Biography
Sterling Walter Hayden (born Sterling Relyea Walter; March 26, 1916 β May 23, 1986) was an American actor and author. He dropped out of high school at the age of 16 and hired on as mate on a schooner. He was a ship's captain at 22, and in need of cash to buy his own boat, established himself as a model in New York, discovered by Paramount Studios talent scouts and offered a contract.
Sterling Hayden, the handsome tall blond actor who played wholesome leading-man movie roles in the 1940's and 1950's and later weathered into a rough-hewn solid character actor in films such as "Dr. Strangelove", "The Godfather," "Nine to Five" and "King of the Gypsies". He appeared in 71 feature films and tv-productions from the debut in "Virginia" 1941 to the tv mini-series "The Blue and the Gray" in 1982.
He wrote of his obsessive fascination with the sea in a 1963 autobiography, "Wanderer," and in 1970 his 700-page epic novel of the sea, "Voyage," was a main selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club.
Sterling Hayden appeared in the German documentary, "Pharos of Chaos," (1983) filmed aboard his barge in Europe, and seemed to be in an alcoholic stupor much of the time, supplementing his wine intake with hashish. On camera he said: "What confuses me is I ain't all that unhappy. So why do I drink, I don't know."
Filmography (84)
Rat Pack
2022
Kubrick by Kubrick
2020
The Godfather: The Complete Epic 1901β1959
2016
Tell Us She Was One of You: The Hollywood Blacklist and 'Johnny Guitar'
2016
Johnny Guitar: A Feminist Western?
2016
Johnny Guitar: A Western Like No Other
2016
The Albatross
2016
Irving Johnson High Seas Adventurer
1985
Pharos of Chaos
1983
At Anchor / Land Under: A Film With Sterling Hayden
1982
The Blue and the Gray
1982
Venom
1981
Gas
1981
Nine to Five
1980
The Starlost: The Beginning
1980
Winter Kills
1979
The Outsider
1979
King of the Gypsies
1978
Mario Puzo's The Godfather: The Complete Novel for Television
1977
1900
1976
The Cinema According to Bertolucci
1976
Deadly Strangers
1975
Cry, Onion!
1975
The Long Goodbye
1973
The Final Programme
1973
The Starlost
1973
The Godfather
1972
The Big Departure
1972
Banacek
1972
Angel's Leap
1971
Loving
1970
Sweet Hunters
1970
Hard Contract
1969
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
1964
Carol for Another Christmas
1964
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1962
Terror in a Texas Town
1958
Ten Days To Tulara
1958
Old Man
1958
Days of Wine and Roses
1958
Zero Hour!
1957
Valerie
1957
Gun Battle at Monterey
1957
The Iron Sheriff
1957
A Sound of Different Drummers
1957
The Killing
1956
Crime of Passion
1956
The Come On
1956
5 Steps to Danger
1956
Requiem for a Heavyweight
1956
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
1956
Playhouse 90
1956
Battle Taxi
1955
Shotgun
1955
Top Gun
1955
The Eternal Sea
1955
Timberjack
1955
The Last Command
1955
Johnny Guitar
1954
Naked Alibi
1954
Prince Valiant
1954
Suddenly
1954
Arrow In The Dust
1954
Kansas Pacific
1953
So Big
1953
Crime Wave
1953
Take Me to Town
1953
Fighter Attack
1953
General Electric Theater
1953
Flat Top
1952
The Star
1952
Denver and Rio Grande
1952
The Golden Hawk
1952
Hellgate
1952
Flaming Feather
1952
Journey Into Light
1951
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
1951
The Asphalt Jungle
1950
Manhandled
1949
El Paso
1949
Variety Girl
1947
Blaze of Noon
1947
Bahama Passage
1941
Virginia
1941