Lew Ayres

Lew Ayres

1908-12-28 Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA 100 Credits

Biography

Lew Ayres was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota and raised in San Diego, California. A college dropout, he was found by a talent scout in the Coconut Grove nightclub in Los Angeles and entered Hollywood as a bit player. He was leading man to Greta Garbo in The Kiss (1929), but it was the role of Paul Baumer in All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) that was his big break. He was profoundly affected by the anti-war message of that film, and when, in 1942, the popular star of Young Dr. Kildare (...

Known For

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Complete Filmography

Checking Out: Grand Hotel

2004

as Self (archive footage)

7.0
Acting

Until 1932's Grand Hotel, never had there existed an all-star ensemble cast on film. Conceived by MGM's production genius Irving Thalberg, the film bo...

Hart to Hart: Crimes of the Hart

Hart to Hart: Crimes of the Hart

1994

as Professor Cabel

6.2
Acting

In their very last adventure, Jonathan and Jennifer Hart travel to The Big Apple, where a play she wrote in college is being produced on Broadway. But...

Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker

Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker

1991

as actor 'Advise and 'Consent' (archive footage) (uncredited)

7.7
Acting

This documentary, hosted by actor Burgess Meredith, explores the life and career of movie director Otto Preminger, whose body of work includes such me...

Cast the First Stone

Cast the First Stone

1989

as Martin

Acting

After Diane Martin is raped by a hitchhiker and becomes pregnant, she must face the pious faculty at the school where she teaches who condemn her "loo...

Under Siege

Under Siege

1986

as John Pace

7.5
Acting

Terrorists launch an attack against the USA. Their first strike is by a suicide squad that detonates a truckload of explosives at an army base in Wash...

Don Camillo

Don Camillo

1984

as Doc

5.6
Acting

A priest helps the small town he's stationed in to resolve conflicts by working together.

Bruised Celluloid

Bruised Celluloid

1984

as Himself

Acting

The 1930 Hollywood-produced anti-war film "Nothing New in the West" is one of the great works in film history. But like hardly any other cinema classi...

Of Mice and Men

Of Mice and Men

1981

as Candy

7.1
Acting

George and Lenny travel through the Depression-era west working at odd jobs, hoping to make enough money to buy their own farm. George must always wat...

Reunion

Reunion

1980

as Bob Hollander

Acting

A married man, returning to his small town for a high school reunion, finds himself torn between his long-ago high school girlfriend and her 17-year-o...

Letters from Frank

Letters from Frank

1979

as Dan Miller

Acting

When aging newspaper Editor Frank Miller is fired after decades of service and replaced by a computer, he cannot take this fate quietly. Frank becomes...

Suddenly, Love

Suddenly, Love

1978

as Mr. Graham

9.0
Acting

Young lovers — she's a child of the ghetto, determined to escape her alcoholic, bickering parents; he's a socially prominent attorney with a long-stan...

The Story of Noah

The Story of Noah

1978

as Noah

2.0
Acting

A man of God follows his faith to populate a new world in 'The Story of Noah', a powerful story of devotion, courage and triumph.

Battlestar Galactica

Battlestar Galactica

1978

as President Adar

6.9
Acting

A compilation of Battlestar Galactica episodes 1 and 5, with alternate footage. After the destruction of the Twelve Colonies of Mankind, the last majo...

Damien - Omen II

Damien - Omen II

1978

as Bill Atherton

6.4
Acting

Since the sudden and suspicious deaths of his parents, young Damien has been in the charge of his wealthy aunt and uncle and enrolled in a military sc...

End of the World

End of the World

1977

as Com. Joseph Beckerman

3.6
Acting

After witnessing a man's death in a bizarre accident, Father Pergado goes on a spiritual retreat, where he encounters his alien double bent on world c...

Francis Gary Powers: The True Story of the U-2 Spy Incident

Francis Gary Powers: The True Story of the U-2 Spy Incident

1976

as Allen Dulles

Acting

The story of Francis Gary Powers, a U-2 pilot for the CIA who was shot down in his spy plane over Russia, captured and imprisoned.

That's Entertainment, Part II

That's Entertainment, Part II

1976

as (archive footage)

6.9
Acting

Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire present more golden moments from the MGM film library, this time including comedy and drama as well as classic musical num...

Altars of the World

Altars of the World

1976

Director

Directing

This is the last film to ever win the Golden Globe as best Documentary, now an extinct category in the Globes.

