Stephen Boyd facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Stephen Boyd
Boyd in 1961
Born	William Millar (1931-07-04)4 July 1931 Glengormley, County Antrim, Northern Ireland
Died	2 June 1977(1977-06-02) (aged 45) Northridge, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place	Oakwood Memorial Park Cemetery
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1955–1977
Spouse(s)	Mariella di Sarzana ​ ​ (m. 1958; div. 1959)​ Elizabeth Mills ​ (m. 1974)​
Partner(s)	Marisa Mell (1970–1972)

Stephen Boyd (born William Millar; 4 July 1931 – 2 June 1977) was an actor from Northern Ireland. He acted in about 60 movies. He is best known for playing the bad guy Messala in the movie Ben-Hur (1959). This role won him a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture. He was also nominated for another Golden Globe Award for his role in Billy Rose's Jumbo (1962). Stephen Boyd also appeared in other big movies like Les bijoutiers du clair de lune (1958), The Bravados (1958), Imperial Venus (1962), The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964), Genghis Khan (1965), Fantastic Voyage (1966), and Shalako (1968).

Stephen Boyd's Life Story

Growing Up in Northern Ireland

Stephen Boyd was born William Millar on 4 July 1931. His family lived in Glengormley, County Antrim, in Northern Ireland. He was the youngest of nine children. His parents were James Alexander Millar and Martha Boyd. When he was very young, William, or Billy as he was called, moved with his family to Glengormley. He went to the local Public Elementary School and Ballyclare High School.

When he was 14, Boyd left school to work and help his family. He joined the Ulster Group Theatre. There, he learned how to work behind the scenes in plays. He became known in Belfast for his voice on a radio show called "The McCooeys". This show was about a family in Belfast.

Boyd slowly started getting bigger roles in plays. By the time he was 19, he had toured Canada with summer theater groups. In 1950, he toured all across America. He performed in a play called A Streetcar Named Desire. He played the main character, Stanley Kowalski. Boyd later said this was "the best performance I ever gave in my life."

By age 20, Boyd had a lot of theater experience. But he wanted to act on bigger stages. In 1952, he moved to London. He worked in a cafeteria and played music outside a movie theater to earn money. Boyd got his first big chance as a doorman at the Odeon Theatre.

A cinema across the street hired him to help people during the British Academy Awards. There, actor Sir Michael Redgrave noticed him. Redgrave helped Boyd meet the director of the Windsor Repertory Group. This is when Boyd's acting career in the U.K. really started. He performed in plays like "The Deep Blue Sea."

Early Movie Roles

Boyd's first important movie role was in The Man Who Never Was. He played an Irish spy who supported the Nazis. This movie came out in April 1956.

Soon after, he signed a ten-year contract with 20th Century Fox studios. They started getting him ready for Hollywood. But it took a while for Boyd to actually work in Hollywood. His next movie was A Hill in Korea, filmed in Portugal. Future stars Michael Caine and Robert Shaw were also in this movie. In June 1956, Boyd was cast in Abandon Ship!. This was a ship-wreck adventure movie for Columbia Studios. It starred Tyrone Power. They filmed it in London in the summer of 1956. The British Navy built a huge water tank for the movie.

In November 1956, Boyd went to the British West Indies for Twentieth Century Fox. He was part of a large cast in Island in the Sun. This movie was about race and starred Dorothy Dandridge. Boyd played a young English nobleman who falls in love with Joan Collins. Boyd then worked on Seven Thunders. This was a World War II romance set in Marseilles, France. This movie was filmed in Marseilles and at Pinewood Studios in London in 1957. It was Boyd's biggest starring role in a film yet.

Around the same time, French actress Brigitte Bardot chose Boyd to be her leading man. This was after her success in And God Created Woman. From August to October 1957, Bardot, Boyd, and Alida Valli filmed The Night Heaven Fell. It was directed by Roger Vadim in Paris and Málaga, Spain. Being in a movie with Bardot made Boyd much more famous. It also helped him get noticed in Hollywood.

Boyd finally arrived in Hollywood in January 1958. He took on his first real Hollywood role in the western movie The Bravados. He played the leader of a group of outlaws. The movie starred Gregory Peck and Joan Collins. Even though it was a Hollywood movie, it was filmed in Morelia, Mexico.

Becoming a Star in Ben-Hur

After filming The Bravados in March 1958, Stephen Boyd went back to Hollywood. He auditioned for the important role of Messala in MGM's big movie Ben-Hur. Many other actors wanted the part. But Boyd's screen test convinced director William Wyler that Boyd was perfect. Wyler also liked Boyd's acting in The Man Who Never Was. Boyd quickly went to Rome in May 1958 to learn chariot racing with Charlton Heston. Heston had been practicing for weeks. Boyd also had to wear brown contact lenses for his role. These lenses bothered his eyes for months after filming. But Boyd said making Ben-Hur was the most exciting time of his life. They filmed it at Cinecittà Studios in Rome.

