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Weldon Heyburn

{{Short description|American actor (1903–1951)}}

{{Use American English|date=July 2022}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2022}}

{{about||the US Senator from Idaho|Weldon Brinton Heyburn|the Pennsylvania State Senator|Weldon Brinton Heyburn (Pennsylvania politician)}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Weldon Heyburn

| image = Weldon Heyburn in Sea Racketeers (1937).jpg

| alt =

| caption = Heyburn in Sea Racketeers (1937)

| birth_name = Weldon Heyburn Franks

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1903|09|19|mf=yes}}

| birth_place = Washington, D.C., U.S. (uncertain)

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1951|05|18|1903|09|19|mf=yes}}

| death_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S.

| resting_place = Arlington National Cemetery

| other_names =

| alma_mater =

| occupation = Actor

| years_active = 1924–1950

| spouse = {{Plainlist|

  • {{marriage|Phyllis Connard|1924|1926|end=divorce}}
  • {{marriage|Greta Nissen|1932|1936|end=annulled}}
  • {{marriage|Jane Eichelberger|1936|1939|end=divorce}}
  • {{marriage|Virginia Maggard|1939|1941|end=divorce}}

}}

| children =

| parents =

}}

Weldon Heyburn (born Weldon Heyburn Franks;{{cite news|title=Here's Gossip, Lowdown|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4228867/shamokin_newsdispatch/|agency=Shamokin News-Dispatch|date=March 26, 1932|location=Pennsylvania, Shamokin|page=4|via = Newspapers.com|accessdate = February 5, 2016}} {{Open access}} September 19, 1903 – May 18, 1951) was an American character actor.

Early years

The son of Marie Pierce and United States Army Col. Wyatt G. Franks, Heyburn was most likely born in Washington, D.C.{{cite journal|last1=Wagner|first1=Laura|title=Weldon Heyburn: "He Panics the Women"|journal=Films of the Golden Age|date=Winter 2015|issue=83|pages=68–69}} although other sources indicate Selma, Alabama or Delaware City, Delaware as the place of birth.{{cite web |url=https://www.b-westerns.com/villain45.htm |title = Weldon Heyburn profile|accessdate=November 6, 2022}}

Heyburn attended Central High School and Emerson Institute (both in Washington, D.C.), before attending the University of Alabama.{{cite news|title=College Athlete in 'Pagan Lady'|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4237707/the_brooklyn_daily_eagle/|agency=The Brooklyn Daily Eagle|date=February 8, 1931|location=New York, Brooklyn|page=32}}

In the 1920s, Heyburn represented himself as "the son of Charles Heyburn, judge of the United States Supreme Court" and "the nephew of Weldon Heyburn, the late Senator of Iowa."{{cite news|title=Back Home|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4237313/the_brooklyn_daily_eagle/|agency=The Brooklyn Daily Eagle|date=September 23, 1928|location=New York, Brooklyn|page=66|via = Newspapers.com|accessdate = February 6, 2016}} {{Open access}} The senator's niece denied any kinship, saying in 1925 that Heyburn was "an impostor if he persists in his claims", with other members of the family supporting her assertion.{{cite news|title=Weldon Heyburn May Be Real Name|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1338&dat=19251205&id=wctXAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ifQDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5348,1034275&hl=en|accessdate= February 6, 2016|agency=Spokane Daily Chronicle|date=December 5, 1925|page=6}}

Stage

In the mid-1920s, Heyburn was the "leading man in a Lansing, Mich., stock company." His Broadway credits include The Mystery Man (1927), Troyka (1930, Good Men and True (1935), and I Want a Policeman (1936).{{cite web|title=Weldon Heyburn|url=http://www.playbillvault.com/Person/Detail/101157/Weldon-Heyburn|website=Playbill Vault|accessdate=February 6, 2016}}

