David Hedison facts for kids

Quick facts for kids David Hedison
Hedison at the Big Apple Convention in 2009
Born	Albert David Hedison Jr. (1927-05-20)May 20, 1927 Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.
Died	July 18, 2019(2019-07-18) (aged 92) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Other names	Al Hedison
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1949–2005
Spouse(s)	Bridget Mori Hedison ​ ​ (m. 1968; her death 2016)​
Children	2; including Alexandra

Albert David Hedison Jr. (born May 20, 1927 – died July 18, 2019) was an American actor. He worked in movies, on television, and on stage. Early in his career, he was known as Al Hedison. In 1959, he changed his name to David Hedison when he starred in the TV show Five Fingers.

David Hedison was famous for several roles. He played the main character in the horror film The Fly (1958). He was also Captain Lee Crane in the science fiction TV show Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea from 1964 to 1968. Many people also remember him as CIA agent Felix Leiter in two James Bond movies: Live and Let Die (1973) and Licence to Kill (1989).

Biography

Early Life and Acting Start

David Hedison was born in Providence, Rhode Island. His parents, Albert David Hedison Sr. and Rose Boghosian, were both Armenian. He decided to become an actor after watching Tyrone Power in the movie Blood and Sand.

He began acting at Brown University with a group called the Sock and Buskin Players. Later, he moved to New York to study acting at famous schools like the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre and the Actors Studio.

Stage Work

David Hedison performed in many plays. In 1951, he won an award for being a promising young actor. This award allowed him to work at a theater in Virginia. He also did radio shows and acted on stage in Pittsburgh.

In New York, he appeared in a play called Much Ado About Nothing in 1952. He also performed in the Broadway show A Month in the Country in 1956. This play ran for 48 shows. Because of his work, he was named one of the most promising theater stars of that season.

Working with 20th Century Fox

After his success on stage, Hedison signed a movie contract with 20th Century Fox in 1957. His first film with them was the war movie The Enemy Below (1957), where he acted alongside Robert Mitchum.

He then got the main role in the horror film The Fly (1958). In this movie, Vincent Price played his brother. The Fly was very popular and made a lot of money. After that, Hedison went to England to star in The Son of Robin Hood (1958).

Television Roles

Hedison as Lee Crane in Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, 1965.

Fox and NBC cast Hedison as the lead in the TV series Five Fingers (1959). He was not sure about doing the show, especially when NBC asked him to change his first name from Al to David. The show only lasted one season.

Hedison also starred in the adventure film The Lost World (1960), directed by Irwin Allen. He appeared as a guest star on many TV shows like Perry Mason, Wonder Woman, and The Farmer's Daughter.

He also acted in an episode of The Saint with Roger Moore. They became good friends. In that episode, Moore's character was mistaken for James Bond, and Hedison played an FBI agent. Seven years later, they would play James Bond and Felix Leiter in a real Bond movie. Hedison was also in the big film The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965).

Irwin Allen offered Hedison the role of Captain Crane again, but this time for the TV series Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. Hedison accepted, and the show ran for four years, from 1964 to 1968.

After Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea ended, Hedison was offered a role in The Brady Bunch, but he turned it down. He later moved to London for a few years before returning to the U.S. He continued to guest star in many TV shows and films throughout the 1970s.

James Bond Movies

David Hedison played Felix Leiter, a CIA agent and friend of James Bond, in Live and Let Die (1973). In this movie, his friend Roger Moore played James Bond for the first time. People who study James Bond films said that the friendship between Leiter and Bond felt very real.

Sixteen years later, Hedison returned to play Felix Leiter again in Licence to Kill (1989). This time, Timothy Dalton was playing James Bond. This made Hedison the first actor to play Felix Leiter in more than one Bond movie. He is also the only actor to play Leiter with two different James Bonds.

Hedison believed he was asked back because his character had more to do in the film. He said that Felix Leiter was a "one-dimensional character" without much depth, but he enjoyed the action scenes.

Later Career

In the 1980s, Hedison continued to work in theater and television. He appeared in many popular TV shows like Charlie's Angels, Hart to Hart, T. J. Hooker, Dynasty, Fantasy Island, Knight Rider, The A-Team, and Murder, She Wrote.

From 1991 to 1996, David Hedison was a regular on the long-running TV soap opera Another World. He also acted in plays in New York City and other places. In 2004, he had a role in The Young and the Restless, another soap opera. He continued to act in plays and films until 2017.

Personal Life

David Hedison married Bridget Mori Hedison in London on June 29, 1968. Bridget Hedison passed away in 2016. They had two daughters: Alexandra Hedison, who is an actor, director, and photographer, and Serena Hedison, who is an editor and producer. Alexandra Hedison is married to actress and director Jodie Foster.

David Hedison died on July 18, 2019, at his home in Los Angeles.

Filmography

Film

Television

See also

In Spanish: David Hedison para niños