Walter Pidgeon, 87, the veteran actor who starred in more than 85 films during a career that spanned four decades, died yesterday at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, Calif. He had recently had a series of strokes and also suffered from kidney failure.
He first appeared in films in 1926, but he was not widely known until the introduction of sound when he became much in demand as an actor in musicals and straight romances.
Unfailingly handsome with or without his moustache, Mr. Pidgeon was highly successful during the 1940s in roles where he personified honest, attractive domestic virtue. He starred in eight films with Greer Garson during that period and won Oscar nominations for his performances as Clem Miniver and as Pierre Curie, opposite Greer Garson's "Madame Curie."
Among his other films of that era were "How Green Was My Valley," "That Forsyte Woman," "White Cargo" and "Youngest Profession." In the view of most critics, his career had peaked by 1950, but he did draw favorable reviews for his performance in "Advise and Consent" in 1961.
In that film, Mr. Pidgeon was cast as the self-effacing Senate majority leader, competent and experienced but willing to remain in the background in the interests of a functioning democracy.
Later he returned to the stage after an absence of 30 years to join Jackie Gleason in the musical, "Take Me Along." He also appeared on Broadway in "The Happiest Millionaire. Although he shunned television for most of his career, he did appear as a substitute for Raymond Burr in the series, "Perry Mason," during the 1960s.
Mr. Pidgeon was born on Sept. 23, 1897 in St. John, New Brunswick and was educated in the New Brunswick public schools. He served in the Canadian Army during World War I, studied law at the University of New Brunswick but then decided to give it up for a career as an actor. He started as a singer in a Boston stock company stage production.
Later he toured the country with a vaudeville company and then appeared on Broadway as an established stage actor. Fred Astaire was said to have heard him sing at a party and to have mentioned his name to two Broadway producers who then offered him a part.
Talking movies were still in the future when Mr. Pidgeon began his film career. He made 10 silent films, then returned to the stage, but came back to Hollywood two years later. In 1937 he signed to appear in Jean Harlow's last film, "Saratoga."
He made his first film with Garson, "Blossoms in the Dust," in 1939. Tall, pipe-smoking and urbane, Mr. Pidgeon had a civilized and tweedy aura that made him the perfect partner for her. Among their other movies were "Mrs. Parkington," "Julia Misbehaves," "The Miniver Story," and "Scandal at Scourie."
Mr. Pidgeon's sense of humor helped dispel any sense of stuffiness, and he loved to tease Garson and the other actors he worked with. He was also an insatiable collector of limericks.
Last night from her ranch in New Mexico, Garson called Pidgeon "a solid gold gentleman."
"He was a wonderful partner and a good, dear friend," The Los Angeles Times quoted her as saying. "Even on the difficult days on the movie set I looked forward to working because he was such a delightful man and a splendid actor. This is a sad, sad day."
Although acclaimed for his supporting roles, Mr. Pidgeon was sometimes faulted by critics for never having established a reputation as an actor capable of sustaining films himself. In the films with Garson, for example, it was she who took the leading role.
Mr. Pidgeon married Edna Pickles in Canada, but she died in 1921 with the birth of their daughter, Edna. Ten years later he married Ruth Walker. He became a U.S. citizen in 1943 when the film, "Mrs. Miniver" was at the height of its popularity.