Heatwave!

Heatwave!

1974

as Dr. Grayson

5.9
Acting

A devastating heatwave hits the Los Angeles area and a young expecting couple try to evade it by escaping to a mountain resort town.

The Questor Tapes

The Questor Tapes

1974

as Vaslovik

5.7
Acting

Project Questor is brainchild of the genius Dr. Vaslovik: he developed plans to build an android super-human. Although he's disappeared and half of hi...

Battle for the Planet of the Apes

Battle for the Planet of the Apes

1973

as Mandemus

5.7
Acting

The fifth and final episode in the Planet of the Apes series. After the collapse of human civilization, a community of intelligent apes led by Caesar ...

The Stranger

The Stranger

1973

as Prof. Dylan MacAuley

3.6
Acting

An astronaut enters a vortex and crash-lands on a parallel planet where he's not welcome.

The Man

The Man

1972

as Noah Calvin

6.3
Acting

When the President and Speaker of the House are killed in a building collapse, and the Vice-President declines the office due to age and ill-health, S...

The Biscuit Eater

The Biscuit Eater

1972

as Mr. Ames

6.2
Acting

Nothing warms the heart like the story of a boy and his dog. Lonnie (Johnny Whitaker) and Text (George Spell) are two friends determined, against all ...

She Waits

She Waits

1972

as Dr. Sam Carpenter

5.7
Acting

When a newlywed woman is taken to her husband's hometown to meet his mother, she is possessed by the vengeful spirit of his previous wife.

Earth II

Earth II

1971

as President Charles Carter Durant

5.0
Acting

In the near future, a space station dubbed Earth II is built for the purpose of scientific research and world peace. However, that peace is shattered ...

Marcus Welby, M.D.: A Matter of Humanities

Marcus Welby, M.D.: A Matter of Humanities

1969

as Dr. Andrew Swanson

Acting

The pilot film for the long-run series introduced the kindly small-town general practitioner who, following a mild coronary, grudgingly brings in an i...

Cocoon

Cocoon

1968

as The Governor

Acting

In this pilot film to the "Hawaii Five-0" television series, special law officer Steve McGarrett tracks down Red Chinese operatives and their spy ring...

The Carpetbaggers

The Carpetbaggers

1964

as 'Mac' McAllister

5.8
Acting

Jonas Cord is a disagreeable young tycoon who's building planes, directing films, and catting around on the corporate make in 1930s Hollywood.

Advise & Consent

Advise & Consent

1962

as The Vice President

7.2
Acting

Proposed by the President of the United States to fill the post of Secretary of State, Robert Leffingwell appears before a Senate committee, chaired b...

Dr. Kildare (Unaired Pilot)

1960

as Dr. Kildare

Acting

This extra on the Dr. Kildare movie series DVDs was originally an unaired pilot in which an older and more experienced Kildare has assumed the role of...

One Against Many

1956

as Dr. John Mohler

Acting

A scientist is faced with a difficult decision. A man devoted to saving lives, he may be forced to kill in order to prevent a statewide livestock epid...

Donovan's Brain

Donovan's Brain

1953

as Dr. Patrick J. Cory

6.1
Acting

A scientist takes the brain of dead man and revives it via electrodes as it lays suspended in a tank of liquid. Soon, the brain grows to possess enorm...

No Escape

No Escape

1953

as John Howard Tracy

4.5
Acting

When the available evidence in a murder case points to a young woman as the main suspect, her boyfriend, a police detective, arranges for a struggling...

New Mexico

New Mexico

1951

as Capt. Hunt

3.5
Acting

Captain Hunt of the cavalry is trying to promote good relations with the Indian chief Acoma. But Hunt's superiors in the military insist on pursuing p...

The Capture

The Capture

1950

as Lin Vanner / Lindley Brown

6.1
Acting

A badly injured fugitive explains to a priest how he came to be in his present predicament.

Johnny Belinda

Johnny Belinda

1948

as Dr. Robert Richardson

6.8
Acting

A small-town doctor helps a deaf-mute farm girl learn to communicate.

The Unfaithful

The Unfaithful

1947

as Larry Hannaford

6.0
Acting

Christine Hunter kills an intruder and tells her husband and lawyer that it was an act of self-defense. It's later revealed that he was actually her l...

The Way of Peace

The Way of Peace

1947

as Narrator (voice)

5.5
Acting

Punctuated with stories from the Bible, the film’s purpose was to reinforce Christian values in the atomic age by condemning the consequences of human...

