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
Complete Filmography
Checking Out: Grand Hotel
2004
as Self (archive footage)
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
1994
as Professor Cabel
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
1991
as actor 'Advise and 'Consent' (archive footage) (uncredited)
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
1989
as Martin
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
1986
as John Pace
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
1984
as Doc
A priest helps the small town he's stationed in to resolve conflicts by working together.

Bruised Celluloid
1984
as Himself
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
1981
as Candy
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
1980
as Bob Hollander
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
1979
as Dan Miller
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
1978
as Mr. Graham
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
1978
as Noah
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
1978
as President Adar
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
1978
as Bill Atherton
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
1977
as Com. Joseph Beckerman
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
1976
as Allen Dulles
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
1976
as (archive footage)
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
1976
Director
This is the last film to ever win the Golden Globe as best Documentary, now an extinct category in the Globes.

Heatwave!
1974
as Dr. Grayson
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
1974
as Vaslovik
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
1973
as Mandemus
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
1973
as Prof. Dylan MacAuley
An astronaut enters a vortex and crash-lands on a parallel planet where he's not welcome.

The Man
1972
as Noah Calvin
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
1972
as Mr. Ames
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
1972
as Dr. Sam Carpenter
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
1971
as President Charles Carter Durant
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
1969
as Dr. Andrew Swanson
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
1968
as The Governor
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
1964
as 'Mac' McAllister
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
1962
as The Vice President
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
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
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
1953
as Dr. Patrick J. Cory
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
1953
as John Howard Tracy
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
1951
as Capt. Hunt
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
1950
as Lin Vanner / Lindley Brown
A badly injured fugitive explains to a priest how he came to be in his present predicament.

Johnny Belinda
1948
as Dr. Robert Richardson
A small-town doctor helps a deaf-mute farm girl learn to communicate.

The Unfaithful
1947
as Larry Hannaford
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
1947
as Narrator (voice)
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
1946
as Self
Flubs and bloopers that occurred on the set of some of the major Warner Bros. pictures of 1946.

The Dark Mirror
1946
as Dr. Scott Elliott
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
1942
as Oliver Duffy
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
1942
as Dr. James Kildare
Dr. Gillespie supports Kildare's crusade against their hospital's deal with a rival hospital.

Dr. Kildare's Wedding Day
1941
as Dr. James Kildare
A variety of predicaments arise to distract Dr. Kildare from his wedding to Nurse Mary Lamont.

The People Vs. Dr. Kildare
1941
as Dr. James Kildare
An ice skater sues Kildare (Lew Ayres) for malpractice after his roadside first aid leaves her paralyzed.

Maisie Was a Lady
1941
as Bob Rawlston
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
1940
as Dr. James Kildare
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
1940
as Self
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
1940
as Dr. James Kildare
A young doctor gives up big-city success to help his father set up a small-town clinic.

The Golden Fleecing
1940
as Henry Twinkle
A mild-mannered insurance salesman gets mixed up with gangsters.

Hollywood: Style Center of the World
1940
as Self
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
1940
as Dr. James Kildare
Kildare tries brain surgery, advised by Dr. Gillespie, and faces a rival for nurse Lamont.

Remember?
1939
as Sky Ames
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
1939
as Dr. James Kildare
Intern Kildare heals a millionaire's daughter and tricks Dr. Gillespie into taking a vacation.

These Glamour Girls
1939
as Philip S. Griswold III
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
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
1939
as Dr. James Kildare
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
1939
as James Geoffrey 'Jimmy' Seymour
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
1939
as Eddie Burgess
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
1938
as Sam Thatcher
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
1938
as Dr. James Kildare
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
1938
as Henry Thayer
A millionaire courts a working-class woman.

Holiday
1938
as Ned Seton
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
1938
as Jerry Flynn
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
1938
as Joe McKnight
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
1937
as Tommy Graham
Two football players fight over the same girl.

The Last Train from Madrid
1937
as Bill Dexter
The story of seven people: their lives and love affairs in Madrid during the Civil War.

The Crime Nobody Saw
1937
as Nick Milburn
Three playwrights develop a plot around a drunk who gets killed in their apartment.

Murder with Pictures
1936
as Kent Murdock
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
1936
as Chester aka Dynamite
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
1936
as Bob Sanderson
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
1936
Director
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
1936
as Jerry Franklin
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
1936
as Woodruff 'Woody' Davis
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
1935
as Eddie Howard
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
1935
as Caleb Enix
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
1935
as Cadet Frank Harrington
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
1934
as Erik Landstrom
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
1934
as Larry Wilson
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
1934
as Jimmy Sterling
Complications ensue when a young married couple pretend to be something they're not.

Cross Country Cruise
1934
as Norman Winthrop
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
1933
as Ronnie Gregory
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
1933
as Bill McCaffrey
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
1933
as Pat Gilbert
The children of Iowa farmers find love, with mixed results, at the state fair.

Okay, America!
1932
as Larry Wayne
A gossip columnist's rise to fame. Based closely on the real life of Walter Winchell.

Night World
1932
as Michael Rand
"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
1932
as Lew Ayres
The Cohens and the Kellys invade a Hollywood studio after Kitty becomes the darling of the studio.

The Impatient Maiden
1932
as Dr. Myron Brown
A maid's dream comes true but are not quite what she expected.

Heaven on Earth
1931
as States
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
1931
as Edward Aloysius "Bucky" O'Brian
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
1931
as Robert Marshall
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
1931
as Kid Mason
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
1931
as Jerry Brooks
Comedy centering on the question of whether a man's wife is or isn't pregnant.

East Is West
1930
as Billy Benson
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
1930
as Louie Ricarno
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
1930
as Hugh Fullerton
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
1930
as Paul Bäumer
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
1929
as Pierre Lassalle
An unhappily married woman is caught up in scandal and murder when her affection toward a young man is misinterpreted.

Big News
1929
as Copyboy (uncredited)
A reporter's marriage is jeopardized by his drinking and he finds himself accused of a murder he didn't commit.

The Sophomore
1929
as Sophomore Fraternity Brother (uncredited)
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...