John Hoyt

John Hoyt (October 5, 1905 – September 15, 1991) was an American film, theatre, and television actor.

Early life

John Hoyt was born John Hoysradt. Before becoming an actor with Orson Welles's Mercury Theatre, the Yale University graduate worked as a history instructor, acting teacher and even as a nightclub comedian. Under his birth name (John Hoysradt), Hoyt began his performing career in a nightclub act doing impressions of famous entertainers. His impersonation of Noël Coward was so remarkable that he was hired for the original cast of the Broadway comedy The Man Who Came to Dinner, in which he played Beverley Carlton, a role clearly based on Coward.

Hoysradt began his movie career still using his birth name, but soon shortened it to Hoyt. He was known for playing villains in films, but also had a part (a non-pornographic one) in the softcore porn film Flesh Gordon. He also briefly appeared naked (shown only from the waist up) in the Roger Corman film X -- The Man With X-Ray Eyes (1963).

Television and film

Hoyt had a number of memorable television roles including the grandfather on Gimme a Break!, an industrialist in When Worlds Collide, a number of guest roles on Hogan's Heroes and the role of Dr. Philip Boyce on Star Trek's first pilot episode "The Cage". He appeared twice during the second season of The Twilight Zone, in the episodes "Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up" and "The Lateness of the Hour". Hoyt also made a memorable appearance as the Dr. Frankenstein-inspired Dr. Mendoza in The Monkees episode "I Was a Teenage Monster." He appeared in one Shakespearean film, MGM's Julius Caesar, reprising the role of Decius Brutus (a.k.a Decimus Junius Brutus Albinus), which he had played in the famous 1937 Mercury Theatre production starring Orson Welles. He also appeared as KAOS agent Conrad Bunny in the Get Smart episode, "Our Man in Toyland". The last role of his acting career was an extended passionate monologue from the Gospel of Mark. In 1953, he portrayed Elijah in the biblical film Sins of Jezebel.

Hoyt died of prostate cancer in Santa Cruz, California. His ashes were take by his wife Dorothy to a long time friend's property in Santa Cruz in Santa Cruz, California.

Partial filmography

External links

• John Hoyt at Find a Grave
• John Hoyt at Memory Alpha (a Star Trek wiki)
• John Hoyt at the Internet Movie Database