David Wayne

David Wayne (January 30, 1914 – February 9, 1995) was an American actor with a career spanning nearly 50 years. He attended Western Michigan University then worked as a statistician in Cleveland where he joined a Shakespeare repertory company. Two years later he had a minor role in "The American Way" in New York. He was rejected by the army in World War II but volunteered as an ambulance driver in North Africa. He returned to critical acclaim on Broadway and was awarded a Tony for Best Supporting Actor in the musical "Finian's Rainbow" in 1947. He earned his second Tony as a leading actor in the play "The Teahouse of the August Moon". Wayne moved to Los Angeles in 1977 though his movie credits go back to Portrait of Jennie (1948) and Adam's Rib (1949) in which he sang the memorable Cole Porter tune "Farewell, Amanda". Among his many television roles were a bank official in his own comedy series, "Norby" (1955), James Merrick, a heart patient in an episode titled "Heartbeat", from the drama series "Suspicion' " (1957), the part of Inspector Queen in the Manfred Lee's "Ellery Queen" (1975) series and of "Digger" Barnes in "Dallas" (1978). In his last feature film, he played an inquisitive but slightly senile train conductor in the irreverent comedy, " Finders Keepers"(1985).