From the trailer for the film Ben-Hur (1959).

Ben-Hur was released in November 1959. It made Boyd an international star right away. His acting as the Roman tribune Messala received great reviews.

The 1960s: A Busy Decade

Boyd was featured on the TV show This Is Your Life on 3 February 1960. Many of his family and friends shared stories about his early life. People were very interested in Stephen Boyd. He received many offers for starring roles. He had to turn most of them down because he was busy. He decided not to be in the movie The Story of Ruth. He was also considered to star with Marilyn Monroe.

In early 1960, Boyd won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture for Ben-Hur. In January 1960, Boyd appeared on Hedda Hopper's TV show Hedda Hopper's Hollywood. He was with silent-era Ben-Hur stars Ramon Novarro and Francis X. Bushman. In February 1960, he starred in a TV play called The Sound of Trumpets. He also sang two Irish folk songs on The Dinah Shore Chevy Show on 13 March 1960.

Boyd chose roles he felt good about. His next movie was The Big Gamble. It starred French actress Juliette Gréco. They filmed it in Ivory Coast, Dublin, and southern France in 1961. Making this movie was an adventure itself. Boyd almost drowned in the Ardèche river but was saved by his co-star David Wayne. Boyd talked about this on the TV show What's My Line? on 11 December 1960.

Boyd was first chosen to play Mark Antony with Elizabeth Taylor in Cleopatra (1963). He started filming in September 1960. But he left the movie after Elizabeth Taylor became very sick. The movie was delayed for months. (Later, Richard Burton played Mark Antony.) While waiting, Stephen Boyd went to Cairo, Egypt, in April 1961. He was on a publicity tour for Twentieth Century Fox.

After months without work, Boyd was happy to get a new role. It was in the movie The Inspector, also called Lisa. It starred actress Dolores Hart. They filmed it in Amsterdam, London, and Wales in 1961. On 9 January 1962, Boyd was in a TV film called The Wall Between. It also starred Ronald Reagan. Next, Boyd worked with Doris Day in the musical Billy Rose's Jumbo. This role earned him a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.

Boyd flew to Rome in 1962 to act with Italian superstar Gina Lollobrigida. They made Imperial Venus, a romantic movie about Pauline Bonaparte. This movie was not released in the United States. Boyd returned to the U.S. briefly. He appeared on The Dinah Shore Chevy Show again on 11 November 1962.

Boyd went to Spain in early 1963 for the huge movie The Fall of the Roman Empire. It was directed by Anthony Mann. They filmed it during a very cold winter in Spain. Boyd's co-star was another Italian legend, Sophia Loren. Boyd also rode another chariot in this movie. The movie did well in other countries but failed in the U.S. It marked the end of Roman epic movies in the 1960s. Later, people realized The Fall of the Roman Empire inspired Ridley Scott's movie Gladiator.

Boyd flew back to Hollywood in the summer. He starred in a TV episode called War of Nerves. Then he went back to Europe to film The Third Secret.

On 23 December 1963, Stephen Boyd became a U.S. citizen.

In 1964, Boyd continued to make movies in Europe. He went to Yugoslavia to play the bad guy Jamuga in Genghis Khan. Boyd was the highest-paid star in this movie. After Genghis Khan, Boyd went to Cairo, Egypt. He had a small role as King Nimrod in The Bible, directed by John Huston.

After all this travel, Boyd was happy to return to the United States. He started working on the science fiction adventure Fantastic Voyage. He starred with Raquel Welch. This was filmed in early 1965. In the summer of 1965, Boyd joined German star Elke Sommer and singer Tony Bennett. They filmed the Hollywood movie The Oscar. The movie was popular but critics did not like it. Boyd visited Iran in December 1965. He filmed scenes for a United Nations movie called The Poppy Is Also a Flower.

In 1966, the producer of The Oscar, Joseph Levine, hired Boyd again. This time it was for The Caper of the Golden Bulls. This movie was partly filmed in Spain in 1966. The actors, including Boyd, took part in the famous Running of the Bulls festival in Pamplona.

Also in 1966, Boyd appeared as Nimrod in John Huston's The Bible: In the Beginning.... He was also Charles Grant in the movie Fantastic Voyage. This movie helped launch Raquel Welch's career.

Next, Boyd starred in a spy movie Assignment K. It was filmed in Germany, Austria, and London in 1967. Boyd grew a full beard for his next role. He played the writer George Bernard Shaw in a play called The Bashful Genius. This was Boyd's first time back on stage since the mid-1950s. He received great reviews for his acting.

