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Ezra StoneAmerican actor, director and producer
Date of Birth: 02.12.1917
Country:  USA |
Content:
Biography of Ezra Stone
Ezra Stone was an American actor, director, and producer, whose long career spanned theater, radio, film, and television. He was most known for his work as a director and was also a writer, teacher, and lecturer. Stone's most famous role was that of Henry Aldrich, a mischievous and awkward teenager in the popular radio show "The Aldrich Family," which aired from 1939 to 1953. His distinctive voice became a familiar presence in American households for over a decade, and despite his success as a talented director, Stone will always be associated with his youthful and charming character.
Early Life and Career
Ezra Chaim Feinstone, the son of a chemist, teacher, and renowned philanthropist Solomon Feinstone and his wife Rose Meadow, was born on December 2, 1917, in New Bedford, Massachusetts. He first took the stage at the age of 6 in the play "Phosphorus and Suppressed Desires" in Philadelphia. Additionally, in 1931-1932, before finishing high school, he toured with the National Junior Theatre from Washington, D.C. He studied theater at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and made his professional acting debut on Broadway, playing seven roles in the musical revue "Parade" in 1935. Although it can be argued that Stone's Broadway debut actually occurred in 1931 when he played Sid Sawyer in a Christmas production of "Tom Sawyer," the play only ran for six shows. From 1931 to 1956, Stone appeared on Broadway as an actor nine times and directed six productions starting from 1940. He portrayed lively teenagers with boundless energy in popular comedies such as "Room Service," "Three Men on a Horse," and "Brother Rat," and made a name for himself with these roles. However, his real breakthrough came with his role as Henry Aldrich in the play "What a Life" in 1938. The following year, when Ezra was already 21 years old, he landed the role of Henry Aldrich on the radio. Every week, the cry of his long-suffering mother, "Henryyyyy! Henry Aldrich!" would echo through millions of homes and apartments, to which he would always respond, "Coming, Mother!" By 1941, the radio show "The Aldrich Family" had firmly established itself among the top 10 radio programs. In 1942, when Ezra enlisted in the army, another actor voiced his character, but in 1945, when Stone returned from the war, he reclaimed his role and worked on it until 1952. When Stone left the cast of "The Aldrich Family," he turned to directing, primarily in theater and television. Ironically, his first directing job on TV was the television version of "The Aldrich Family." He then worked on numerous different shows, including "I Married Joan," "Bachelor Father," "Lassie," "The Munsters," "Lost in Space," "Julia," and "Love, American Style." He also played several minor roles in films and on television. Ezra and his wife Sara Seegar, an actress, were married for 48 years until her death in 1990. They lived on a farm near Newtown, Pennsylvania. They had two children, son Josef and daughter Francine. On March 3, 1994, at the age of 76, Ezra Stone died in a car accident near Perth Amboy, New Jersey.
