Jeff Chandler Deserved Many More Years In Hollywood.

The Brilliant Career And Tragic Fate Of Jeff Chandler
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Behind-The-Scenes Facts About Jeff Chandler, The Actor Hollywood Lost Too Soon
Mar 17
PEOPLE
Byron Fast
He Was The Real Deal
Plenty of today’s Hollywood action stars seem a little below average when it comes to height—hello, Tom Cruise. Jeff Chandler was something different entirely. With his broad frame, he towered over most of his costars. The wavy silver hair, dark complexion, and deep, resonant voice certainly didn’t hurt either. When a terrible tragedy took his life far too early, Hollywood lost one of its true leading men. But years later, a shocking accusation would force people to see Chandler in a completely different light.
Hulton Archive/Getty Images
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1. He Was An Only Child
Jeff Chandler was born on December 15, 1918, in Brooklyn, New York. Not only was he an only child, but he also lost his dad early in his life. When he was a boy, his parents separated. But despite that early loss, Chandler still kept hold of youthful dreams. And after acting in high school plays, Chandler knew he wanted to be an actor.  But there was one important thing standing in his way.
Wire photo, Wikimedia Commons
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2. He Took His Second Choice
Acting school was expensive, and Chandler had no money to pay for it. Making a more sensible choice, he decided to study commercial art, which was cheaper. When he finished school, he got a job as a layout artist with a weekly salary of just $18. But Chandler wasn’t happy.
He had to somehow use the little money he had to fulfill his dream.
New York Sunday News, Wikimedia Commons
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3. He Got Interrupted
Jeff Chandler took his meager earnings and put them toward an education at the Feagin School of Dramatic Art. After graduating, he worked in radio and for a theater company as an actor and a stage manager. And by 1941, Chandler was ready to start his own theater company—Shady Lane Productions. But just when they started to see a little success, a dramatic interruption stopped him in his tracks.
Los Angeles Times, Wikimedia Commons
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4. He Signed Up
When the US entered WW II, Chandler signed himself up. After four years and becoming a lieutenant, Chandler headed out to the west coast to make a play for life in the fast lane in LA. Unfortunately for him, though, he promptly had a car accident.
So his pursuit of Hollywood got off to a rough start, but that proved only the beginning.
Universal. Photographer not credited (page 30), Modern Screen, August 1954, Wikimedia Commons
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5. He Made A Valuable Friend
It may have been the scar on his forehead left by the car accident, but Jeff  Chandler found roles only in radio dramas. But, in a stroke of good luck, he met Dick Powell while working one of these gigs. Powell saw something in Chandler. Before long, he talked to Columbia Pictures and got Chandler his first job on a film, a  small, uncredited role in a film called Jonny O'Clock .
But that little taste of life in the limelight made him hungry for more.
Trailer screenshot by uploader, Wikimedia Commons
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6. He Took A Step Back
Unfortunately, Chandler’s small role in  Johnny O’Clock  only led to more small roles. Somehow, he wasn't turning into the star he wanted to be. So when he got the chance to play opposite Eve Arden in the radio show  Our Miss Brooks , it may have felt like a step backward.
Strangely, though, it was this radio show that catapulted him to stardom.
Bureau of Industrial Service. This was a division of ad agency Young & Rubicam and was widely used by those in the television industry for distribution of publicity material., Wikimedia Commons
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7. He Was Lovable
In the radio show  Our Miss Brooks , Jeff  Chandler plays Philip Boynton. This character teaches biology and is clueless about the fact that Miss Brooks has a crush on him. After all, he’s much more interested in experiments. While he sounds like an impossibly nerdy character, Chandler managed to make audiences fall in love with Boynton.
But it wasn't just audiences who were listening.
Bureau of Industrial Service for CBS Television, Wikimedia Commons
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8. He Was Heard But Not Seen
Some bigwigs at Universal Pictures heard Chandler on the radio, and his performance impressed them. They were looking for an actor for  Sword in the Desert  about Israel's fight for independence. They quickly snapped Chandler up, but after a few days of filming, they realized something. Chandler had “star” written all over him.
Archive Photos, Getty Images
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9. They Wanted To Keep Him Close
While he was still making  Sword in the Desert , Jeff  Chandler received a contract from Universal for seven years. This way, Universal knew they could keep him safely under their wing.  Abandoned  was their first film together, and he plays the DA. When he got his next role in 20th Century Fox’s  Broken Arrow  with James Stewart, his fate changed forever.
Screenshot from Abandoned, Universal Pictures (1949)
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10. They Were Desperate
Fox was up against the wall, looking for an actor for their film  Broken Arrow.  It was a tough role to fill as it was a Native American character. They needed someone tall and, in order to pull off being native American, they didn’t want someone too well known. They were desperate and even considered offering the role to opera singer Ezio Pinza.
That’s when the name Jeff Chandler came to their attention.
Sunset Boulevard, Getty Images
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11. He Was Perfect
Because of his performance in  Sword in the Desert , someone suggested Jeff  Chandler for the role of Cochise in  Broken Arrow . He had everything they needed: a towering height, a deep voice, and he was still generally unknown to audiences. Fox was giddy with excitement, especially when Universal agreed to loan him out. Chandler was making a huge leap and would co-star with acting juggernaut  James Stewart .
This was a big break, and it served up another surprising benefit.
John Springer Collection, Getty Images
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12. His Name Was All Over the Place
Because Chandler was playing Cochise in Fox’s  Broken Arrow , Universal figured out that he was going to be a big star. To cash in, they pushed his name higher on the poster for  Abandoned :   their film with Chandler. From out of nowhere, Chandler's name was getting around Hollywood.
But, of course, all of this would lead to nothing if Chandler’s portrayal of Cochise wasn’t a success.
Screenshot from Broken Arrow, 20th Century Fox (1950)
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13. He Changed Things
Until this point, film characters that were Native American tended to lack complexity. They were usually men of few words. The script for  Broken Arrow  had more lines for Cochise than most. And then there was Jeff  Chandler. He made the character multi-layered. This was a first, and audiences took note.
Members of the academy were also watching.
Screenshot from Broken Arrow, 20th Century Fox (1950)
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14. He Got The Nod
Broken Arrow  was a monster hit and earned three Academy Award nominations. Chandler’s nomination for Best Supporting Actor was the only acting nomination. It was also t…

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