John Hoyt

John Hoyt

1905-10-05 – 1991-09-15 (age 85) Bronxville, New York, USA
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Biography

John Hoyt was an American film, theatre, and television actor, October 5, 1905 – September 15, 1991. He began his acting career on Broadway, later appearing in numerous films and television series.

He is perhaps best known for his roles in the films The Lawless (1950), When Worlds Collide (1951), Julius Caesar (1953), Blackboard Jungle (1955), Spartacus (1960), Cleopatra (1963), The Outer Limits (1964), Flesh Gordon (1974), and the television series Gimme a Break! (1981-87).

Hoyt was born John McArthur Hoysradt in Bronxville, New York, the son of Warren J. Hoysradt, an investment banker, and his wife, Ethel Hoysradt, née Wolf. He attended the Hotchkiss School and Yale University, where he served on the editorial board of campus humor magazine The Yale Record. He received a bachelor's and a master's degree from Yale. He worked as a history instructor at the Groton School for two years.

Hoyt shortened his surname in 1945, the year before his film debut in O.S.S. He became a familiar face in film noir and played the strict Principal Warneke in the 1955 film Blackboard Jungle, starring Glenn Ford. He played an industrialist in the 1951 film When Worlds Collide. Hoyt appeared in one Shakespearean film: MGM's Julius Caesar, reprising the role of Decius Brutus (or Decimus Junius Brutus Albinus), whom he had played in the 1937 Mercury Theatre production. In 1952, he played Cato in Androcles and the Lion. In 1953, he portrayed Elijah in the biblical film Sins of Jezebel. He had featured roles in the big-budget sixties epics Spartacus and Cleopatra.

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Known For

Spartacus
Spartacus

1960

as Caius

Cleopatra
Cleopatra

1963

as Cassius

Flesh Gordon
Flesh Gordon

1974

as Professor Gordon

Desperately Seeking Susan
Desperately Seeking Susan

1985

as Space Commander

Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar

1953

as Decius Brutus

When Worlds Collide
When Worlds Collide

1951

as Sydney Stanton

Désirée
Désirée

1954

as Talleyrand

Never So Few
Never So Few

1959

as Col. Reed

Duel at Diablo
Duel at Diablo

1966

as Chata

Brute Force
Brute Force

1947

as Spencer

The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel
The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel

1951

as Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel

Blackboard Jungle
Blackboard Jungle

1955

as Mr. Warneke

The Conqueror
The Conqueror

1956

as Shaman

The Big Combo
The Big Combo

1955

as Nils Dreyer

X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes
X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes

1963

as Willard Benson

The Time Travelers
The Time Travelers

1964

as Dr. Varno

Gunpoint
Gunpoint

1966

as Mayor Osborne

The Lady Gambles
The Lady Gambles

1949

as Dr. Rojac

Merrill's Marauders
Merrill's Marauders

1962

as Gen. Joseph Stilwell

Lost Continent
Lost Continent

1951

as Michael Rostov