Gary Merrill was a versatile actor who appeared in more than 50 feature films, several TV series, and dozens of guest roles. He is best known for his roles in the classic movies Twelve O’Clock High and All About Eve, and for his tumultuous marriage to the legendary actress Bette Davis. But how did he die and what was his life like in his later years? Here is a brief overview of Gary Merrill’s cause of death and his biography.
Early Life and Career
Gary Merrill was born on August 2, 1915, in Hartford, Connecticut. He attended Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, and Trinity College in Hartford. He began acting in 1944, while still in the United States Army Air Forces, in the play Winged Victory. His film career began promisingly, with roles in films such as Twelve O’Clock High (1949) and All About Eve (1950), but he rarely moved beyond supporting roles in his many Westerns, war movies, and medical dramas. He played a detective and love interest of Barbara Stanwyck’s character in Witness to Murder (1954). His television career was extensive. He appeared from 1954 to 1956 as Jason Tyler on the crime drama Justice. In 1958, Merrill guest starred with June Lockhart in the roles of Joshua and Emily Newton in the episode “Medicine Man” of the series Cimarron City. Merrill had recurring roles in Then Came Bronson with Michael Parks and Young Doctor Kildare, both of which lasted less than a season. In addition to Merrill’s starring roles in several episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, in November 1963 he starred with Phyllis Thaxter and Fess Parker (Daniel Boone) in an episode of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (“Nothing Ever Happens in Linvale”). In 1964, he starred as city editor Lou Sheldon in the short-lived drama The Reporter. In 1967, he starred in the Elvis Presley film Clambake, with costar James Gregory. Aside from an occasional role as narrator, Merrill essentially retired from the entertainment business after 1980. Shortly before his death, he authored the autobiography Bette, Rita and the Rest of My Life (1989). He insisted he had been only an “adequate actor” because he “never worked at it. I had no drive, really. I just like to get by and have fun,” he said
Personal Life and Relationships
Merrill’s first marriage, to Barbara Leeds in 1941, ended in divorce in Mexico on July 28, 1950. That same day, he married Bette Davis, his costar from All About Eve, and adopted her daughter, Barbara, from a previous marriage. They adopted two more children, Margot and Michael, but they had a bitter divorce in 1960. Often politically active, he campaigned in 1958 to elect the Democrat Edmund Muskie as governor of Maine. He also took part in the Selma to Montgomery marches in 1965 to promote Black voter registration. He met Davis in All About Eve in 1950 and married her in July of that year, the same day his divorce from his first wife became final. The marriage to Davis ended in divorce in 1960. Davis ended a 15-year silence in 1985 by writing a note to Mr. Merrill after he paraded outside a bookstore with a sign urging shoppers not to buy My Mother’s Keeper, a critical biography of Davis by her daughter. He said he didn’t want the actress to be ridiculed by a daughter whom he called “greedy.” He also had been a longtime escort of actress Rita Hayworth
Death and Legacy
Merrill moved to Maine in the mid-1960s and spent most of his time playing golf and reading poetry in schools. A colorful, spirited actor, his penchant for wearing skirts on hot days was known in the Portland area. Merrill was a native of Hartford, Conn. His autobiography, Bette, Rita and the Rest of My Life, was published in 1988. Merrill succumbed to lung cancer on March 5, 1990, at his home in Falmouth, Maine. He was 74 years old. He is survived by a son, a daughter, a brother and two grandchildren
Gary Merrill was a talented and charismatic actor who had a remarkable career in film, television, and theater. He was also a passionate and outspoken person who had a complicated and fascinating personal life. He left behind a legacy of memorable performances and a candid memoir that revealed his insights and experiences. He will always be remembered as one of the stars of the golden age of Hollywood.
