About Eddie Albert
Born Edward Albert Heimberger in 1906 in Rock Island, IL, Eddie Albert began his career with a radio show called The Honeymooners. He moved on to the stage, where he appeared in Brother Rat and Room Service. Recruited by Hollywood, Albert made many films,
including Roman Holiday. He is most famous for his role opposite Eva Gabor as a city lawyer who moves to a farm on TV's Green Acres (1965–1971).
DISCUSS GREEN ACRES IN OUR OLDIES TELEVISION FORUM
Eddie was the eldest of five children, he was raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with old-fashioned morals and a strong work ethic. Albert took on a paper route at the age of six, and managed to balance working with being a student, performing in school plays, and singing in the church choir.
In 1936, Albert tried his hand at stage acting, winning rave reviews for his performances in the productions Brother Rat and Room Service. Following an auspicious Broadway debut, Albert caught the attention of a Warner Bros. talent scout. In 1938, he signed a seven-year contract with the studio and moved to Hollywood, where he reprised his role as Bing Edwards in the acclaimed film version of Brother Rat.
Despite his growing popularity with moviegoers, Albert was unfulfilled by his film work and severed his contract after several disagreements with studio executives. In 1942, he joined the U.S. Navy and was stationed in the South Pacific. While on leave from duty, he returned to Los Angeles, where he began a relationship with Mexican-American actress Margo. Upon Albert’s discharge from service in 1945, the couple married; they had a son, Edward Jr. in 1951.
During the 1950s, Albert starred in several hit television series, including Leave It to Larry and The Saturday Night Revue . In 1953, he earned a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for his performance in the enduring romance Roman Holiday, which starred Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck. His film career continued to flourish with starring roles in the dramas I’ll Cry Tomorrow (1955), The Teahouse of August Moon (1956), and The Sun Also Rises (1957) with Tyrone Power and Ava Gardner.
In 1958, while filming John Huston's dramatic adventure The Roots of Heaven in Africa, Albert met legendary humanitarian and philosopher Dr. Albert Schweitzer. Inspired by Schweitzer, Albert adopted a similar philanthropic attitude and actively pursued what would become a lifelong crusade to raise awareness about pollution and pesticides.
Albert signed on to play Oliver Wendell Douglas in the CBS sitcom Green Acres (1965-71), which also starred Eva Gabor. The program enjoyed six successful seasons on the air, while he became a household name for his portrayal of the Harvard-educated attorney with a passion for farming. As part of a cast that included Cybill Shepherd and Charles Grodin, Albert gave his second Oscar-nominated performance in the 1972 black comedy The Heartbreak Kid. He continued to work steadily throughout the 1970s, most notably in the TV movies Switch (1975) with Robert Wagner, The Word, and Evening in Byzantium (both 1978).
In addition to a slew of supporting roles on film during the 1980s, Albert worked on the popular TV drama series Falcon Crest, thirtysomething, and General Hospital. The 1990 television movie Return to Green Acres reunited Albert with his former cast members.
Albert remained active in his humanitarian efforts until his death from pneumonia on May 26, 2005 at his home near Pacific Palisades, California.
© 2011 A&E Television Networks. All rights reserved.
About Eva Gabor
Eva Gabor was born in Hungary February 11, 1920
Best known as the reserved Gabor sister with talent, actress Eva Gabor began her career as a cabaret singer and ice skater in her native Hungary. Forced to emigrate to the U.S. at the outbreak of World War II, Gabor was able to secure film work in mystery-woman parts in such films as Forced Landing and Pacific Blackout (both 1941). The actress didn't truly achieve star stature until her Broadway appearance in The Happy Time (1950), though, curiously, she wasn't called upon to appear in the 1952 film version. Gabor's movie career, in fact, remained rooted in supporting roles, such as one of Vincent Price's victims in The Mad Magician (1954) and as Liane d'Exelmans in the Oscar-winning Gigi (1958).
Like her sister Zsa Zsa Gabor, Eva has accrued plenty of press coverage thanks to her multiple marriages, but, unlike Zsa Zsa, Gabor has managed to stay off the police blotter -- except for a 1964 incident in which she was nearly killed fighting off a couple of vicious diamond robbers. Gabor's best-loved public appearances were manifested in her five-year run as Lisa Douglas on the popular TV sitcom Green Acres (1965-1970).
Contrary to the Gabor Sisters' image of contentiousness, Eva was well liked on the Green Acres set by both co-star Eddie Albert and director Richard Bare, who had nothing but praise for her professionalism and comic timing. Gabor proved she hadn't lost her touch in 1990 when the inevitable Green Acres two-hour revival movie made its way to television.
Eva Gabor died July 4, 1995
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