Blow-Ups of 1946

Blow-Ups of 1946

1946

as Self

6.0
Acting

Flubs and bloopers that occurred on the set of some of the major Warner Bros. pictures of 1946.

The Dark Mirror

The Dark Mirror

1946

as Dr. Scott Elliott

6.9
Acting

A sister and her disturbed twin are implicated in a murder and a police detective must figure out which one's the killer.

Fingers at the Window

Fingers at the Window

1942

as Oliver Duffy

5.5
Acting

In Chicago, an unemployed actor aims to solve the mystery concerning a string of ax murders, apparently committed by a lunatic.

Dr. Kildare's Victory

Dr. Kildare's Victory

1942

as Dr. James Kildare

5.8
Acting

Dr. Gillespie supports Kildare's crusade against their hospital's deal with a rival hospital.

Dr. Kildare's Wedding Day

Dr. Kildare's Wedding Day

1941

as Dr. James Kildare

6.6
Acting

A variety of predicaments arise to distract Dr. Kildare from his wedding to Nurse Mary Lamont.

The People Vs. Dr. Kildare

The People Vs. Dr. Kildare

1941

as Dr. James Kildare

6.8
Acting

An ice skater sues Kildare (Lew Ayres) for malpractice after his roadside first aid leaves her paralyzed.

Maisie Was a Lady

Maisie Was a Lady

1941

as Bob Rawlston

6.8
Acting

Showgirl Maisie Ravier finds herself once again out of work. She meets a wealthy playboy who hires her to be his family's new maid. Maisie soon finds ...

Dr. Kildare's Crisis

Dr. Kildare's Crisis

1940

as Dr. James Kildare

6.0
Acting

Jimmy Kildare's impending nuptials are jeopardized by a diagnosis of possible epilepsy in his fiancee's brother.

A New Romance of Celluloid: The Miracle of Sound

A New Romance of Celluloid: The Miracle of Sound

1940

as Self

6.7
Acting

This short documentary, presented and directed by MGM sound engineer Douglas Shearer, goes behind the scenes to look at how the sound portion of a tal...

Dr. Kildare Goes Home

Dr. Kildare Goes Home

1940

as Dr. James Kildare

6.8
Acting

A young doctor gives up big-city success to help his father set up a small-town clinic.

The Golden Fleecing

The Golden Fleecing

1940

as Henry Twinkle

5.3
Acting

A mild-mannered insurance salesman gets mixed up with gangsters.

Hollywood: Style Center of the World

Hollywood: Style Center of the World

1940

as Self

5.5
Acting

This short promotes the premise that movies often create a demand for the fashions seen in them. It starts with a vignette in rural America. A mother ...

Dr. Kildare's Strange Case

Dr. Kildare's Strange Case

1940

as Dr. James Kildare

4.6
Acting

Kildare tries brain surgery, advised by Dr. Gillespie, and faces a rival for nurse Lamont.

Remember?

Remember?

1939

as Sky Ames

5.8
Acting

Sky and Linda meet on vacation and become engaged. When Sky introduces Linda to his best friend, Jeff, Linda and Jeff fall in love and marry. But Jeff...

The Secret of Dr. Kildare

The Secret of Dr. Kildare

1939

as Dr. James Kildare

5.6
Acting

Intern Kildare heals a millionaire's daughter and tricks Dr. Gillespie into taking a vacation.

These Glamour Girls

These Glamour Girls

1939

as Philip S. Griswold III

5.5
Acting

A drunken college student invites a dance hostess to the big college dance and then forgets he asked her. When she shows up at school, he tries to get...

From the Ends of the Earth

1939

as Self

Acting

An MGM short showing how materials are shipped by boat 'From the Ends of the Earth' to Hollywood. Featuring footage from the MGM films being made at t...

Calling Dr. Kildare

Calling Dr. Kildare

1939

as Dr. James Kildare

6.1
Acting

Following an argument with his young protege, the curmudgeonly Dr. Gillespie dumps Jimmy Kildare in a street clinic, hoping to teach him a lesson. Wh...

Broadway Serenade

Broadway Serenade

1939

as James Geoffrey 'Jimmy' Seymour

6.2
Acting

A married singer, pianist/composer team are struggling to hit it big in New York. Finally, they audition before a Broadway producer, but the producer ...

