Judson Pratt

Judson Pratt
Pratt in The Ugly American, 1963
Born(1916-12-06)December 6, 1916
Hingham, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedFebruary 9, 2002(2002-02-09) (aged 85)
Northridge, California, U.S.
Alma materIthaca College
OccupationActor
Years active1941–1980
Spouse(s)Roberta Jonay
(m. 1950; died 1976)

Judson Pratt (December 6, 1916[1] – February 9, 2002) was an American film, television, and theatre actor. He was best known for playing Sergeant Major Kirby in the 1959 film The Horse Soldiers.

Early life and career

Pratt was born in Hingham, Massachusetts.[2] He attended Hingham High School, graduating in 1934.[3] He also attended Ithaca College, graduating in 1938.[4] He began his stage career in 1941, playing a Western Union messenger in the Broadway play Popsy.[2] He then began his screen career in 1950, in the anthology television series Armstrong Circle Theatre, starring opposite Mary Patton in the episode "Blaze of Glory".[5] In 1953, he appeared in Alfred Hitchcock's film I Confess.[4]

Later in his career, in 1958, Pratt starred as Billy Kinkaid in the syndicated western television series Union Pacific starring along with Jeff Morrow and Susan Cummings.[1] After the series ended in 1959, he guest-starred in numerous television programs including Barney Miller, Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Father Knows Best, Thriller, Perry Mason, Death Valley Days, The Streets of San Francisco, Rawhide, Mayberry, R.F.D., Nanny and the Professor, Mission: Impossible, The Guns of Will Sonnett, The Partridge Family, Bewitched and Charlie's Angels.[6] He also appeared in films such as The Horse Soldiers (as Sergeant Major Kirby),[7] The Toy Tiger, Outside the Law, I Confess, Four Girls in Town, The Great American Pastime, Man Afraid, Vigilante Force,[8] Somebody Up There Likes Me, Cheyenne Autumn, A Distant Trumpet,[9] The Ugly American[10] and The Barefoot Executive.[6]

Pratt retired from acting in 1980,[11] last appearing in the CBS soap opera television series Days of Our Lives.[12]

Personal life and death

Pratt was married to actress Roberta Jonay from May 21, 1950 until her death on April 19, 1976. They had two children.[13][14]

Pratt died on February 9, 2002 in Northridge, California, at the age of 85.[6][15] His body was cremated.[15]

References

  1. 1 2 Mayers, Boyd. "Do You Remember... Union Pacific". westernclippings.com. Archived from the original on July 6, 2014. Retrieved August 8, 2021 – via Wayback Machine.
  2. 1 2 "Judson Pratt". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  3. ↑ "Hingham Boy Awarded Dramatic Scholarship". The Boston Globe. May 18, 1934. p. 5. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  4. 1 2 "College Graduate Has Part in Movie". The Ithaca Journal. p. 4. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  5. ↑ "Television News and Programs". The Buffalo News. August 29, 1950. p. 20. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
  6. 1 2 3 Lentz, Harris (April 9, 2003). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2002. McFarland. pp. 242–243. ISBN 9780786414642 – via Google Books.
  7. ↑ Darby, William (August 2015). John Ford's Westerns: A Thematic Analysis, with a Filmography. McFarland. p. 42. ISBN 9781476607528 – via Google Books.
  8. ↑ "The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California - 86". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. September 29, 1976. p. 86 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ Herzberg, Bob (January 10, 2014). Savages and Saints: The Changing Image of American Indians in Westerns. McFarland. pp. 200–202. ISBN 9780786451821 – via Google Books.
  10. ↑ "The Ugly American (1963)". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 11, 2016. Retrieved August 8, 2021 – via Wayback Machine.
  11. ↑ Arnold, Mark (2023). Stars of Walt Disney Productions. Orlando, FL: BearManor Productions. ISBN 979-8-88771-072-3.
  12. ↑ Russell, Maureen (1995). Days of Our Lives : A Complete History of the Long-running Soap OperaJefferson, N.C. : McFarland & Company. p. 197. ISBN 0786401125.
  13. ↑ "Marriages". Variety. May 24, 1950. p. 75. ProQuest 1286073758. Roberta Jonay to Judson Pratt, New York, May 21. Both are thespers.
  14. ↑ "Obituaries: Singer Roberta Jonay Pratt". Newsday. April 22, 1976. p. 36. ProQuest 922596072. Funeral services for former Broadway singer Roberta Jonay Pratt are scheduled for tomorrow. Mrs. Pratt, 54, died of cancer Monday at Northridge Hospital. [...] She is survived by her husband, Judson Pratt, an actor, and two sons, Michael, 22, and Mitchell, 16.
  15. 1 2 Wilson, Scott (August 22, 2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed. McFarland. p. 602. ISBN 978-0786479924 – via Google Books.
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