March, Frederic

(born Aug. 31, 1897, Racine, Wis., U.S.—died April 14, 1975, Los Angeles, Calif.) U.S. actor. He began acting on Broadway, and his parody of John Barrymore in a touring production of The Royal Family earned him a five-year contract with Paramount Pictures; he reprised the role in the retitled screen adaptation, The Royal Family of Broadway (1930). He subsequently appeared in more than 65 films, including Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1932, Academy Award), A Star Is Born (1937), The Best Years of Our Lives (1946, Academy Award), Death of a Salesman (1951), and Inherit the Wind (1960). He starred on the stage, often with his wife, Florence Eldridge, in plays such as The Skin of Our Teeth (1942) and Long Day's Journey into Night (1956, Tony Award). A versatile stage and film actor, his cerebral approach occasionally resulted in stolid, emotionally unconvincing performances, but it more often produced compelling, complex characterizations.