Film

In 1931, Heyburn ventured into film. An August 31, 1931, newspaper article reported, "After playing leading man for such stage stars as Jeanne Eagels, Lenore Ulric and Mary Boland, he has given up the stage to become a feature screen player like his roommate and fellow gridiron player, John Mack Brown."{{cite news|title=Player|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4237850/the_gaffney_ledger/|agency=The Gaffney Ledger|date=August 29, 1931|location=South Carolina, Gaffney|page=5|via = Newspapers.com|accessdate = February 6, 2016}} {{Open access}}

Military service

During World War II, Heyburn served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps.{{Citation needed |date=July 2022}}

Personal life

In 1924, Heyburn married actress Phyllis Connard. They divorced October 15, 1926.{{cite news|title=Actress Gets Divorce|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4231688/harrisburg_telegraph/|agency=Harrisburg Telegraph|date=October 16, 1926|location=Pennsylvania, Harrisburg|page=1|via = Newspapers.com|accessdate = February 5, 2016}} {{Open access}}

Heyburn married Norwegian star Greta Nissen March 30, 1932,{{cite news|title=Greta Nisson to Become Bride of Hollywood Actor|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4231195/the_klamath_news/|agency=The Klamath News|date=March 30, 1932|location=Oregon, Klamath Falls|page=1|via = Newspapers.com|accessdate = February 5, 2016}} {{Open access}} in Tijuana, Mexico.{{cite news|title=Greta Nissen and Weldon Heyburn Are Honeymooning|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4231355/the_lincoln_star/|agency=The Lincoln Star|date=March 31, 1932|location=Nebraska, Lincoln|page=9|via = Newspapers.com|accessdate = February 5, 2016}} {{Open access}} They met when they appeared together in The Silent Witness (1932),{{cite news|title=Greta Nissen To Wed Weldon Heyburn Today|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4231240/the_wilkesbarre_record/|agency=The Wilkes-Barre Record|date=March 30, 1932|location=Pennsylvania, Wilkes-Barre|page=20|via = Newspapers.com|accessdate = February 5, 2016}} {{Open access}} she as the female lead, he as an unbilled player. On October 19, 1935, Nissen went to court to have the marriage annulled, "charging their marriage ... was illegal and violated legal witness and residence requirements."{{cite news|title=Greta Nissen Sues To Annul Marriage|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4231397/oakland_tribune/|agency=Oakland Tribune|date=October 20, 1935|location=California, Oakland|page=5|via = Newspapers.com|accessdate = February 5, 2016}} {{Open access}} The annulment was granted April 30, 1936.{{cite news|title=Marriage Ends|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/profile/eddie-blick/clipnumber/26216/|agency=Morning Avalanche|date=April 30, 1936|location=Texas, Lubbock|page=2|via = Newspaperarchive.com|accessdate = February 5, 2016}}

Heyburn married Jane Eichelberger ("prominent socially in New York and Cleveland") on May 5, 1936, at Heyburn's home in Brentwood, California.{{cite news|title=Actor and Socialite Marry in Hollywood|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4231564/the_salt_lake_tribune/|agency=The Salt Lake Tribune|date=May 6, 1936|location=Utah, Salt Lake City|page=8|via = Newspapers.com|accessdate = February 5, 2016}} {{Open access}} They divorced in 1939. His last marriage was to socialite Virginia Maggard in September 1939. He was divorced when he enlisted in the U.S. Army in May 1942.{{Citation needed |date=July 2022}}

He also had relationships with actress Grace Brinkley and debutante Dorothy McCallam.{{Citation needed |date=July 2022}}

Death

A drinking problem effectively ended his career in the mid-1940s and his health rapidly declined. He entered the Veterans Administration Hospital in Los Angeles suffering from cancer of the mouth, right adrenal and kidney and died there of pneumonia. He was interred in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia.Wilson, Scott. Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed.: 2 (Kindle Locations 25047-25048). McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. Kindle Edition.

Partial filmography

Heyburn appeared in about 65 films from 1930 through 1950. They include:

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References

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External links

{{Commons category}}

  • {{IMDb name|0382165}}
  • {{IBDB name}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Heyburn, Weldon}}

Category:1903 births

Category:1951 deaths

Category:American male film actors

Category:American male stage actors

Category:20th-century American male actors