biography
Born Sterling Walter (some sources indicate that John Hamilton was his birth name) in Montclair, New Jersey, on March 26, 1916, Sterling Hayden
didn't harbor aspirations of being an actor. Rather, he was fascinated by sailing, so much so that at the age of 15, he left school for a
life on the sea. After spending his youth on ships, by the early 1940s the striking 6'5" Hayden had become a print model when he was discovered by
Paramount Studios talent scouts and offered a contract. Hayden's first two films for the studio was the big-budget tearjerker Virginia (1941; with Madeleine Carroll and Fred MacMurray) and
Bahama Passage (1941; with Madeleine Carroll and Leo G. Carroll), both starring vehicles for British actress Madeleine Carroll. Hayden
and Carroll fell in love on the set, and in February 1942 the couple married. Following their marriage, Hayden joined the Marines at the onset of
the U.S. involvement in World War II; Carroll let her film career take a backseat to the war effort, and the time apart led to the couple's divorce in 1946.     
Paramount beefcake photos of Sterling Hayden from the early 1940s
Hayden had made only two films when the war interrupted his career and wouldn't appear in another film until six years later, the drama Blaze of Noon (1947; with Anne Baxter and William Holden). Still under contract to Paramount, Hayden's career didn't gain momentum until the Paramount film noir thriller Manhandled (1949; with Dan Duryea and Dorothy Lamour). His next film, the noir thriller The Asphalt Jungle (1950; with Jean Hagen, James Whitmore, and Marilyn Monroe) was his first starring role and cemented his place in film noir. Into the 1950s, he also starred in a number of westerns beginning with Flaming Feather (1952; with Forrest Tucker and Barbara Rush). |
the films of sterling haydenBahama Passage (1941) 
From the Paramount adventure Bahama Passage. LEFT: With Madeleine Carroll and Leo G. Carroll. RIGHT: With Madeleine CarrollBlaze of Noon (1947)
With Anne Baxter and Howard Da Silva in the Paramount actioner Blaze of NoonManhandled (1949)
With Dorothy Lamour in ManhandledThe Asphalt Jungle (1950)  
From the exciting MGM film noir thriller The Asphalt Jungle, one of Hayden's best films. LEFT: With Jean Hagen. CENER: With Sam Jaffe. RIGHT: With Anthony Caruso and Sam JaffeFlaming Feather (1952)
From the Paramount western Flaming Feather with Barbara Rush, Richard Arlen, Arleen Whelan, and Victor JoryThe Golden Hawk (1952)
As Kit 'The Hawk' Gerardo in the Columbia adventure The Golden HawkHellgate (1952)
Hayden with Joan Leslie in HellgateThe Star (1952)
With Bette Davis in the 20th Century Fox drama The StarTake Me to Town (1953)    
Images from the western comedy Take Me to Town. LEFT and CENTER A: With Ann Sheridan. CENTER B: With Philip Reed. CENTER C and RIGHT: Promotional photosJohnny Guitar (1954)  
Hayden as the title character in Nicholas Ray's cult film Johnny Guitar. LEFT and CENTER: With Joan Crawford. RIGHT: With Ben Cooper, Joan Crawford, and Scott BradyNaked Alibi (1954)  
From Universal-International's terrific film noir thriller Naked Alibi. LEFT: With Gloria Grahame. CENTER: Hayden pursues suspected murderer Gene Barry. RIGHT: As police chief Joe ConroyThe Eternal Sea (1955)
With Alexis Smith in the Republic war drama The Eternal SeaThe Last Command (1955)  
From Republic's western The Last Command. LEFT: With Anna Maria Alberghetti. CENTER and RIGHT: Hayden as Jim BowieTimberjack (1955)
With Vera Ralston in the Republic western TimberjackThe Killing (1956)The Iron Sheriff (1957)
With Kathleen Nolan, Darryl Hickman, and Constance Ford in the western The Iron SheriffThe DuPont Show of the Month (1957-1961 CBS TV Series)
From a 1960 episode of the CBS TV series The DuPont Show of the Month titled Ethan Frome with Julie HarrisDr. Strangelove (1964)
Peter Sellers, as Captain Mandrake, comes to realize that General Jack D. Ripper (Sterling Hayden) is out of his mind in the Columbia Pictures Cold War comedy Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the BombThe Long Goodbye (1973)
From the Robert Altman mystery The Long GoodbyeVenom (1982)
With Klaus Kinski and Oliver Reed in the horror flick Venom. This was Hayden's last theatrically released filmlater yearsAfter the release of Terror in a Texas Town (1958; with Sebastian Cabot) and the Mexican film Ten Days to Tulara (1958), Sterling Hayden sailed away from Hollywood and his film career. By this time, his marriage to second wife Betty de Noon had ended. In the early 1960s, Hayden shied away from acting and published his well-received autobiography, Wanderer, in 1963. Other than an appearance on CBS-TV's The DuPont Show of the Month in 1960, he would make no other big or small screen appearances until the Stanley Kubrick black comedy Dr. Strangelove (1964; with Peter Sellers and George C. Scott). Following this film was another long period of absence, but Hayden worked regularly from 1969 through 1976, when he published his novel Voyage: A Novel of 1896. Afterward, his film appearances again became sporadic. His last feature film was the horror flick Venom (1982; with Klaus Kinski and Oliver Reed). Sterling Hayden passed away on May 23, 1986, from prostate cancer at the age of 70. He was survived by his third wife and six children from his second and third marriages. |
filmographyFILM
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This page premiered June 13, 2001.
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