The Ice Follies of 1939

The Ice Follies of 1939

1939

as Eddie Burgess

5.6
Acting

Mary and Larry are are a modestly successful skating team. Shortly after their marriage, Mary gets a picture contract, while Larry is sitting at home,...

Spring Madness

Spring Madness

1938

as Sam Thatcher

3.9
Acting

Harvard senior Sam Thatcher and his best friend and roommate, known as "The Lippencott", plan to go to Russia after graduation, a decision Sam has kep...

Young Dr. Kildare

Young Dr. Kildare

1938

as Dr. James Kildare

6.5
Acting

A medical school graduate takes an internship at a big city hospital, only to be subjected to a rigorous (and sometimes embarrassing) testing of his k...

Rich Man, Poor Girl

Rich Man, Poor Girl

1938

as Henry Thayer

5.9
Acting

A millionaire courts a working-class woman.

Holiday

Holiday

1938

as Ned Seton

7.3
Acting

Johnny Case, a freethinking financier, has finally found the girl of his dreams — Julia Seton, the spoiled daughter of a socially prominent millionair...

King of the Newsboys

King of the Newsboys

1938

as Jerry Flynn

3.5
Acting

A poor young man's girlfriend leaves him for a gangster, who has the money and power she wants and the young man doesn't have. Determined to show her ...

Scandal Street

Scandal Street

1938

as Joe McKnight

Acting

Joe McKnight temporarily leaves his fiancée, Nora Langdon, for an expedition in a South American jungle. Nora gets a position as librarian in the smal...

Hold 'Em Navy

Hold 'Em Navy

1937

as Tommy Graham

3.0
Acting

Two football players fight over the same girl.

The Last Train from Madrid

The Last Train from Madrid

1937

as Bill Dexter

4.7
Acting

The story of seven people: their lives and love affairs in Madrid during the Civil War.

The Crime Nobody Saw

The Crime Nobody Saw

1937

as Nick Milburn

5.0
Acting

Three playwrights develop a plot around a drunk who gets killed in their apartment.

Murder with Pictures

Murder with Pictures

1936

as Kent Murdock

5.1
Acting

Suspected crime boss Nate Girard beats a murder rap, and newspaper photog Kent Murdock is on the story. Girard and lawyer Redfield throw a party for t...

Lady Be Careful

Lady Be Careful

1936

as Chester aka Dynamite

4.5
Acting

Previously filmed in 1930 as True to the Navy, Kenyon Nicholson's old stage farce Sailor Beware returned to the screen in 1936 as Lady Be Careful. The...

Shakedown

Shakedown

1936

as Bob Sanderson

Acting

A struggling young engineer, Bob Sanderson, refuses to marry the very-rich Edith Stuart until he can support her on his own earnings. He goes to work ...

Hearts in Bondage

Hearts in Bondage

1936

Director

4.4
Directing

Best friends Kenneth Reynolds and Raymond Jordan are U.S. Navy officers, and Kenneth is engaged to Raymond's sister. But the eruption of the Civil War...

Panic on the Air

Panic on the Air

1936

as Jerry Franklin

5.5
Acting

A sports announcer and a friend investigate after a pitcher misses a series. When they discover that gangsters are trying to find a hidden fortune, th...

The Leathernecks Have Landed

The Leathernecks Have Landed

1936

as Woodruff 'Woody' Davis

5.0
Acting

Dishonorably discharged from the U.S. Marines after starting a barroom brawl that gets his leatherneck buddy "Tubby" Waters killed, hothead "Woody" Da...

Silk Hat Kid

Silk Hat Kid

1935

as Eddie Howard

6.0
Acting

Eddie Howard, a fast-thinking, two-fisted bodyguard, is hired by nightclub-owner Tim Martin to protect him from chiseling gangsters operating an extor...

Spring Tonic

Spring Tonic

1935

as Caleb Enix

5.3
Acting

Betty Ingals walks out on her fiancé in search of adventure. She gets more than she bargained for when she stumbles upon a gang of bootleggers.

The Lottery Lover

The Lottery Lover

1935

as Cadet Frank Harrington

3.0
Acting

A crew of young military-school cadets are enjoying their first weekend in Paris. Frank Harrington, a girl-shy cadet, wins the lottery which "They" ha...

Servants' Entrance

Servants' Entrance

1934

as Erik Landstrom

Acting

Heiress Hedda Nillson certain that her family is about to lose all its money, takes a job as a maid. After the usual trials and tribulations, Hedda fa...

