One of the almost forgotten greats of Hollywood’s Golden Era, Fredric March was a distinguished actor of both cinema and stage, with a long list of accolades.
Born Ernest Frederick McIntyre Bickel on August 31, 1897 in Racine, WI, young March served in the Army as an artillery lieutenant during World War I, and began a career in banking, despite an interest in acting. However, an emergency appendectomy made him reconsider his career choice and he decided to pursue his interest in the theater.
While appearing in films and on stage in New York in the 1920s, he shortened his first name and adopted a shorter version of his mother’s maiden name of “Marcher” to become “Fredric March.” Hollywood came calling in 1929, and with his good looks and rich voice, he easily segued from silent films to talkies. After his five-year contract with Paramount Pictures expired, he became one of the few actors during the studio-controlled era to successfully freelance. He knew how to pick good roles, and producers sought him out. As such, other than a few duds in his early contract days, there are very few bad Fredric March films.
Freelancing also gave him the unusual ability to split his time equally between Hollywood and Broadway. He found success in a variety of roles from lightweight comedy to horror to heavy drama, sliding so effortlessly into these characters that he seemed to disappear completely. He received his first of five Academy Award nominations in 1931, winning the following year for “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” making his one of the rare acting performances to win for a horror role. In 1947, he and Jose Ferrer tied for the first Best Actor Tony award, and that same year March became the only actor to win a Tony and an Oscar (for “The Best Years of Our Lives” directed by William Wyler) in the same year. Then 10 years later, he won his second Tony for “Long Day’s Journey Into Night,” becoming the only actor to have two wins in the Best Actor categories for these two major awards. In addition, he accumulated three Primetime Emmy nominations, three BAFTA nominations and three Golden Globe nominations (winning one Globe in 1954 for “Death of a Salesman”).
After a short-lived marriage in the 1920s, March married actress Florence Eldridge in 1927. They appeared together in several films and plays, and adopted two children. They remained together until his death from prostate cancer in 1975 at the age of 77.
Tour our photo gallery, which features the 15 greatest March film performances, ranked worst to best. Our list includes “A Star Is Born,” “Inherit the Wind” and “Death of a Salesman.”
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15. The Iceman Cometh (1973)
Image Credit: Courtesy of American Film Theatre Based on Eugene O’Neill’s ambitious play, this four-hour movie is set in Harry Hope’s (March) saloon in 1912. The regulars of Harry’s bar have come together to commiserate with each other about their lost dreams while they await the arrival of popular traveling salesman Hickey (Lee Marvin), who normally regales them with stories of his adventures. However, on this trip, Hickey forces them to take a look at their own lives and their inability to make their dreams comes true. For an actor who spent as much time on stage as on screen, winning one of his Tonys for another O’Neill play “Long Day’s Journey Into Night,” this was a fitting last cinematic role for March. It was also the last film for actor Robert Ryan, and both men received great reviews in this critically praised film.
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14. Anna Karenina (1935)
Image Credit: Moviestore/Shutterstock Many consider this the best Hollywood adaptation of the 800-page Tolstoy novel. The beautiful Anna (Greta Garbo) is married to a cold, distant man, and finds love with the dashing Count Vronsky (March). She gives up everything, including her son and her social standing, to be with the man she loves. However, there are tragic consequences as society condemns their illicit affair. This is one of the great Garbo’s finest performances, and March holds his own as he transitions from her obsessed admirer, to her faithful lover, and finally, to her disillusioned partner.
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13. I Married a Witch (1942)
Image Credit: United Artists/Kobal/Shutterstock Although they notoriously did not get along during production, March and costar Veronica Lake managed to create a chemistry that turned into a delightful comedy romance. Lake is Jennifer, a beautiful witch who curses the male descendants of Puritan Jonathan Wooley, who burns her at the stake in 1672. However, her soul is freed in 1942 and she wreaks havoc on the life of Wallace Wooley (March), who is running for governor and is unhappily engaged to the spoiled Estelle (Susan Hayward). This film is pure fun, with special effects like floating cars and the cliche’d flying broom adding a touch of magic in pre-digital days. “I Married a Witch” is sadly largely forgotten, but has a lasting legacy in the television series “Bewitched,” which was inspired by this film.
