Born Webb Parmalee Hollenbeck in Indianapolis, Indiana on November 18, 1889, the entertainer later known professionally as Clifton Webb, moved with his mother Mabelle to New York, New York in 1892. On stage from 1902, he had become a professional ballroom dancer by the age of 19, often appearing with star dancer Bonnie Glass who eventually replaced him with Rudolf Valentino. On Broadway from 1913 and on screen in minor roles from 1917, he played the second male lead behind Richard Barthelmess in 1925’s New Toys, but had to wait another nineteen years for another film role, one that would make him a major film star for the rest of his life.

One of his most successful Broadway roles was in Irving Berlin’s 1932 musical, Thousands Cheer in which he introduced the song “Easter Parade”. This led to an 18-month contract with MGM which wanted to make him their Fred Astaire, but nothing came of it. By 1939 he had left musicals behind to star in Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest with Estelle Winwood as Lady Bracknell. Two years later he was starring in Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit with Peggy Wood as Ruth and Mildred Natwick as Madame Arcati.

In 1944, Webb was cast as Waldo Lydecker, the elegant but evil radio columnist who is obsessed with Gene Tierney’s character in Laura. The role brought him both a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination and a long-time contract with 20th Century-Fox despite the initial objections of studio head Daryl F. Zanuck who wanted Laird Cregar for the role. 1946’s The Razor’s Edge, his third film for Fox, brought him a second Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Although third billed in his next film as the genius babysitter Mr. Belvedere in 1948’s Sitting Pretty, the role was strong enough to earn him a Best Actor nomination. From then on, Webb received top billing in all his films with just two exceptions at the end of his career.

Webb again wowed audiences Mr. Belvedere character in two sequels as well as roles as diverse as an efficiency expert and father of twelve in 1950’s Cheaper by the Dozen, an angel in the same year’s For Heaven’s Sake, a professor who was once a matinee idol in 1952’s Dreamboat, composer John Philip Sousa in the same year’s Stars and Stripes Forever, a doomed passenger in 1953’s Titanic, a snobbish TV star in the same year’s Mr. Scoutmaster, a reclusive novelist in 1954’s Three Coins in the Fountain, a business tycoon in the same year’s Woman’s World, a British espionage agent in 1955’s The Man Who Never Was and a bigamist with seventeen children in 1959’s The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker.

Webb took second billing to Alan Ladd as an antiques dealer in 1957’s Boy on a Dolphin, but was billed over Sophia Loren making her sensational Hollywood film debut. He also took second billing to William Holden as an elderly priest in his last film, 1962’s Satan Never Sleeps.

The actor lived all his life with his beloved, if overbearing mother who died in 1960 at the age of 91. He never got over her death, making just the one film (Satan Never Sleeps) before his own death six years later. Noel Coward said only half-jokingly of his distraught friend, “it must be difficult to be orphaned at seventy.”

Clifton Webb died on October 13, 1966 at 76.

ESSENTIAL FILMS

LAURA, directed by Otto Preminger (1944)

Daryl F. Zanuck had wanted Jennifer Jones, John Hodiak and Laird Cregar for the leads in this film version of Vera Caspary’s novel. Studio contract player Cregar had already been cast when Preminger was brought in to direct after original director Rouben Mamoulian was taken off the film. Preminger, having seen Webb perform in Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit on stage recast the film over Zanuck’s trepidations with Gene Tierney, Dana Andrews and Webb as the treacherous radio columnist who may or may not be the murderer. The rest, as they say, is history as Webb covered himself in Oscar nominated glory, receiving a long-term Fox contract.

THE RAZOR’S EDGE, directed by Edmund Goulding (1946)

Tierney and Webb were reunited two years later for the first film version of W. Somerset Maugham’s novel which heralded the return to the screen of Tyrone Power after the war. Power plays the young man who leaves his socialite girlfriend behind to “find himself”. When he returns ten years later, Tierney will stop at nothing to get him back even though she has since married someone else. Anne Baxter as Power and Tierney’s friend who turns to alcohol after the death of her husband and child won an Oscar, while Webb as Tierney’s supercilious social climbing uncle was once again nominated for his scene stealing brilliance.

SITTING PRETTY, directed by Walter Lang (1948)

The previous year, third billed Edmund Gwenn won an Oscar playing Santa Claus in Miracle on 34th Street for a role that many considered a lead. This time, Webb in the same third billed position as the genius hired by Robert Young and Maureen O’Hara as their babysitter, was positioned by Fox for a lead Oscar nomination for which he was then nominated. It was the last time Webb would be third billed in any film. From then on, he received top billing for all but two of his films and was second billed in those two. As unlikely as it seemed, he became a major film star in his sixties.

TITANIC, directed by Jean Negulesco (1953)

Although not the behemoth box-office hit that the 1997 version was, this popular version of the doomed voyage of HMS Titanic, eclipsed by Roy Ward Baker’s more historically accurate A Night to Remember just five years later, was nevertheless well regarded in its day. Despite a rather trite central story about a bickering couple, played by Webb and Barbara Stanwyck, it managed to win an Oscar for Best Story and Screenplay. Nugulesco was one of twelve directors nominated by the DGA that year. He and Webb were reunited for 1954’s Woman’s World and 1957’s Boy on a Dolphin.

SATAN NEVER SLEEPS, directed by Leo McCarey (1962)

This film version of Pearl Buck’s novel was Webb’s first film in three years, the first since the death of his beloved mother two years earlier. It was McCarey’s first film in four years. It would be the last for both. Webb, in declining health at the age of 72, didn’t need much makeup to portray the frail, elderly missionary priest held captive by the Communists in 1949 China as his replacement (William Holden) makes his way to relieve him. Co-starring France Nuyen, it was an uncharacteristically dark film for all concerned, but an engrossing one with one of Webb’s best, if lesser known, performances anchoring it.

CLIFTON WEBB AND OSCAR

• Laura (1944) – nominated – Best Supporting Actor
• The Razor’s Edge (1946) – nominated – Best Supporting Actor
• Sitting Pretty (1948) – nominated – Best Actor