
Sterling Hayden
- Date of Birth: 1916-03-26
- Date of Death: 1986-05-23
- Place of Birth: Upper Montclair, New Jersey, USA
Biography
Sterling Walter Hayden, born Sterling Relyea Walter, was an American actor and author. He didn't really harbor any aspirations of being an actor, dropped out of high school at the age of 16 and hired ... Sterling Walter Hayden, born Sterling Relyea Walter, was an American actor and author. He didn't really harbor any aspirations of being an actor, dropped out of high school at the age of 16 and hired on as mate on a schooner. He was a ship's captain at 22, and in need of cash to buy his own boat, established himself as a model in New York, discovered by Paramount Studios talent scouts and offered a contract. Sterling Hayden, the handsome tall blond actor who played wholesome leading-man movie roles in the 1940's and 1950's and later weathered into a rough-hewn solid character actor in films such as ''Dr. Strangelove'', ''The Godfather,'' "Nine to Five" and "King of the Gypsies". He appeared in 71 feature films and tv-productions from the debut in "Virginia" 1941 to the tv mini-series "The Blue and the Gray" in 1982. He wrote of his obsessive fascination with the sea in a 1963 autobiography, ''Wanderer,'' and in 1970 his 700-page epic novel of the sea, ''Voyage,'' was a main selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club. Sterling Hayden appeared in the German documentary, ''Pharos of Chaos,'' (1983) filmed aboard his barge in Europe, and seemed to be in an alcoholic stupor much of the time, supplementing his wine intake with hashish. On camera he said: ''What confuses me is I ain't all that unhappy. So why do I drink, I don't know.''

Gun Battle at Monterey
Romance, Western • 1957 October

Flat Top
Drama, Action, War • 1952 October

Timberjack
Music, Action, Western • 1955 February

Gas
Comedy • 1981 July

Irving Johnson High Seas Adventurer
Documentary, TV Movie • 1985 March

Johnny Guitar: A Western Like No Other
Documentary • 2016 September

Johnny Guitar: A Feminist Western?
Documentary • 2016 September

The Starlost: The Beginning
Science Fiction • 1980 January

Tell Us She Was One of You: The Hollywood Blacklist and 'Johnny Guitar'
Documentary • 2016 September

Old Man
Drama, TV Movie • 1958 November