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12. Design for a Living (1933)
Image Credit: Snap/REX/Shutterstock Playwright Tom Chambers (March) and his best friend, artist George Curtis (Gary Cooper), both fall for the free-spirited Gilda Farrell (Miriam Hopkins). In this risqué comedy, she can’t choose between the two, so she agrees to live with both of them with a “no sex” rule in place. Made before the Production Code was fully enforced, the film nonetheless had to make adjustments to the Noel Coward play, which resulted in mixed reviews at the time. However, today it is viewed as a sexy adult Ernst Lubitsch comedy with three stars from the Golden Era at the peak of their fame, with March delivering one of his rare but delightful comedic performances.
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11. The Royal Family of Broadway (1930)
Image Credit: Moviestore/Shutterstock Based on the play, this film satirizes the Barrymore family of theatrical actors. Reprising his stage role, March plays the John-Barrymore-inspired Tony Cavendish, earning his first Academy Award nomination. Although his role is small, he steals the show as the flamboyant Tony, doing a remarkable impersonation of the great Barrymore, whose mannerisms he studied and turned into a comedic gem.
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10. The Desperate Hours (1955)
Image Credit: Paramount/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Spencer Tracy was originally scheduled to costar with Humphrey Bogart in this film noir; however, when both men insisted on top billing, Spencer dropped out and March stepped in. March is Dan Hilliard, who lives a comfortable life with his wife and two children in a nice suburb. Then, three escaped convicts led by Glenn Griffin (Bogart) choose the Hilliard house as their hideout, terrorizing the family for days. March’s middle-aged businessman has to protect his family and outwit the criminals, and his determination to keep his family safe using his wits against Griffin’s brawn turns this into a tension-filled thriller. It’s worth a watch to see two of the Golden Era’s finest actors play against one another
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9. Executive Suite (1954)
Image Credit: MGM/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock This rich soap opera centers around the battle for control of the Tredway Corporation after the president dies unexpectedly without having named a vice-president. March plays Loren Shaw, the ambitious company controller who blackmails other members of the board for votes as he vies with the younger Don Walling for the position. The entire film takes place in a 28-hour period, culminating in the showdown between the conniving Shaw and the good-intentioned Walling. Besides March, the all-star cast includes William Holden, June Allyson, Barbara Stanwyck, Dean Jagger, Shelley Winters and Walter Pidgeon. This film earned a Best Supporting Actress nomination for Nina Foch, as well as three other nominations and numerous accolades. It was a box office success, and spawned a short-lived television series in 1976.
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8. Nothing Sacred (1937)
Image Credit: Moviestore/Shutterstock March is paired with the industry’s greatest screwball comedienne in this romantic comedy. Disgraced reporter Wallace Cook (March) is looking for a story to put him back on top. He hears about Hazel Flagg (Lombard), a young woman diagnosed with radium poisoning. He offers to take her to New York to do a series of stories on her; she accepts even though she discovers that she’s not really sick. She enjoys the attention at first, but then feels guilty over the deception, especially when she and Wallace fall in love. This was the first screwball comedy filmed in Technicolor, and the only color film with Lombard. It is considered one of the best in the genre, with its cynical commentary on mankind and the media. March is an excellent straight man to Lombard’s zany heroine, with the boxing scene between the two a hilarious piece of film.
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7. Death of a Salesman (1951)
Image Credit: Columbia/Kobal/Shutterstock March turned down the role of Willy Loman in the original stage adaptation of Arthur Miller’s play. He later regretted it, and accepted the role in the film version, earning his fifth and final Oscar nomination. March’s portrayal of the salesman who is fired after years of faithful service and becomes disillusioned with his life, resulting in a mental collapse, is considered by many to be the best of his career. Although he lost out on Oscar, he did receive a Golden Globe for his performance.
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6. Seven Days in May (1964)
Image Credit: Paramount/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock In this political thriller, March is President Jordan Lyman, who has just signed an unpopular nuclear disarmament treaty with the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War. A popular four-star general who opposes the treaty plots to overtake the government, resulting in a battle for control. March received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor, but lost to costar Edmond O’Brien. The film did well critically and commercially, and remains a realistic view of a scenario that can very well happen.
