biography
Born into a wealthy family in Roanoke, Virginia, on May 28, 1912, John Payne's mother, a singer, encouraged her son in his singing lessons. With the Wall Street crash in 1929,
the family's fortune evaporated, and Payne's father died just a few months later. Following preparatory school in Pennsylvania, Payne enrolled at Columbia University
in the fall of 1930. To support himself, he took on a variety of odd jobs, including wrestling and singing in vaudeville. In 1934, he was spotted by a talent scout for
the Schubert Theater and was given a a job as a stock player. He toured with several Schubert shows, and frequently picked up singing gigs on New York-based radio programs.In 1936, Payne was offered a contract by Samuel Goldwyn, and he immediately left New York for Hollywood. He made a couple of pictures while under contract to Goldwyn, but was quickly released from his contract. Payne's early career consisted of mostly supporting roles in such films as College Swing (1938). His early starring roles were in B films, which include the musical Hats Off (1937; with Mae Clarke) and Fair Warning (1937; with Betty Furness). After a few more low-budget programmers, Payne began to be noticed by audiences. One of his finest early film performances was in the comedy Kid Nightingale with Jane Wyman. This role helped him win a contract with 20th Century-Fox in 1940, where he achieved stardom in a number of early 1940s musical extravaganzas, such as Sun Valley Serenade (1941; with Sonja Henie and Joan Davis) and Weekend in Havana (1941; with Alice Faye, Carmen Miranda, and Cesar Romero).   
Late 1930s beefcake photos of John PayneAs for his personal life, Payne married actress Anne Shirley in 1937; the couple had a daughter, actress Julie Payne (1940–2019), before divorcing in 1943. The next year, he married actress Gloria DeHaven. This couple had a daughter and a son, but the union ended in 1950. In September 1953, Payne married socialite Sandy Crowell Curtis, whose first husband was actor Alan Curtis, and this marriage lasted until his death. |
the films of john payneFair Warning (1937)
With Betty Furness in a scene from the mystery Fair Warning, Payne's first starring vehicleKid Nightingale (1939) 
Studio shots from the 1939 comedy Kid Nightingale. Payne portrays a singing waiter who is duped into a boxing career by a shady manager. The right photo includes Jane WymanSpringtime in the Rockies (1942)
With Payne's help, Carmen Miranda livens the Fox musical Springtime in the RockiesTo the Shores of Tripoli (1942)
From the wartime drama To the Shores of Tripoli with Randolph ScottHello Frisco, Hello (1943)
From the colorful Fox musical Hello Frisco, Hello with Alice Faye and Jack OakieLarceny (1947)
From the intriguing Universal-International film noir Larceny with Joan CaulfieldThe Saxon Charm (1948)
As Eric Busch in the Universal-Internatinal drama The Saxon CharmCaptain China (1949)
Payne mixes it up with Lon Chaney Jr. in the Paramount adventure film Captain ChinaCrosswinds (1951)
From the Paramount adventure Crosswinds with Rhonda Fleming and Forrest TuckerThe Blazing Forest (1952)
From the Paramount Technicolor actioner The Blazing Forest with Susan Morrow, Richard Arlen, Agnes Moorehead, and William DemarestCaribbean (1952)
From the Paramount pirate adventure Caribbean with Arlene DahlThe Vanquished (1953)
With Coleen Gray and Jan Sterling in The VanquishedRails into Laramie (1954)Silver Lode (1954)  
LEFT and CENTER: With Lizabeth Scott in the RKO western Silver Lode. RIGHT: With Alan Hale Jr., Dan Duryea, Harry Carey Jr., and Stuart WhitmanTennessee's Partner (1955)
From the 1955 western Tennesee's Partner with Rhonda Fleming and Ronald ReaganSanta Fe Passage (1955)
From Republic's western release Santa Fe Passage with Faith DomergueRebel in Town (1956)
Payne wrestles a knife away from John Smith in Rebel in Town (1956)Bailout at 43,000 (1957)
With Karen Steele in Bailout at 43,000later yearsIn 1956, John Payne formed his own production company, Window Productions, which was responsible for the release of The Boss (1956). Window Productions also produced Payne's 1957 through 1959 western TV series The Restless Gun, which aired on NBC. After the series folded, Payne took guest roles on several popular television series. In early 1961, Payne was seriously injured when a car struck him on a busy Manhattan street. He nearly died as a result of the accident, suffering numerous leg fractures and head injuries that temporarily blinded him, and it took him a year to recuperate. After extensive plastic surgery, Payne worked relatively little afterward, making only two films, a few TV appearances, and acting in off-Broadway plays in the 1960s and early 1970s. By the mid 1970s, after an appearance on the NBC series Columbo, he decided to retire. Sadly, John Payne passed away on December 6, 1989, of a heart ailment at the age of 77. He was survived by his wife, two daughters, a son, and two grandchildren, one of whom is actress Katharine Towne (b. 1978). |
filmographyFILM
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This page premiered June 9, 2000.
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