Lew Ayres
Known for Acting · 158 credits
- Born
- 1908-12-28
- Died
- 1996-12-30
- Place of birth
- Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
- Also known as
- Lewis Frederick Ayre III
Biography
Lew Ayres was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota and raised in San Diego, California. A college dropout, he was found by a talent scout in the Coconut Grove nightclub in Los Angeles and entered Hollywood as a bit player. He was leading man to Greta Garbo in The Kiss (1929), but it was the role of Paul Baumer in All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) that was his big break. He was profoundly affected by the anti-war message of that film, and when, in 1942, the popular star of Young Dr. Kildare (1938) and subsequent Dr. Kildare films was drafted, he was a conscientious objector. America was outraged, and theaters vowed never to show his films again, but quietly he achieved the Medical Corps status he had requested, serving as a medic under fire in the South Pacific and as a chaplain's aid in New Guinea and the Phillipines. His return to film after the war was undistinguished until Johnny Belinda (1948) - his role as the sympathetic physician treating the deaf-mute Jane Wyman won him an Academy Award nomination as Best Actor. Subsequent movie roles were scarce; an opportunity to play Dr. Kildare in television was aborted when the network refused to honor his request for no cigarette sponsorship. He continued to act, but in the 1970s put his long experience into a project to bring to the west the philosophy of the East - the resulting film, Altars of the World (1976), while not a box-office success, won critical acclaim and a Golden Globe Award. Lew Ayres died in Los Angeles, California on December 30, 1996, just two days after his 88th birthday.
Known For
TV Shows (59)
The Love Boat
1977
as Carl Hooper
Columbo
1971
as Howard Nicholson
The A-Team
1983
as Bernie Greene
My Three Sons
1960
Little House on the Prairie
1974
Knots Landing
1979
as Andrew Douglas
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
1970
Climax!
1954
as Bob Kilgore
Hawaii Five-O
1968
as The Governor / Dr. Elias Haig / Comm. Reginald Blackwell
Quincy, M.E.
1976
Simon & Simon
1981
L.A. Law
1986
as Lorimar Henderson
The Virginian
1962
as Judge John Markham
Magnum, P.I.
1980
as Sidney Dollinger
Highway to Heaven
1984
The F.B.I.
1965
as Marshall Winslow
Gunsmoke
1955
as Jonathan Cole
The Big Valley
1965
as Sheriff Roy Kingston / Jason Fleet
Cagney & Lacey
1982
Trapper John, M.D.
1979
The Bionic Woman
1976
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
1956
as Clint Howard / Jud Lester / Jesse Martin
Hotel
1982
as Nelson O'Neil
Omnibus
1952
Route 66
1960
Ben Casey
1961
McMillan & Wife
1971
The Streets of San Francisco
1972
Kraft Suspense Theatre
1963
as Dr. Thomas Clay
Laramie
1959
Finder of Lost Loves
1984
as Oliver Hawthorne
Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law
1971
Fame
1982
MGM Parade
1955
as self
Battlestar Galactica
1978
as President Adar
The DuPont Show with June Allyson
1959
as Howard Moon
Wonder Woman
1975
as Dr. Kenneth Wilson
Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse
1958
Cavalcade of America
1952
as Matt Needham
Screen Director's Playhouse
1955
as Dr. John Mohler
The Barbara Stanwyck Show
1960
as Dr. Paul Harris
The Magician
1973
as Max Braden
ABC Stage 67
1966
as Arthur
Salem's Lot
1979
as Jason Burke
Here Come the Brides
1968
Flying High
1978
Slattery's People
1964
Saints and Sinners
1962
Bus Stop
1961
The Interns
1970
The Fantastic Journey
1977
as Rayat
Hawkins
1973
as Gus Bitterman
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
1951
Lime Street
1985
as Henry Wade Culver
Outlaws
1986
San Francisco International Airport
1970
Kung Fu
1972
as Beaumont
MGM: When the Lion Roars
1992
The Ken Murray Show
1950
Movies (99)
All Quiet on the Western Front
1930
as Paul Bäumer
Damien - Omen II
1978
as Bill Atherton
Battle for the Planet of the Apes
1973
as Mandemus
Battlestar Galactica
1978
as President Adar
The Lottery Lover
1935
as Cadet Frank Harrington
Holiday
1938
as Ned Seton
That's Entertainment, Part II
1976
as (archive footage)
Johnny Belinda
1948
as Robert Richardson
Advise & Consent
1962
as The Vice President
The Biscuit Eater
1972
as Mr. Ames
The Carpetbaggers
1964
as Mac McAllister
The Unfaithful
1947
as Larry Hannaford
New Mexico
1951
as Captain Hunt
Fingers at the Window
1942
as Oliver Duffy
End of the World
1977
as Com. Joseph Beckerman
The Impatient Maiden
1932
as Dr. Myron Brown
Letters from Frank
1979
as Dan Miller
Okay, America!