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5. Les Miserables (1934)
Image Credit: Moviestore/Shutterstock March is Victor Hugo’s tragic Jean Valjean relentlessly pursued by the dogged Inspector Javert (Charles Laughton). The film received four Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture. It is by and far considered the best Hollywood adaptation of the acclaimed novel. Made during the Great Depression, the film certainly struck a chord with audiences, as Valjean is sent to prison for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his family. March gives Valjean dignity, through his unjust treatment, disillusionment with justice and return to humanity with the aid of the good bishop.
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4. Inherit the Wind (1969)
Image Credit: United Artists/Kobal/Shutterstock A fictionalized account of a real-life court case, “Inherit the Wind” pits Fredric March as Fundamentalist prosecutor Matthew Harrison Brady (based on three-time presidential nominee William Jennings Bryan) against Spencer Tracy as defending lawyer Henry Drummond (based on Clarence Darrow). March’s character is very much the villain, and in the hands of a less talented actor, Brady could have easily turned into a self-righteous, close-minded caricature. However, March gives him humanity; a man who is at once revered, then falls from his pedestal. March’s subtle ability to give such characters dimension is what set him aside from many others of his generation. He gave the audience the ability to care about characters that seemed to have no redemption.
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3. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931)
Image Credit: Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock In this precode horror film, March plays the doctor who, in a scientific attempt to separate his good and evil sides, creates a formula that unleashes the beast who becomes known as “Mr. Hyde.” March won his first Oscar for his performance (tying with Wallace Beery for “The Champ,” though it is rumored March received one more vote), and to date his is the only Best Actor win for a horror performance. This version of the Robert Louis Stevenson tale is widely considered to be the best; it is an extremely dark version. March plays the dual roles perfectly: the handsome, well-meaning but arrogant Dr Jekyll and the primate-like embodiment of pure evil Hyde. The film is truly ahead of its time, with the onscreen transformation of genteel man to cruel beast, and the depiction of Mr. Hyde’s assault on Ivy.
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2. A Star Is Born (1937)
Image Credit: Moviestore/Shutterstock The original version of the story that has spawned three remakes, this is the only one that takes place strictly in the film world with no music involved. March received his third Oscar nomination for his portrayal of the alcoholic actor Norman Maine, who falls in love with ingenue Esther Blodgett, whose star rises as his falls. There are many urban legends surrounding this version of one of Hollywood’s favorite stories, from the dispute that “What Price, Hollywood?” is the true original to the assumptions that the characters and circumstances are based on true life figures. In fact, John Barrymore (who is supposedly one of the inspirations for Maine) was originally up for the part of Maine, but was unable to learn his lines due to his – you guessed it- alcoholism. Ironically, March had received his first Oscar nomination for his portrayal of a Barrymore-inspired figure in “The Royal Family of Broadway.” So, which version is best – and who did Norman Maine the most justice? I’ve seen all the versions, and they are all great representatives of their place in time. March is adept at balancing the light-hearted moments with the sad, embarrassing moments during his alcohol-induced stupors. Like its successors, the 1937 version received several Oscar nominations (seven, including Picture), but came up short on the big night. It did win for Best Original Story (even with the plagiarism suit from the writers of “What Price”). All versions deserve a watch, and it’s sad that this one seems to be forgotten by all but true cinephiles.
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1. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
Image Credit: SNAP/REX/Shutterstock Made shortly after the end of World War II, “The Best Years of Our Lives” follows the lives of three serviceman after they return to their lives in small-town America. Director William Wyler was determined to make the film as realistic as possible, including building smaller, more realistic sets and requiring the cast to buy off-the-rack clothes and wearing them before filming. The result is one of the most critically and commercially successful films up to that time, winning a total of seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor for March. March’s Al Stephenson is a middle-aged banker struggling to reconnect with his wife of 20 years and their two children, and with doing his job as loan officer properly while showing sympathy to his fellow veterans. The scene in which he reunites with his wife (played by Myrna Loy) after three years away at war is considered one of the most poignant moments in cinematic history. Shot before Post Traumatic Stress became an understood condition, “The Best Years of Our Lives” presents such a realistic view that it remains relevant today.
