George Hamilton (actor) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids George Hamilton
Hamilton in 2023
Born	George Stevens Hamilton (1939-08-12) August 12, 1939 (age 85) Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1952–present
Spouse(s)	Alana Stewart ​ ​ (m. 1972; div. 1975)​
Children	2, including Ashley Hamilton
Parent(s)	George Hamilton

George Stevens Hamilton (born August 12, 1939) is an American actor. For his debut performance in Crime and Punishment U.S.A. (1959), Hamilton won a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for a BAFTA Award. He has received one additional BAFTA nomination and two Golden Globe nominations.

Hamilton began his film career in 1958, and although he has a substantial body of work in film and television, he is perhaps most famous for his debonair style, perpetual suntan, and commercials for Ritz Crackers. Bo Derek wrote in her autobiography that "there was an ongoing contest between John Derek and George Hamilton as to who had the most tan!"

Early life

Hamilton was born in Memphis, Tennessee, the middle of three boys with an older maternal half-brother and a younger full brother, and lived in Blytheville, Arkansas. He is the eldest son of Ann Stevens and bandleader George "Spike" Hamilton.

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Hamilton attended the Hackley School in Tarrytown, New York, graduating in 1957.

Career

Early appearances

Hamilton's first roles were in TV. He appeared on such shows as The Veil (playing an Indian), The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, The Donna Reed Show and Cimarron City.

His first film role was a lead, Crime and Punishment U.S.A. (1959), directed by Denis Sanders. Although shot in 1958 it was not released until the following year. However, the film was seen by Vincente Minnelli who thought Hamilton would be ideal for the younger son in Home from the Hill (1960), a Southern melodrama with Robert Mitchum. Hamilton was duly cast and the film was popular. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer signed him to a long-term contract.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

MGM cast Hamilton in support of Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner in the melodrama All the Fine Young Cannibals (1960), and the beach party comedy Where the Boys Are (1960). Hamilton appeared in the lower budgeted Angel Baby (1961), a drama about an evangelist, for Allied Artists. It had minimal commercial or critical impact. The movie was the feature debut of Burt Reynolds who recalled "George was different. When I came to Hollywood, there were 175 Marlon Brandos, 2,000 Jimmy Deans, and a lot of Carroll Bakers. But nobody wanted to be David Niven, except George." Reynolds later commented that "if anybody could have gotten him to be" as "relaxed and self-deprecating on film" as he was in real life "he would have been the next Cary Grant."

For United Artists, Hamilton supported Lana Turner in the melodrama By Love Possessed (1961). MGM tried to change his image by putting him in the Western A Thunder of Drums (1961).

Hamilton lobbied hard for the role of the Italian husband in Light in the Piazza (1962), with Olivia de Havilland. The film lost money, but Hamilton received excellent notices. It was shot in Italy, and MGM kept Hamilton in Italy to play a role in Two Weeks in Another Town (1962). Hamilton had an excellent part in The Victors (1963), an anti-war drama from Carl Foreman. His performance was described as "excellent". Hamilton played Moss Hart in Act One (1963),

After making a cameo in Looking for Love (1964), Hamilton appeared in Your Cheatin' Heart (1964), playing Hank Williams. Hamilton went to Mexico for Viva Maria! (1965). It was directed by Louis Malle who cast Hamilton on the strength of his performance in Two Weeks in Another Town. Malle said "he was a personal choice and I am happy with him...He's more interested in being in the social columns – I don't understand – when he should be one of the greatest of his generation".

Hamilton made That Man George (1965), and appeared in a production of A Farewell to Arms (1966) on TV. He returned to MGM to make Doctor, You've Got to Be Kidding! (1967), a romantic comedy with Sandra Dee, which was mildly popular. At Columbia, he co-starred with Glenn Ford in A Time for Killing (1967).

Hamilton played a cat burglar in MGM's Jack of Diamonds (1967). It was produced by Sandy Howard who said Hamilton was "a hot commodity these days" because he was dating Lyndon Johnson's daughter. Reports put his fee around this time at $100,000 per movie. He was drafted into the Army but received a 3-A deferral notice on the grounds that he was the sole financial provider for his mother. Hamilton's draft deferment was highly controversial at the time because it was thought that his relationship with the president's daughter gave him preferential treatment. In 1968, Hamilton made The Power.

