Philip Bourneuf (January 7, 1908 - March 23, 1979) was an American character actor who had a long stage career before appearing in films.

Philip Bourneuf
Bourneuf in an episode of One Step Beyond (1960)
Born(1908-01-07)January 7, 1908
DiedMarch 23, 1979(1979-03-23) (aged 71)
Occupation(s)Stage, film, television actor
Years active1944–1976
SpouseFrances Reid (1940-1973; divorced)

Early years

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The son of engineer Ambrose Bourneuf and his wife, the former Josephine Comeau, Bourneuf was born in Somerville, Massachusetts.[1] He grew up in Melrose, Massachusetts. As a high school student, he performed in vaudeville and with local stock theater companies.[2]

Career

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L-R: Burgess Meredith, Claude Dauphin & Philip Bourneuf in A Salute to France (1944)

Bourneuf's obituary in The New York Times noted, "Mr. Bourneuf was included in the small circle of distinguished actors who appeared in the original casts of the American Repertory Theater, a group founded by Eva Le Gallienne, Margaret Webster, and Cheryl Crawford."[1]

In the 1930s, Boruneuf acted as part of the Federal Theatre Project.[3]

A founding member of the Actors Studio,[4] one of Bourneuf's more memorable roles was as the district attorney who maneuvers the apparently innocent Dana Andrews into the electric chair in Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (1956). His last screen role was in the 1976 television mini-series Captains and the Kings.

Bourneuf made three guest appearances on Perry Mason. In 1960, he played Asa Culver in "The Case of the Prudent Prosecutor." In 1963 he played murder victim Edgar Thorne in "The Case of the Lawful Lazarus," and in 1965 he played defendant Victor Montalvo in "The Case of the Golden Girls." He also appeared in other television series like Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Dr. Kildare and Gunsmoke (in the 1956 S3E1's "Legal Revenge", playing injured and bedridden murderer George Basset; later that season he played Kelly in S3E23’s “Wild West”).

Personal life

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Bourneuf was married to actress Frances Reid from 1940 until their divorce in 1973.[5] They had no children.[6]

Death

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On March 23, 1979, Bourneuf was found dead in his apartment in Santa Monica, California, at age 71.[1]

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
1944 Winged Victory Colonel Gibney Uncredited
1948 Joan of Arc Jean d'Estivet (a prosecutor)
1951 The Big Night Dr. Lloyd Cooper
1953 Thunder in the East Newah Khan
1956 Beyond a Reasonable Doubt District Attorney Roy Thompson
1956 Everything but the Truth Mayor Benjamin 'Ben' Parker
1958 Alfred Hitchcock Presents Mr. Renshaw Season 3 Episode 35: "Dip in the Pool"
1961 Alfred Hitchcock Presents George Henderson Season 7 Episode 12: "A Jury of Her Peers"
1962 Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man City Editor
1962 Wagon Train Joshua Season 5 Episode 27: “The Swamp Devil”
1965 The Alfred Hitchcock Hour Ernest Sylvester Season 3 Episode 21: "The Photographer and the Undertaker"
1966 Chamber of Horrors Inspector Matthew Strudwick
1969 The Arrangement Judge Morris
1970 The Molly Maguires Father O'Connor
1972 The Man Chief Justice Williams
1972 Pete 'n' Tillie Dr. Willet

References

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  1. ^ a b c Goodman, George Jr. (March 24, 1979). "Philip Bourneuf 71". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 8 July 2017. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  2. ^ "Philip Bourneuf Back Again at Brattle, but This Time as an Established Actor". The Boston Globe. April 27, 1952. p. 87. Retrieved August 20, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ Price, Edgar (June 16, 1938). "The Premiere". The Brooklyn Citizen. New York, Brooklyn. p. 16. Retrieved 4 August 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ Garfield, David (1980). "Birth of The Actors Studio: 1947-1950". A Player's Place: The Story of The Actors Studio. New York: MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc. p. 52. ISBN 0-02-542650-8. Also [in Lewis' class were] Henry Barnard, Jay Barney, John Becher, Philip Bourneuf, Joan Chandler, Peter Cookson, Stephen Elliott, Robert Emhardt, Joy Geffen, William Hansen, Will Hare, Jane Hoffman, George Keane, Don Keefer, George Matthews, Peggy Meredith, Ty Perry, Margaret Phillips, David Pressman, William Prince, Elliot Reid, Frances Reid, Kurt Richards, Elizabeth Ross, Thelma Schnee, Joshua Shelley, Fred Stewart, John Straub, Michael Strong, John Sylvester, Julie Warren, Mary Welch, Lois Wheeler, and William Woodson.
  5. ^ "Philip Bourneuf – Broadway Cast & Staff | IBDB". www.ibdb.com. Archived from the original on December 27, 2021. Retrieved 2021-12-26.
  6. ^ "The Stories". Interior Journal. Kentucky, Stanford. November 25, 1976. p. 7. Retrieved December 27, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
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