Hurd Hatfield

Hatfield spent much of the 1950s on stage, making the occasional film appearance (e.g., "The Left-Handed Gun" 1958). In 1961, he was memorable in the small but pivotal role of Pontius Pilate in George Stevens' biblical epic "King of Kings." During the early 60s, Hatfield also appeared in several "Hallmark Hall of Fame" productions, earning an Emmy nomination as Rothschild in "The Invincible Mr. Disraeli" (NBC, 1963). He lent the proper air of sangfroid to his portrayal of Paul Bern opposite Carol Lynley as "Harlow" (1965) and was also quite good in an extended cameo as a sex deviant suspected of being "The Boston Strangler" (1968). While his work since the 70s has been sporadic, Hatfield has remained busy. He offered a fine portrait of a thinly-veiled Maxwell Perkins in the 1979 CBS TV-movie "You Can't Go Home Again" and returned to the big screen as Ahimelech in the biblical "King David" (1985). He followed with a turn as the hospitalized grandfather of the trio of sisters in "Crimes of the Heart" (1986) and in support of Paulina Porizkova and Tom Selleck in "Her Alibi" (1989), both directed by Bruce Beresford. The still handsome actor also appeared with "Dorian Gray" co-star Angela Lansbury on her series "Murder, She Wrote" and continued to make public appearances and act on stage into the 1990s.