Television

Hamilton went into television in 1969, supporting Lana Turner in the all-star series Harold Robbins' The Survivors (1969–70). When the show was canceled in January 1970, Hamilton went into Paris 7000 (1970). He portrayed a trouble shooter for the U.S. State Department in Paris. This series was canceled in March 1970. He starred in the TV films Togetherness (1970) and The Last of the Powerseekers, a 1971 compilation of two episodes of Harold Robbins' The Survivors.

Producer

Hamilton moved into producing to give himself greater control over his career. He produced and played the title role in Evel Knievel (1971). Hamilton had the script rewritten by John Milius, and the latter called Hamilton "a wonderful guy, totally underrated. A great con-man, that's what he really is. He always said 'I'll be remembered as a third-rate actor when in fact, I'm a first-rate con man.'"

He appeared in the TV movie The Last of the Powerseekers (1973), and had a supporting role in The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing, starring Burt Reynolds (1973). He produced and appeared in Medusa (1973). He starred in the TV movie The Dead Don't Die (1975) and had a supporting role in Once Is Not Enough (1975).

Hamilton guest-starred on episodes of Police Story, McCloud, Roots, The Eddie Capra Mysteries, Gibbsville, Supertrain, and Sword of Justice.

He had supporting roles in The Strange Possession of Mrs. Oliver (1977), Killer on Board (1977), Sextette (1978), The Users (1978), From Hell to Victory (1979), Institute for Revenge (1979), and Death Car on the Freeway (1979).

Love at First Bite

In 1979, he appeared in the surprise hit Love at First Bite, in which he showed a flair for comedy; it was the story of Count Dracula's pursuit of a young Manhattanite model, played by Susan Saint James. The film included scenes with Dracula and his conquest as they dance to "I Love the Nightlife" at a disco. The film's box-office success created a popularity surge for Hamilton, who also served as executive producer.

He returned to TV for The Seekers (1979) and The Great Cash Giveaway Getaway (1979), then he did 1981's Zorro, The Gay Blade, which he produced. However, Zorro was not as popular as Love at First Bite, and film leads dried up quickly. He focused on television: Malibu (1983) and Two Fathers' Justice (1985).

In the mid-1980s, Hamilton starred in the sixth season of the Aaron Spelling-produced television serial Dynasty. He supported Joan Collins in the miniseries Monte Carlo (1986) and had the lead role in the series Spies (1987). He supported Elizabeth Taylor in Poker Alice (1987).

1990s

A break for Hamilton came in 1990 when Francis Ford Coppola cast him as the Corleone family's lawyer in The Godfather Part III.

Hamilton had small roles in Doc Hollywood (1991), Once Upon a Crime (1992) and Amore! (1993) and guest starred on Diagnosis: Murder and Dream On. He went to Germany to make At the Edge of Paradise [de] (1993) and did Two Fathers: Justice for the Innocent (1994), Vanished (1995), and Playback (1996), as well as guest starring on the shows Bonnie, Hart to Hart and The Guilt.

He was in Meet Wally Sparks (1997), 8 Heads in a Duffel Bag (1997), and the miniseries Rough Riders (1997), where he portrayed William Randolph Hearst. With his matinee-idol looks it was sometimes noted that Hamilton physically resembled Warren Beatty. Beatty's political satire Bulworth (1998) contained a running gag about this with Hamilton appearing as himself in a brief cameo. Hamilton had a regular role on the short lived TV series Jenny (1997).

He was in Casper Meets Wendy (1998), P.T. Barnum (1999) and She's Too Tall (1999). He was a semi-regular celebrity guest on the 1998-99 syndicated version of Match Game

2000s

In 2001, Hamilton starred on Broadway in the play Chicago in the role of Billy Flynn. He played the roles from Nov 21, 2001 - Feb 17, 2002, Jun 04, 2002 - Jul 29, 2002, and then again from Sep 14, 2007 - Oct 07, 2007.

In 2003, Hamilton hosted The Family which was a reality television series on ABC for one season. The program starred ten members from a traditional Italian-American family, each fighting for a $1,000,000 prize. In 2006, Hamilton competed in the second season of ABC's Dancing with the Stars with professional Edyta Sliwinska in which they lasted until the sixth round. At age 66 and recovering from knee injuries, Hamilton, unable to match the limber dance moves of his younger competitors, charmed the audience and judges with endearingly silly dances utilizing props including a Zorro mask and the sword from Zorro, The Gay Blade.

