Eddie Albert facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Eddie Albert
Albert in 1975
Born	Edward Albert Heimberger (1906-04-22)April 22, 1906 Rock Island, Illinois, U.S.
Died	May 26, 2005(2005-05-26) (aged 99) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place	Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park and Mortuary
Alma mater	University of Minnesota
Occupation	Actor singer humanitarian activist
Years active	1933–1997
Spouse(s)	Margo ​ ​ (m. 1945; died 1985)​
Children	2, including Edward Albert
Military career
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Coast Guard United States Navy
Years of service	1942–1945
Rank	Lieutenant
Battles/wars	World War II Battle of Tarawa
Awards	Bronze Star Medal

Edward Albert Heimberger (born April 22, 1906 – died May 26, 2005), known as Eddie Albert, was a famous American actor and activist. He was nominated for an Academy Award (Oscar) twice. His first nomination was in 1954 for the movie Roman Holiday, and his second was in 1973 for The Heartbreak Kid.

Eddie Albert was also well-known for playing Oliver Wendell Douglas in the 1960s TV show Green Acres. He also starred as Frank MacBride in the 1970s crime show Switch. Besides acting, he was a big supporter of environmental causes and helping others.

Early Life and First Jobs

Edward Albert Heimberger was born in Rock Island, Illinois, on April 22, 1906. He was the oldest of five children. When he was just one year old, his family moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Eddie got his first job as a newspaper boy when he was only six. During World War I, some classmates teased him because his last name sounded German. He went to Central High School and joined the drama club. After high school, he studied business at the University of Minnesota.

After graduating, Eddie tried a business career. But a big stock market crash in 1929 left him without a job. He then took on many different jobs. He worked as a trapeze artist, an insurance salesman, and even a nightclub singer. He decided to stop using his last name, Heimberger, because people often mispronounced it as "Hamburger."

In 1933, he moved to New York City. There, he co-hosted a radio show called The Honeymooners – Grace and Eddie Show for three years. After the show ended, he got a movie contract from Warner Bros..

Early Acting Career

In the 1930s, Eddie Albert performed in many Broadway plays. These included Brother Rat (1936) and Room Service (1937–1938). He also became one of the very first actors to perform on television. In November 1936, he was part of one of RCA's first live TV broadcasts.

Albert and Grace Bradt applying makeup for their first TV appearance in November 1936

Eddie Albert even wrote and performed in the first ever play made just for television, called The Love Nest. This was a live show, meaning it wasn't recorded. It was broadcast from New York City in 1936.

In 1938, Eddie Albert starred in the Broadway musical The Boys from Syracuse. That same year, he made his first feature film, Brother Rat. He played the same role he had on Broadway.

Military Service in World War II

Before World War II and his film career, Eddie Albert traveled Mexico as a clown and high-wire artist. But he was secretly working for the U.S. Army intelligence. He took pictures of German U-boats (submarines) in Mexican harbors.

In 1942, he joined the United States Coast Guard. Later, he became a lieutenant in the U.S. Naval Reserve. He was given the Bronze Star Medal for his brave actions during the Battle of Tarawa in November 1943. During this battle, he was in charge of a US Navy landing craft. He rescued 47 Marines who were stuck offshore. He also helped rescue 30 more, all while under heavy enemy gunfire.

Becoming a Star

After the war, Eddie Albert continued to act in movies. He starred in films like Smash-Up, the Story of a Woman (1947). From 1948 onwards, he appeared in almost 90 different television series.

Famous Film Roles

Gregory Peck, Audrey Hepburn, and Albert in Roman Holiday (1953)

In the 1950s, Eddie Albert had many memorable film roles. He was nominated for his first Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in Roman Holiday (1953). In this movie, he played a photographer alongside Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck.

He played a traveling salesman in the musical Oklahoma! (1955). He also appeared in The Longest Day (1962), a movie about the Normandy invasion during World War II.

Barbara Lawrence and Albert in Oklahoma! (1955)

Eddie Albert also took on some darker roles. In Attack! (1956), he played a very scared and mean Army captain. He played a similar role in Captain Newman, M.D. (1963).