1932
as Larry Wayne
The Secret of Dr. Kildare
1939
as James Kildare
The Kiss
1929
as Pierre
Donovan's Brain
1953
as Dr. Patrick J. Cory
Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker
1991
as actor 'Advise and 'Consent' (archive footage) (uncredited)
Broadway Serenade
1939
as James Geoffrey 'Jimmy' Seymour
Cast the First Stone
1989
as Martin
The Last Train from Madrid
1937
as Bill Dexter
The Man
1972
as Noah Calvin
Dr. Kildare's Crisis
1940
as Dr. James Kildare
The Upper Chamber
1963
State Fair
1933
as Pat Gilbert
King of the Newsboys
1938
as Jerry Flynn
Dr. Kildare's Wedding Day
1941
as Dr. James Kildare
Dr. Kildare's Strange Case
1940
as James Kildare
The Capture
1950
as Lin Vanner / Lindley Brown
Marcus Welby, M.D.: A Matter of Humanities
1969
as Dr. Andrew Swanson
Earth II
1971
as President Charles Carter Durant
These Glamour Girls
1939
as Philip S. Griswold III
The Stranger
1973
as Prof. Dylan MacAuley
The Spirit of Notre Dame
1931
as Edward Aloysius "Bucky" O'Brian
She Waits
1972
as Dr. Sam Carpenter
Dr. Kildare Goes Home
1940
as Dr. James Kildare
Suddenly, Love
1978
as Mr. Graham
The Crime Nobody Saw
1937
as Nick Milburn
Hollywood: Style Center of the World
1940
as Self
The Golden Fleecing
1940
as Henry Twinkle
Under Siege
1986
as John Pace
Of Mice and Men
1981
as Candy
Murder with Pictures
1936
as Kent Murdock
The Doorway to Hell
1930
as Louie Ricarno
Calling Dr. Kildare
1939
as Dr. James Kildare
Silk Hat Kid
1935
as Eddie Howard
The People Vs. Dr. Kildare
1941
as Dr. James Kildare
Checking Out: Grand Hotel
2004
as Self (archive footage)
From the Ends of the Earth
1939
as Self
The Dark Mirror
1946
as Scott Elliott
Heaven on Earth
1931
as States
Young Dr. Kildare
1938
as Dr. James Kildare
The Story of Noah
1978
as Noah
The Family Nobody Wanted
1956
as Carl Doss
The Ice Follies of 1939
1939
as Eddie Burgess
East Is West
1930
as Billy Benson
No Escape
1953
as John Howard Tracy
Hart to Hart: Crimes of the Hart
1994
as Professor Cabel
The Questor Tapes
1974
as Vaslovik
The Cohens and Kellys in Hollywood
1932
as Lew Ayres
Blow-Ups of 1946
1946
as Self
Dr. Kildare's Victory
1942
as Dr. James Kildare
Maisie Was a Lady
1941
as Bob Rawlston
Francis Gary Powers: The True Story of the U-2 Spy Incident
1976
as Allen Dulles
Let’s Be Ritzy
1934
as Jimmy Sterling
A New Romance of Celluloid: The Miracle of Sound
1940
as Self
Cross Country Cruise
1934
as Norman Winthrop
Up for Murder
1931
as Robert Marshall
Rich Man, Poor Girl
1938
as Henry Thayer
Spring Madness
1938
as Sam Thatcher
Night World
1932
as Michael Rand
Spring Tonic
1935
as Caleb Enix
Remember?
1939
as Sky Ames
Don Camillo
1984
as Doc
Panic on the Air
1936
as Jerry
The Leathernecks Have Landed
1936
as Woodruff 'Woody' Davis
Iron Man
1931
as Kid Mason
Scandal Street
1938
as Joe McKnight
Cocoon
1968
as The Governor
Common Clay
1930
as Hugh Fullerton
Big News
1929
as Copyboy (uncredited)
The Sophomore
1929
as Sophomore Fraternity Brother (uncredited)
Hold 'Em Navy
1937
as Tommy Graham
Bruised Celluloid
1984
as Himself
Servants' Entrance
1934
as Erik Landstrom
Don't Bet on Love
1933
as Bill McCaffrey
Heatwave!
1974
as Dr. Grayson
Many a Slip
1931
as Jerry Brooks
Reunion
1980
as Bob Hollander
The Way of Peace
1947
as Narrator (voice)
Shakedown
1936
as Bob Sanderson
She Learned About Sailors
1934
as Larry Wilson
One Against Many
1956
as Dr. John Mohler
Lady Be Careful
1936
as Chester aka Dynamite
My Weakness
1933
as Ronnie Gregory
About Lew Ayres
Lew Ayres was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota and raised in San Diego, California. A college dropout, he was found by a talent scout in the Coconut Grove nightclub in Los Angeles and entered Hollywood as a bit player. He was leading man to Greta Garbo in The Kiss (1929), but it was the role of Paul Baumer in All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) that was his big break. He was profoundly affected by the anti-war message of that film, and when, in 1942, the popular star of Young Dr. Kildare (1938) and subsequent Dr. Kildare films was drafted, he… With 158 credits spanning from 1929 to 2004, Lew Ayres has appeared in 99 films and 59 TV shows.
Fans searching for Lew Ayres movies, Lew Ayres filmography, or the latest projects starring Lew Ayres can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Lew Ayres Movies
- All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) — as Paul Bäumer
- Damien - Omen II (1978) — as Bill Atherton
- Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973) — as Mandemus
- Battlestar Galactica (1978) — as President Adar
- The Lottery Lover (1935) — as Cadet Frank Harrington
Where to Watch Lew Ayres Films
Most Lew Ayres movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Lew Ayres, check our movies catalogue and browse page.