In early 1968, Boyd played the villain in the western adventure Shalako. It starred Sean Connery and Brigitte Bardot. Shalako was filmed in Almería, Spain. After returning to the United States, Boyd played the slave master Nathan MacKay in Slaves. This movie also starred Ossie Davis and Dionne Warwick. It was filmed in Louisiana in 1968. The movie came out during the civil rights era. Boyd then starred in a TV movie about racial tension called Carter's Army (or Black Brigade). It aired in August 1970 and featured a young Richard Pryor.

Around this time, Boyd became interested in L. Ron Hubbard's Church of Scientology. He was one of the first Hollywood stars to join. Boyd had always been interested in different religions. In an interview in 1969, Boyd said Scientology helped him during the filming of Slaves. He said Scientology was "a process used to make you capable of learning." Boyd was a high-level member in Scientology. He starred in and narrated a Scientology movie called Freedom in 1970.

The 1970s: European Films and TV

In the 1970s, there was less demand for Boyd in Hollywood. So, he focused on European films and TV shows. He made three movies in Spain with director José Antonio Nieves Conde. These included Marta in 1970 and The Great Swindle in 1971. He also worked with director Romain Gary in the thriller Kill! in 1971. He made several Westerns, like Hannie Caulder with Raquel Welch in 1971, and The Man Called Noon in 1973. Boyd continued to travel to many places for work. He went to Australia for The Hands of Cormac Joyce in 1972. He also went to South Africa, Jamaica, and Florida. His last acting role was a guest star on the TV show Hawaii Five-O in 1977. This episode aired after he passed away. His most praised role in the 1970s was as an Irish gangster in the UK movie The Squeeze in 1977.

Film producer Euan Lloyd said that "Stephen Boyd was one of the nicest, kindest people I have met in my lifetime."

Boyd lived in southern California for most of his adult life. He had several homes there. He enjoyed playing golf in Palm Springs. He often visited his family in his hometown of Belfast, Northern Ireland. In 1971, he expressed sadness about the situation in Northern Ireland. During his visits, he was given a military escort for safety during The Troubles.

Personal Life

Silver Screen Magazine wrote about Boyd in 1960. Journalist Florabel Muir described Boyd in 1966. She said he had "rugged, masculine good looks." She mentioned his "strong features, a wide sympathetic mouth, firm chin, athletic build, wavy dark brown hair." She also noted his "musical voice and the savoir faire of a much-traveled fellow."

Boyd was popular with Hollywood writers and other actors. This was because of his charm and humor. He was described as someone who "was born to make friends." He was a "blue-eyed, curly-haired chunk of masculinity." He liked talking to people and enjoyed a good argument. Like many Irishmen, he could make his talk witty and wise.

He was first married in 1958 to Mariella Di Sarzana. They separated after only three weeks. Boyd said it was his fault and that he wasn't ready for marriage. They divorced in early 1959. After his divorce, Boyd lived as a bachelor for many years. He dated several famous Hollywood actresses. His secretary, Elizabeth Mills, lived at his home. They did not marry until 1974.

Hart and Boyd in 1961

Boyd had a close friendship with actress Brigitte Bardot. They starred in two movies together: The Night Heaven Fell in 1958 and Shalako in 1968. During the filming of Shalako, their close relationship caused rumors. Bardot said in her autobiography that Boyd "was never her lover, but a tender and attentive friend." Boyd said in an interview, "Bardot is always Bardot. She's marvelous. She's an enormous star and she's a unique, marvelous woman. I adore her."

Boyd also had a close friendship with actress Dolores Hart. She wrote about their relationship in her autobiography. They remained close friends even after she became a nun in 1963. He visited her in 1966 and stayed in touch with her.

Stephen Boyd had a very close relationship with Austrian actress Marisa Mell. They met while filming Marta in 1970. They became very close while making their second movie together, The Great Swindle. They had a ceremony in a gypsy camp in Madrid in late 1971. Boyd ended the relationship in early 1972. Marisa Mell later wrote about Boyd in her autobiography.

Boyd's last marriage was in 1974 to Elizabeth Mills. She was a secretary at the British Arts Council. He had known her since 1953. Mills moved to the United States with Boyd in the 1950s. She was his personal assistant and friend for many years before they married.

Death

Boyd died of a massive heart attack on 2 June 1977. He was 45 years old. He was playing golf with his wife, Elizabeth Mills, in Northridge, California. He was planning to play a role in the movie The Wild Geese before he died.

He was cremated, and his ashes were buried in Oakwood Memorial Park Cemetery in Chatsworth, California. His wife Elizabeth Mills Boyd was buried with him when she died in 2007. He is also remembered on his parents' grave in Northern Ireland.

Legacy

On 4 July 2018, the Ulster History Circle honored Stephen Boyd. They placed a blue plaque near his birthplace in Whitehouse, Belfast, Northern Ireland. This plaque celebrates people who have achieved great things.

Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Stephen Boyd para niños