Edd Byrnes

4/5

Biography

Born Edward Byrne Breitenberger in New York City on July 30, 1933, Edd Byrnes shared an impoverished and unhappy childhood with brother Vincent and sister Jo-Ann. Their mother worked hard at various jobs to keep the family together because her alcoholic husband was often absent from the scene. When Edd was 13 his father was found dead in a basement. Edd then dropped his last name in favor of "Byrnes", based on the name of his maternal grandfather, a New York City fireman. Edd found escape from family problems at the movies and at the gym, where he developed an athletic body. At age 17 he was approached by a man who offered to take free "physique" photos of him. According to Edd's 1996 autobiography, "Kookie No More", this led to a few years of "hustling" older, well-to-do men, despite the fact that Edd was heterosexual. One of these men acted as Edd's mentor, introducing him to fashion and culture and encouraging his hopes for an acting career. After doing some summer-stock work and a few bit parts on TV, Edd drove to California in 1955, arriving in Los Angeles on the day 'James Dean . Their son, Logan, was born on September 13, 1965. Edd and Asa's marriage ended in divorce in 1971, partially because of his reliance on drugs and alcohol. In 1982 he succeeded in going "clean and sober." He never remarried, remains proud of his son, and has come to terms with his role as television's first teen idol.

  • Primary profession
  • Actor·soundtrack
  • Nationality
  • United States
  • Gender
  • Male
  • Birth date
  • 30 July 1932
  • Place of birth
  • New York City
  • Death date
  • 2020-01-08
  • Death age
  • 87
  • Place of death
  • Santa Monica· California
  • Knows language
  • English language

Movies

TV

Books

Trivia

Father of Logan Byrnes , a news anchor for FOXs affiliate in Hartford, CT.

In 1975, Merv Griffin hired Edd to host a new game-show called "Wheel of Fortune" . Two half-hour pilots were filmed. NBC bought the show but didnt want Byrnes as host. Griffin replaced him with Chuck Woolery (who was later replaced with Pat Sajak ).

On 1/23/05 he was ranked #5 in TV Guides list of "TVs 25 Greatest Teen Idols" /.

In July 2002 he was a guest at the Western Film Fair in Charlotte, NC, along with Donna Douglas , Alex Cord , Johnny Duncan , Peggy Stewart , Jean Porter , Steve Mitchell and Kevin Greaves.

Was a taxi driver in the late 1940s and was fired for doing push-ups during his break.

In the 1950s he and Troy Donahue "sneaked" through each others fan mail to see who got the most. In the early 1980s they reunited and helped each other get sober. They have both stayed sober ever since.

Quotes

Hock shops bring back unhappy memories. .

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