She Learned About Sailors

She Learned About Sailors

1934

as Larry Wilson

2.5
Acting

Shanghai nightclub singer Jean falls in love to a sailor, but after his ship left Shanghai, he is of the opinion that he cannot support her in the Sta...

Let’s Be Ritzy

Let’s Be Ritzy

1934

as Jimmy Sterling

Acting

Complications ensue when a young married couple pretend to be something they're not.

Cross Country Cruise

Cross Country Cruise

1934

as Norman Winthrop

6.0
Acting

A young woman is involved with a married man, although she does not know that he is married. He kills his jealous wife and implicates her in the murde...

My Weakness

My Weakness

1933

as Ronnie Gregory

Acting

A wealthy young man bets his uncle that he can transform a clumsy cleaning lady into a glamorous fashion plate, then marry her off to his bachelor cou...

Don't Bet on Love

Don't Bet on Love

1933

as Bill McCaffrey

Acting

A plumber wins big at the racetrack but then his luck runs out and almost ruins his business. His manicurist girlfriend stands by him and helps him re...

State Fair

State Fair

1933

as Pat Gilbert

6.2
Acting

The children of Iowa farmers find love, with mixed results, at the state fair.

Okay, America!

Okay, America!

1932

as Larry Wayne

5.3
Acting

A gossip columnist's rise to fame. Based closely on the real life of Walter Winchell.

Night World

Night World

1932

as Michael Rand

6.9
Acting

"Happy" MacDonald and his unfaithful wife own a Prohibition era night club. On this eventful night, he is threatened by bootleggers, and the club's st...

The Cohens and Kellys in Hollywood

The Cohens and Kellys in Hollywood

1932

as Lew Ayres

Acting

The Cohens and the Kellys invade a Hollywood studio after Kitty becomes the darling of the studio.

The Impatient Maiden

The Impatient Maiden

1932

as Dr. Myron Brown

Acting

A maid's dream comes true but are not quite what she expected.

Heaven on Earth

Heaven on Earth

1931

as States

3.0
Acting

A young boy finds out that the man he thought was his father actually killed his real father, then adopted him.

The Spirit of Notre Dame

The Spirit of Notre Dame

1931

as Edward Aloysius "Bucky" O'Brian

6.3
Acting

Story of two friends who play football, one of whom is a self-centered quarterback who thinks he's the only man on the team.

Up for Murder

Up for Murder

1931

as Robert Marshall

3.5
Acting

Young reporter accidentially kills his newspaper's editor in a fight over the publisher's mistress, who is also the paper's society editor.

Iron Man

Iron Man

1931

as Kid Mason

5.6
Acting

Prizefighter Mason loses his opening fight so wife Rose leaves him for Hollywood. Without her around Mason trains and starts winning. Rose comes back ...

Many a Slip

Many a Slip

1931

as Jerry Brooks

Acting

Comedy centering on the question of whether a man's wife is or isn't pregnant.

East Is West

East Is West

1930

as Billy Benson

4.0
Acting

Ming Toy is on the auction block in China. She is saved by Billy and taken to San Francisco by Lo Sang Kee. To save her from deportation she is sold t...

The Doorway to Hell

The Doorway to Hell

1930

as Louie Ricarno

6.3
Acting

A vicious crime lord decides that he has had enough and much to the shock of his colleagues decides to give the business to his second in command and ...

Common Clay

Common Clay

1930

as Hugh Fullerton

Acting

Young Ellen Neal gets work as a servant with the wealthy Fullerton family. She falls in love with the Fullerton's handsome young son. But he leaves he...

All Quiet on the Western Front

All Quiet on the Western Front

1930

as Paul Bäumer

7.8
Acting

When a group of idealistic young men join the German Army during the Great War, they are assigned to the Western Front, where their patriotism is dest...

The Kiss

The Kiss

1929

as Pierre Lassalle

6.3
Acting

An unhappily married woman is caught up in scandal and murder when her affection toward a young man is misinterpreted.

Big News

Big News

1929

as Copyboy (uncredited)

4.2
Acting

A reporter's marriage is jeopardized by his drinking and he finds himself accused of a murder he didn't commit.

The Sophomore

The Sophomore

1929

as Sophomore Fraternity Brother (uncredited)

4.5
Acting

Joe Collins arrives at Hanford College to begin his second year with $200 to pay his tuition, is enticed into a craps game, and loses all in this nost...