Described in the press as the heir apparent to 'James Stewart , who moved in with him at this time at 15-years-old. Tragically, his comeback didn't last long, as he died of liver cancer in 1979, two days after his 45th birthday.
The father of three, actor Timothy Hutton and daughters Heidi Hutton and Vanity Fair Deputy Editor Rebecca Punch Hutton.
During the early 1960s, he was seen as a new James Stewart. Very tall, gangly, and with a certain absent-minded lilt to his readings of the lines, Hutton seemed to have the abilities to take up where Jimmy Stewart had left off in comedy.
Started acting while serving with the U.S. Army in Germany. Founder and actor/director of the first English-speaking theatre in Berlin.
According to Paula Prentiss in her DVD narrative to Where the Boys Are , they were paired because they were, at the time, Hollywoods tallest contract players, he at 6 5" and she at 5 10".
Earned money for school by digging ditches on weekends and delivering bananas at night.
Timothy Hutton appeared with his father twice, once as a five year old child in an uncredited screen role in Never Too Late , and once on stage, as a teenager in the touring company of "Harvey.".
Timothy Hutton wore Jim Huttons hat, from "Ellery Queen" , in Ordinary People and "A Nero Wolfe Mystery" . He dedicated his Best Supporting Actor Academy Award from "Ordinary People" to his father, who died four months before filming on "Ordinary People" began and five weeks after seeing his sons first leading role Friendly Fire from his hospital bed.
Going to the doctor with respiratory trouble and back pain, he was diagnosed with liver cancer, which had spread to his lungs, he was told he had no more than six months to live. Hoping to prolong his life with chemotherapy, he died 8 weeks after first checking into the hospital and only 4 weeks after his condition was made public.
Hutton had an on again, off again relationship with actress Yvette Vickers for 15 years, often rumored to be engaged and/or living together by tabloids. Vickers claimed he refused to marry her because of his inability to remain faithful to women. Between both of their second marriages they rekindled their romances. From the time of his death up to her 2010 death, the troubled Vickers (who suffered substance abuse and paranoid delusions) claimed the equally troubled Hutton had been the one and only love of her life & soul-mate and described him as "a typical Irish Catholic male; hard drinking, chauvinistic, funny as hell, but with the insecurities of a child." Vickers was discovered by neighbor Susan Savage in April 2011 in a mummified state suggesting she had died a year earlier.
Milton Berle delivered his eulogy.
His first wife made the statement "he told me his wife and family were standing in the way of his career" when seeking a divorce. Despite this, Hutton frequently stayed at her home when visiting the family.
Acted in more than 40 instructional films for the military as a member of Army Special Services, including The Big Attack aka Citizen Soldier as Big Slim (credited as Dana S. Hutton) which aired on network television despite being made for and with soldiers.
Was known as a prankster (some mean-spirited) and troublemaker who admitted to "delighting in deflating the egos of higher-ups." In college he stole Syracuses bulldozer and plowed the blue tulip bed in front of the library (while drunk) the night before the moving up ceremony where he was one of the honorees as class vice-president and was immediately expelled, although argued that his co-conspirator was let off because he was captain of the football team. At Niagara College he claimed to have drained a pond as a prank and was expelled once again for dropping his pants during an awards dinner on a $12 bet, where he was being honored by the faculty as president of the Drama Society. He was nearly demoted in rank for putting alum powder in his commanding officers bowl of stew, among other pranks he pulled while in the military, almost all on higher-ups.
When asked, Cary Grant cited Hutton as the actor who would follow in his footsteps as a comic leading man.
Sam Peckinpah nicknamed Jim Hutton "The Yankee" because of his thick, flat, almost mid-western accent. Was friendly with the actor despite firing a gun (with blanks) at him Major Dundee , because Hutton annoyed him while learning to ride a horse; scaring the horse which bucked him off. notoriously eccentric Peckinpah described Hutton as "crazy for no reason" because of his constant womanizing and hard drinking habits, despite enjoy neither activity.
Youngest daughter Rebecca Punch Hutton , from his second marriage to Lynni Solomon, named her daughter Ellery after his character, "Ellery Queen".
According to producer William Link , "Ellery Queen" was created with Hutton in mind, after NBC saw his performance in They Call It Murder . Link described him as the most dedicated actor hed ever worked. He recalled that Hutton literally moved into his dressing room during the 7-month production, 7 days a week. He did this in order to study his script at morning and night, and avoid all distractions at home of women and alcohol. But crew noticed he drank heavily after production wrapped Friday throughout Saturday.
Was the first person to win the New York State Oratorical high school competition two years in a row.
Claimed to run three miles every day with a pedometer and drank a daily smoothie of 3 eggs yolks, wheat germ, honey, almonds, and raw milk he prepared the night before to ferment and ate at least one steak every day.
Was already a 26-year-old married father of two, when he played 20-year-old college student "TV Thompson" in Where the Boys Are .
Performed an impromptu scene in the commissary of MGM to get an audition for Where the Boys Are .
His first and last professional role in the theater was the lead in his favorite play, Harvey.
Jack Lemmon was his favorite actor.
Considered Walk Dont Run his best film and best performance.
Lived with Susan Oliver throughout 1963 but they refused to marry after his divorce and parted, when she began focusing on her career as a pilot.
Close friend of Merlin Olsen.
Ida Lupino asked Hutton to play the role of the rival headmaster in The Trouble with Angels in an uncredited cameo. Lupino had heard him described as a younger, taller Jack Lemmon and added in the line describing his character as "like Jack Lemmon only younger".
He was against the Vietnam War.
Director Richard L. Bare attempted to cast Hutton in several TV series, including additional "The Twilight Zone" episodes, but he couldnt convince MGM to change his exclusive film contract. While developing the romantic comedy sitcom, Youre Only Young Once , he felt Hutton was the only working actor right for the role. He asked Hutton to appear in the screen tests with actresses, in order to show the studio the dailies and allow him to take the role. They agreed to allow Hutton to appear in the pilot, but refused to break his contract to work on a TV series, full-time.
He and Paula Prentiss were in five movies together: Where the Boys Are , The Honeymoon Machine , Bachelor in Paradise , The Horizontal Lieutenant , and Looking for Love .
Was Freddie Mercury s partner from 1985 until Mercurys death on November 24, 1991.
