Walter Brooke

New York City native Walter Brooke, born on October 13, 1914, made his first try at dramatics by reciting a poem in German at the Grunewald gymnasium in Berlin Germany where he spent five years as a schoolboy. He won first prize. Walter's father, a professional Chef and his mother, a nurse, brought him back to New York in the mid nineteen twenties where he finished his schooling the hard way, in and out of a score of schools. He launched his stage career at that time by accident. At 16 years old attending Dewitt Clinton High school young Walter took a wrong turn in the school corridor which took him into a drama class. He enrolled in the class hoping to make an impression on a certain teen-age charmer he knew. After graduation from Dewitt Clinton, he took a job ushering at the World Theater and from there, he went to work at the William Demuth Pipe Company on Long Island while he gained practical stage experience at night by playing at the Davenport Theater on West 27th Street. From summer stock plays on Governors Island to East Hampton L.I. and then full-fledged productions, his career picked up momentum. His first Broadway experience was gained as a walk-on and understudy in John Gielgud's production of "Hamlet" at the distinguished Empire Theater. Just before WWII he went to Hollywood to study with Max Reinhardt and spent 18 months with the "Professor" appearing in classical plays and developing his acting technique. Then came a part on tour in "Romeo and Juliet" with Sir Lawrence Olivier. Upon his return to Los Angeles, he helped found the Beachwood Studio under the direction of Vladimir Sokoloff, an original member of the Moscow Art Theater. Working with Sokoloff resulted in a notable change in his dramatic technique. Warner Brothers soon discovered him and placed him under contract, but he wasn't handsome enough to be a juvenile or old enough for young character parts. He played a dozen parts in as many films, then by mutual consent, was released from his contract. He sped back to Broadway where he played the lead in "The Barber Had Two Sons". Shortly after he was offered a job at M-G-M as the dialogue director on "Kismet" which Willam Dieterle was directing. After Pearl Harbor, Walter had been able to avoid the service because his draft board had classified him as 4F, a conscientious objector, but at his own request, Walter went into the Army and was assigned to the 776th Field Artillery Battalion. Corporal Brooke served for 2 1/2 years, including 144 days of uninterrupted combat where his outfit slugged from the Bulge to Bastogne, to a point further east than any other similar unit. One of his overseas duties was interpreting the words of German military prisoners making use of his knowledge of the German language. Bombs would explode right next to his fox hole he had dug and had to live in for weeks at a time. He received a Purple Heart for leaving his fox hole to drag a wounded comrade back to their hole. Experiencing the terror of war as he did, had a profound effect on him for his entire life. Discharged in 1946 he returned to the stage on tour with Tallulah Bankhead in "The Eagle Has Two Heads". Followed by "Two Blind Mice" with Melvyn Douglas, "Twilight Walk" opposite Nancy Kelly, and "Seagulls Over Sorrento". In 1948 he again deserted Broadway for summer stock, this time going to Williamsburg VA, to play the role of Thomas Jefferson in Paul Greens "The Common Glory". While there he took special courses in Philosophy at William and Mary College. Brooke credits his biggest professional break to Franchot Tone with whom he appeared in "The Second Man." Directed by Jean Dalrymple, the play successfully toured the straw-hat circuit from Maine to Florida and California. Television's top brass saw the play and almost at once Walter jumped into starring roles on virtually all major TV shows then on the air. During an eight-week period he did 12 leads, appearing on four one-hour shows, and eight 30-minute programs, while at the same time playing a running part on "One Man's Family". Few actors can equal or top this record. After "One Man's Family" went off the air, he resumed free-lancing. For one year he acted the heavy on CBS's "The Brighter Day". He followed this for six months in "Three Steps to Heaven", which he left for a one-picture deal with Paramount as the star in their 3 1/2-million-dollar film "Conquest of Space" produced by George Pal. 1953 saw him appear in two plays with Ilka Chase in Nassau L.I., the following summer of 1954 he appeared with Marie Wilson and Melville Cooper in "The Little Hut". Slim and dapper Walter Brooke met pert Elizabeth Wragge, the pretty blonde NBC Radio Star, on a blind date at an AFTRA ball at the Waldorf-Astoria. They were married four years later on January 14th, 1951. The couple had two children, Thomas Brooke and Christina Lynne Brooke. They divided their time between a home in Elberon. N.J. and a mellow apartment, The Osborne on West 57th Street. Quiet and dignified Walter confessed that he had an evocation for photography and liked to take photographs of his actress wife and their two children. He was an expert photographer. As time moved forward it soon became apparent that Hollywood was the best place for Walter to be for film and television work, so he started spending more time on the west coast and by 1960 his career as an actor looked assured so he relocated to Hollywood as his wife and children stayed in midtown Manhattan pursuing their own theatrical careers. As evidenced by his dozens of appearances in films and on television he was able to live a respectable "Hollywood lifestyle". One of his main hobbies was gardening and landscaping. He would have swimming pools installed in neglected homes that he would purchase as fixer uppers, then rent out to new Hollywood types. This became as much of an occupation as film and television work, and he and his third partner, whom he married in Las Vegas, 1 year prior to his death in 1986, enjoyed every minute. Besides his career as a prolific actor. Walter was an environmentalist and a Universalist. Swimming was one of his passions. In all the homes he lived in, he would create and care for a garden where he grew many types of vegetables. Picked fresh and prepared on the same day. His motto was "Each Day Will Be Better Than the Last, If You Let It".