In 2006, it was rumored that Hamilton would replace Bob Barker on The Price Is Right. He auditioned for the show and in March 2007, TMZ reported that Hamilton was a frontrunner to replace Barker. According to Reuters, Hamilton was one of the final three contenders to host the show, alongside Mark Steines and Todd Newton. Soon thereafter, however, Drew Carey was named as Barker's successor. Subsequently, Hamilton has hosted the live stage adaptation of the show, The Price Is Right Live!. In August 2008, Hamilton co-starred in Coma, a web series on Crackle. Hamilton was executive producer of the 2009 film My One and Only, which is loosely based on his early life and relationship with his mother.

Hamilton was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame on August 12, 2009. In 1999, a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs, California, Walk of Stars was dedicated to him. Hamilton appeared as a contestant on the UK edition of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! in November 2009. Hamilton walked out of the jungle on November 30, 2009, telling the other contestants that he wasn't there to win, but to have fun. Hamilton was considered one of the favorites to win the series. In 2010 Hamilton was chosen as one of David Hasselhoff's roasters in the Comedy Central Roast of David Hasselhoff. Starting in the fall of 2011, Hamilton starred as "Georges" for the national tour of the Tony-winning revival of La Cage aux Folles. He was still starring in the show as of June 2012^[update].

In the summer of 2016, Hamilton appeared in television commercials for KFC as the "Extra Crispy Colonel", a deeply tanned version of the company's mascot, Colonel Sanders, a role which he returned to in the spring of 2018. On July 6, 2018, Hamilton portrayed the Colonel on General Hospital.

Business endeavors

In the late 1980s, Hamilton launched the George Hamilton Skin Care System and the George Hamilton Sun Care System and tanning salons. A cigar lounge bearing his name was opened in the late 1990s at the New York, New York, hotel in Las Vegas and other locations, along with a line of cigars bearing the actor's name. A January 1998 article in Cigar Aficionado described Hamilton's style as "Cary Grant meets Pat Riley".

In April 2006, Hamilton served as grand marshal for the 79th Annual Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival in Winchester, Virginia. In 2016 and 2018, Hamilton appeared as the "Crispy Colonel" in commercials for KFC, playing on his image for tanning.

Relationship with Imelda Marcos

Hamilton had a relationship with Imelda Marcos, widow of former Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos, and had business ties to the Marcos family. In 1990, Hamilton was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in a federal fraud and racketeering case against the Marcoses involving the looting of government funds; Imelda was acquitted in the case.

Personal life

In 1966, Hamilton had a relationship with Lynda Bird Johnson, the daughter of U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson.

From 1972 to 1976, Hamilton was married to actress Alana Stewart. Their son, Ashley George, was born in 1974. The divorced Hamiltons reunited in the mid-1990s to co-host the daytime talk show George & Alana, and again in 2015, as stars of the reality show Stewarts & Hamiltons.

From 1995 to 1999, Hamilton dated Kimberly Blackford, whom he met in Fort Lauderdale when she was a swimsuit model. In December 1999, Kimberly gave birth to their son, George Thomas Hamilton (nicknamed "GT" or George Jr.). Hamilton never married Blackford, but they became friends again as their son got older. Hamilton and both of his sons attended military schools; GT attended Admiral Farragut Academy in St. Petersburg.

According to Burt Reynolds' autobiography, Hamilton has a healthy sense of humor, even when the humor is directed at him. Reynolds wrote that he made up a birthday card for Hamilton with a composite photograph of Tony Curtis and Anthony Perkins, titled "To George, love from Mum and Dad". Hamilton found the card hilarious and showed it to everybody.

In 2009, he was in a comedy film, My One and Only, starring Logan Lerman loosely based on a story about George Hamilton's early life on the road with his mother and brother. It features anecdotes that Hamilton had told to Merv Griffin.

Selected filmography

Film

Television

Books

• Life's Little Pleasures (co-authored with Alysse Minkoff) (1998) ISBN: 978-1575440866
• Don't Mind if I Do (co-authored with William Stadiem) (2009) ISBN: 978-1416545071

In literature

In the comic strip Doonesbury, Hamilton is the namesake of the fictional "George Hamilton Cocoa Butter Open", described as the Le Mans of the (also fictional) professional tanning circuit, and "Tanmaster Hamilton" is the idol of character Zonker Harris who competes on that circuit.

See also

In Spanish: George Hamilton (actor) para niños