Susan Hayward and Albert in I'll Cry Tomorrow (1955)

Television Success

Eddie Albert had his own daytime variety show called The Eddie Albert Show in 1953. He also hosted Saturday Night Revue in 1954.

Green Acres

Albert and Eva Gabor on Green Acres

In 1965, Eddie Albert got a starring role in a new TV comedy called Green Acres. He played Oliver Wendell Douglas, a lawyer who leaves the city to become a farmer. His co-star was Eva Gabor, who played his city-loving wife, Lisa. The show was a huge hit and lasted for six seasons.

Switch

After Green Acres, Eddie Albert starred in another popular TV show called Switch. This was a crime drama where he played Frank McBride, a retired police officer. He teamed up with a former criminal to work as a private detective. The show was very popular in its first season.

Later Acting Work

In 1972, Eddie Albert was nominated for his second Oscar for his role in The Heartbreak Kid. He also gave a memorable performance as a mean prison warden in The Longest Yard (1974).

Kids might remember him as the kind-hearted Jason O'Day in the Disney film Escape to Witch Mountain (1975). He continued to act in movies and TV shows throughout the 1980s. He even played the US President in the movie Dreamscape (1984).

In the mid-1980s, he reunited with his old co-star Jane Wyman on the soap opera Falcon Crest. He also appeared in shows like Highway to Heaven and Murder, She Wrote. In 1990, he and Eva Gabor came back together for a TV movie called Return to Green Acres.

Hollywood Blacklist

Eddie Albert's wife, actress Margo, was known for her political views. In the 1950s, during a time called the Hollywood Blacklist, many people in Hollywood were wrongly accused of being Communists. Margo and Eddie Albert's names were listed in a pamphlet called "Red Channels." This list tried to show people who supposedly had Communist ties.

Eddie Albert later said that many people were very scared during this time. Some lost their jobs and couldn't support their families. While Eddie Albert's career continued, his wife Margo found it very hard to find work.

Activism and Interests

Eddie Albert was very passionate about social and environmental causes, especially starting in the 1970s.

In 1970, he helped create Earth Day and spoke at one of its first events. He started the Eddie Albert World Trees Foundation and was a national chairman for the Boy Scouts of America's conservation program. He was often called "an ecological Paul Revere" by TV Guide because he warned people about environmental issues.

He worked to fight pollution, especially from chemicals like DDT. Eddie Albert also promoted organic gardening and created City Children's Farms for kids in inner cities. He supported eco-friendly farming and planting trees. He also helped with organizations that provided meals for people in need.

Personal Life

Eddie Albert married Mexican actress Margo in 1945. They had a son, Edward Jr., who also became an actor. They also adopted a daughter named Maria. Margo Albert passed away in 1985.

The Alberts lived in Pacific Palisades, California, in a Spanish-style house. Eddie loved to grow organic vegetables in his greenhouse. He remembered how his parents had a "liberty garden" at home during World War I.

Final Years and Death

Albert's grave

In 1995, Eddie Albert was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. His son, Edward Jr., put his own acting career aside to care for his father. Eddie Albert stayed active until shortly before he passed away.

Eddie Albert died from pneumonia on May 26, 2005, at the age of 99, at his home in Pacific Palisades, California. He was buried next to his wife and near his Green Acres co-star Eva Gabor.

His son, Edward Jr., who was also an actor and musician, passed away just one year after his father in 2006. He had been battling lung cancer.

For his amazing work in television, Eddie Albert has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Filmography

Images for kids

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  Albert in 1975

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  Albert and Grace Bradt applying makeup for their first TV appearance in November 1936

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  Gregory Peck, Audrey Hepburn, and Albert in Roman Holiday (1953)

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  Barbara Lawrence and Albert in Oklahoma! (1955)

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  Susan Hayward and Albert in I'll Cry Tomorrow (1955)

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  Albert and Eva Gabor on Green Acres

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  Albert's grave

See also

In Spanish: Eddie Albert para niños