something he passed on to me." (Source: Grandtimes.com)
Eddie: "What's the most important thing in the world? It's love, and I look at that as an energy, not a sentiment." (Source: BrainyQuote.com)
Eddie on why he accepted the role on ''Green Acres'': "Everyone gets tired of the rat race. Everyone would like to chuck it all and grow some carrots. It's basic. Sign me. I knew it would be successful. Had to be. It's about the atavistic urge, and people have been getting a charge out of that ever since Aristophanes wrote about the plebes and the city folk." (Source: IMDB.com)

Filmography

★ ''Brother Rat'' (1938)

★ ''On Your Toes'' (1939)

★ ''Four Wives'' (1939)

★ ''Brother Rat and a Baby'' (1940)

★ ''An Angel from Texas'' (1940)

★ ''My Love Came Back'' (1940)

★ ''A Dispatch from Reuters'' (1940)

★ ''The Great Mr. Nobody'' (1941)

★ ''Four Mothers'' (1941)

★ ''The Wagons Roll at Night'' (1941)

★ ''Thieves Fall Out'' (1941)

★ ''Out of the Fog'' (1941)

★ ''Treat 'Em Rough'' (1942)

★ ''Eagle Squadron'' (1942)

★ ''Lady Bodyguard'' (1943)

★ ''Ladies' Day'' (1943)

★ ''Bombardier'' (1943)

★ '' (1943) (short subject)

★ ''Strange Voyage'' (1946)

★ ''Rendezvous with Annie'' (1946)

★ ''The Perfect Marriage'' (1947)

★ ''Hit Parade of 1947'' (1947)

★ '' (1947)

★ ''Time Out of Mind'' (1947)

★ ''Unconquered'' (1947) (scenes deleted)

★ ''The Dude Goes West'' (1948)

★ ''You Gotta Stay Happy'' (1948)

★ ''Every Girl Should Be Married'' (1948) (cameo)

★ ''The Fuller Brush Girl'' (1950)

★ ''You're in the Navy Now'' (1951)

★ ''Meet Me After the Show'' (1951)

★ ''Actors and Sin'' (1952)

★ ''Carrie'' (1952)

★ ''Roman Holiday'' (1953)

★ ''The Girl Rush'' (1955)

★ ''Oklahoma!'' (1955)

★ ''I'll Cry Tomorrow'' (1955)

★ ''Operation Teahouse'' (1956) (short subject)

★ ''Attack!'' (1956)

★ ''The Teahouse of the August Moon'' (1956)

★ ''The Sun Also Rises'' (1957)

★ ''The Joker Is Wild'' (1957)

★ ''Orders to Kill'' (1958)

★ ''The Roots of Heaven'' (1958)

★ ''The Gun Runners'' (1958)

★ ''Beloved Infidel'' (1959)

★ ''The Young Doctors'' (1961)

★ ''Madison Avenue'' (1962)

★ ''The Longest Day'' (1962)

★ ''Who's Got the Action?'' (1962)

★ ''The Two Little Bears'' (1963)

★ ''Miracle of the White Stallions'' (1963)

★ ''Captain Newman, M.D.'' (1963)

★ ''The Party's Over'' (1965)

★ ''7 Women'' (1966)

★ ''The Heartbreak Kid'' (1972)

★ ''The Longest Yard'' (1974)

★ ''McQ'' (1974)

★ ''The Take'' (1974)

★ ''Escape to Witch Mountain'' (1975)

★ ''The Devil's Rain'' (1975)

★ ''Whiffs'' (1975)

★ ''Hustle'' (1975)

★ ''Moving Violation'' (1976)

★ ''Birch Interval'' (1977)

★ ''The Border'' (1979)

★ '' (1979)

★ ''How to Beat the High Co$t of Living'' (1980)

★ ''Foolin' Around'' (1980)

★ ''Yesterday'' (1981)

★ ''Take This Job and Shove It'' (1981)

★ ''Goliath Awaits'' (1981 TV movie)

★ ''The Act'' (1982)

★ ''Yes, Giorgio'' (1982)

★ ''Dreamscape'' (1984)

★ ''Stitches (movie)'' (1985)

★ ''Head Office'' (1985)

★ ''Turnaround'' (1987)

★ ''Brenda Starr'' (1989)

★ ''The Big Picture'' (1989) (Cameo)

★ ''thirtysomething'' (1989)

★ ''General Hospital'' (1993)

★ ''Headless!'' (1994) (short subject)

★ ''Death Valley Memories'' (1994) (documentary) (narrator)

References

★ Eddie Albert

★ Eddie Albert

External links

★

★ A 1996 Interview

★ Eddie Albert mini-bio