Actor Sheppard Strudwick had dark, dignified, matinée-styled good looks but with a slightly shady countenance that may have prevented him from attaining top "leading man" stardom in films. Nevertheless he earned distinguished marks in a number of films and returned most frequently to his first love, the theater, throughout his career. The North Carolina native was born Shepperd Strudwick, Jr. on September 22, 1907, the son of a cotton mill executive. The scion of a prominent family that settled in Hillsborough, his descendants were comprised of doctors, scientists, architects, actors and painters, one of which, Edmund Charles Fox Strudwick, a physician, earned distinction as the first president of the North Caorlina Medical Society. Following high school Strudwick attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with designs on becoming a writer. At one point he was on the editorial staff of his college magazine. In between studies he also joined the university's drama club, the Carolina Playmakers, and ultimately decided to switch his major to drama. Appearing in a number of college productions before his graduation, Strudwick moved to New York in 1928 to pursue a professional career. Almost immediately he won small parts in two Broadway plays, "The Yellow Jacket" and "Falstaff," both starring the shows' producer 'Charles Coburn . Sheppard capped his theatrical career with a Tony-nominated featured performance in "To Grandmother's House We Go" in 1981. Following his last acting part on a 1982 TV episode of "Nurse", Sheppard took ill and died of cancer in New York City on January 15, 1983. He was survived by both his son and his fourth wife, Mary Jeffrey, whom he married in 1977.
Died almost six months before Ernest Graves , who was the first Victor Lord on "One Life to Live" before Strudwick took over the role in 1974.
Was nominated for Broadways 1981 Tony Award as Best Actor (Featured Role - Play) for "To Grandmothers House We Go."
Producer David O. Selznick asked him to test for the role of Ashley in Gone with the Wind .
The athletic-oriented actor enjoyed swimming and tennis along with reading (Hemingway and Steinbeck were his favorite authors).
Another member of his college dramatic club the Carolina Playmakers was bandleader Kay Kyser. He and Sheppard remained friends long after both made it to Hollywood.
According to Frances Ingram, in an extensive article on Shepperd in "Classic Images" (October, 2008), two of Shepperd brothers, Clement and Edmund, became artists and one of them, Edmund, was commissioned to paint a portrait of Eleanor Roosevelt.
