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William Warfield (1920–2002)

Soundtrack | Actor

William Warfield was a concert baritone singer, who gave his recital debut in New York's Town Hall in 1950. He was then quickly invited by the Australian Broadcast Corporation to tour Australia for thirty-five concerts. One of Warfield's memorable performances in motion pictures was as Joe in the 1951 version of Show Boat, filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). See full bio »

Born:

in West Helena, Arkansas, USA

Died:

(age 82) in Chicago, Illinois, USA
1 news article »

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Filmography

Hide HideSoundtrack (8 titles)
1976 Bernstein in London (TV documentary) ("A Lincoln Portrait")
 
1974 That's Entertainment! (documentary) (performer: "Ol' Man River" 1927 - uncredited)
 
1966 Today (TV series)
– Episode dated 9 August 1966 (1966) (performer: "Ol' Man River")
 
1961 Young People's Concerts: Aaron Copland Birthday Party (TV movie) (performer: "Two Old American Songs")
 
1955 Omnibus (TV series)
– Messiah (1955) (performer: "Messiah" Christmas portion and last few minutes of the Resurrection section)
 
1951 Show Boat (performer: "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man" 1927 - uncredited, "Ol' Man River" 1927 - uncredited, "Cakewalk" reprise / 1927 - uncredited, "Finale: Ol' Man River" 1927 - uncredited)
 
1951 The Colgate Comedy Hour (TV series)
– Episode #1.30 (1951) (performer: "It Ain't Necessarily So")
 
1951 The Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Story (documentary) (performer: "Ol' Man River" partial)
 
Show ShowActor (5 titles)
1990 Old Explorers
Tugboat Captain
 
1966 Porgy in Wien (TV movie)
 
1959 The Green Pastures (TV movie)
De Lawd
 
1957 The Green Pastures (TV movie)
De Lawd
 
1951 Show Boat
Joe
 
Show ShowSelf (17 titles)
1998 Great Performances (TV series)
Himself / Porgy
– Porgy and Bess: An American Voice (1998) … Himself (also archive footage) / Porgy (also archive footage)
 
1990 The Musical Legacy of Roland Hayes (TV documentary)
Himself
 
1979 The Kennedy Center Honors: A Celebration of the Performing Arts (TV special)
Himself
 
1976 Bernstein in London (TV documentary)
Himself ("A Lincoln Portrait" narrator)
 
1968 13 Stars for Channel 13 (TV movie)
Himself
 
1966 Today (TV series)
Himself
– Episode dated 9 August 1966 (1966) … Himself
 
1965 The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (TV series)
Himself
– Episode dated 15 August 1965 (1965) … Himself
 
1961 Young People's Concerts: Aaron Copland Birthday Party (TV movie)
Himself - Singing 'Old American Songs'
 
1958 Masters of the Congo Jungle (documentary)
Narrator, English Language Version (voice)
 
1957 The Jack Paar Tonight Show (TV series)
Himself
– Episode #1.108 (1957) … Himself
 
1955 Omnibus (TV series)
Himself (bass-baritone)
– Messiah (1955) … Himself (bass-baritone)
 
1955 The Ed Sullivan Show (TV series)
Himself
– Episode #8.20 (1955) … Himself
 
1953 The George Jessel Show (TV series)
Himself
– Episode #1.5 (1953) … Himself
 
1951 The Buick-Berle Show (TV series)
Himself - Opera Singer
– Episode #4.11 (1951) … Himself - Opera Singer
 
1951 Cavalcade of Stars (TV series)
Himself - Guest Vocalist
– Episode #2.47 (1951) … Himself - Guest Vocalist
 
1951 TV Recital Hall (TV series)
Himself (bass-baritone)
– Episode #1.1 (1951) … Himself (bass-baritone)
 
1951 The Colgate Comedy Hour (TV series)
Himself - Singer
– Episode #1.30 (1951) … Himself - Singer
 
Show ShowArchive Footage (4 titles)
2003 9th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (TV special)
Memorial tribute
 
2000 Changing Stages (TV series documentary)
 
1974 That's Entertainment! (documentary)
Clip from 1951 version of 'Show Boat'
 
1951 The Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Story (documentary)
Joe in 'Show Boat' (uncredited)
 
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Personal Details

Other Works:

He sang Porgy in "Porgy and Bess" again in 1961 and 1965 at the City Center in New York and at the Vienna Volksoper in several productions of the work between 1965 and 1972. See more »

Publicity Listings:

1 Print Biography  | 1 Article  | See more »

Official Sites:

Schiller Institute (late director) | See more »
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Did You Know?

Personal Quote:

[conductor Eugene Ormandy introduces Warfield to the audience in an unintentionally humorous way:] "With us tonight is William Warfield, who is with us tonight. He is a wonderful man, and so is his wife." See more »

Trivia:

Was a professor of voice at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign See more »

Trademark:

The song "Ol' Man River" from 'Show Boat.' See more »

Star Sign:

Aquarius