Milburn Stone Biography

(Actor)

Birthday: July 5, 1904 (Cancer)

Born In: Burrton, Kansas, United States

Milburn Stone was an ‘Emmy Award’-winning American actor, best known for playing ‘Dr. Galen “Doc” Adams’ in the long-running TV series ‘Gunsmoke.’ It took him more than 20 years in Hollywood to reap the fruits of his hard work, but it was worth the wait. He got instant fame through ‘Gunsmoke’ and played his role in the series for the next 20 years, until its end. This ‘Emmy Award’-winning legendary actor had a humble beginning, performing at tent shows in Kansas. His career took him from rural theater to New York and eventually to Los Angeles. The Great Depression made it immensely difficult for someone from a small town like him to succeed on ‘Broadway’ shows or in Hollywood, but he persisted. Stone not only made it to ‘Broadway’ but also left an indelible mark on Hollywood, with over 150 movies and a 2-decade-long run in ‘Gunsmoke.’
16
Quick Facts

Also Known As: Hugh Milburn Stone

Died At Age: 75

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Jane Garrison, Ellen Morrison (m. 1925–1937), Jane Garrison (m. 1939–1940)

father: Herbert Stone

mother: Laura Belfield

siblings: Joe

Actors American Men

Height: 5'8" (173 cm), 5'8" Males

Died on: June 12, 1980

place of death: La Jolla, California, United States

Diseases & Disabilities: Heart Bypass Surgery

Cause of Death: Heart Attack

U.S. State: Kansas

Childhood & Early Life
Hugh Milburn Stone was born on July 5, 1904, to Laura Belfield and Herbert Stone, in Burrton, Kansas. When he was 3, Stone’s family moved to Frizell, Kansas, where he started his education. He grew up with his brother, Joe, and his sister, Glennis. The Stone family moved back to Burrton after Herbert Stone passed away from pneumonia. Stone later graduated from ‘Burrton High School.’
Stone had developed a keen interest in acting and singing since childhood, influenced by his uncle, Fred Stone (actually a cousin). During his high-school days, Stone was an active part of the school’s drama club. Each year, the school had a junior event, a senior event, and an opera production. Stone was part of all three.
He was also part of a quartet that sang songs of the barbershop genre. It was a group of four singers who sang four-part harmonies without the accompaniment of any instrument. He was also a state-level orator, the captain and quarterback for the school football team, and a basketball player.
After graduating from ‘Burrton High School,’ Stone was offered a congressional appointment in the ‘Naval Academy’ in Annapolis. However, he declined the offer to pursue his dreams of becoming an actor.
Continue Reading Below
Recommended Lists:
Career
In 1922, Stone met Art Names, a character actor with the ‘Helen B. Ross Players,’ who had written six plays and was leaving the group to start his own show, ‘Art Names Player.’ Stone approached Names and, after a brief hiatus, became part of the show by Names, Stone, and Lorraine Smith.
By the mid-1920s, Names’s three-person company had grown into a company of 25 people. They had a seven-piece band and an orchestra. Due to Arthur Names’s generous bonuses, Stone soon became the highest-paid actor in Kansas.
After Names married Maurine Allen, Stone and the company ventured into vaudeville. His first singing partner was Forrest Markell. Stone convinced Names to hire two of his high-school friends, Abe Heiderbrecht and Bryon Warner, to form a quartet, with Markell in the lead and Stone taking charge of the baritone.
In 1927, Stone left the company. According to writer Donald W Whisenhunt, Maurine and Stone did not get along well. Their numerous disagreements became one of the reasons why Stone left. However, it was also true that he had grown wary of rural theater and wanted to try his luck in New York.
In 1928, Stone went to Missouri to join the ‘Harold English Players.’ He was there only for a season. After finishing a season in Missouri, Stone; his wife, Nellie; and Strain went to Hutchinson to join the ‘Wallace Bruce Players.’
Stone first went to New York in 1929, armed with letters from Uncle Fred, for Sam Harris, John Golden, and Charles Dillingham, but his timing could not be worse. By the time he arrived in New York, the stock market had crashed and the Great Depression had begun.
Stone left New York and got together with Jay Strain. He spent a few years doing a vaudeville show as part of the duo ‘Strain and Stone.’ He went back to New York in 1934, and performed in Sinclair Lewis’s ‘Jayhawker,’ alongside Fred. He also appeared in ‘Around the Corner’ in 1936, alongside Charles Coburn.
Stone made his Hollywood debut in 1935, with ‘Ladies Crave Excitement.’ Soon after, ‘MGM’ approached him for a screen test. However, they revoked his contract after 30 days. Stone did not get disheartened. Instead, he later claimed that ‘MGM’s failed screen test had earned him most of his films, including the role of ‘Stephen Douglas’ in ‘Young Mr. Lincoln’ in 1939.
Stone acted in over 150 movies during the 1930s, the 1940s, and the early 1950s. Some of his noteworthy movies are ‘Chasing Trouble’ (1940), ‘Gung Ho!’ (1943), and ‘Prison Mutiny’ (1943). He was under a 6-year contract with ‘Universal Studios,’ which was cut short to a 4-year deal, between 1942 and 1946, upon his insistence. During these 4 years, Stone worked in 46 motion pictures and a few serials, including ‘The Master Key’ (1945), in which he appeared in the lead role.
Almost after 20 years of being in Hollywood and 30 years of working as an actor, Stone was cast as ‘Dr. Galen “Doc” Adams’ in the TV adaptation of the popular radio show ‘Gunsmoke.’ According to Stone, he played hardball on his contract with ‘CBS’ to make sure he received royalty on every view of the show, no matter where or when. He was an instant success, even before the show was aired on September 10, 1955. Stone appeared as ‘Doc’ for 20 long years, until the show ended in 1975. Following this, he retired at age 70.
Awards & Achievements
He received an honorary doctorate from ‘St. Mary of the Plains College’ in Dodge City, Kansas.
He received an ‘Emmy Award’ for the ‘Best Supporting Actor’ in 1968.
In 1981, his name was posthumously inducted to the ‘Hall of Fame’ at the ‘National Museum of Cowboys and Westerns’ in Oklahoma City.
Personal & Family Life
Milburn Stone had met his first wife, Nellie Morrison (also known as Ellen Morrison), in Delphos, Kansas, while performing there. They got married in 1925, and Nellie soon joined Art Name’s group. They had a daughter, Shirley Stone. Nellie passed away in 1937.
As surreal as it may sound, Stone had married the same woman twice. Jane Garrison, a resident of Hutchinson, was married to Stone from 1939 to 1940. In 1941, Stone married Garrison again. They remained married till his death on June 12, 1980.

Awards

Primetime Emmy Awards
1968 Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Drama Gunsmoke (1955)

See the events in life of Milburn Stone in Chronological Order

How To Cite

Article Title
- Milburn Stone Biography
Author
- Editors, TheFamousPeople.com
Website
- TheFamousPeople.com
URL
https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/milburn-stone-45710.php

People Also Viewed

Timothée Chalamet Biography
Timothée Chalamet
(American)
 
Macaulay Culkin Biography
Macaulay Culkin
(American)
 
Alan Ritchson Biography
Alan Ritchson
(American)
 
Carl Weathers Biography
Carl Weathers
(American)
 
Dwayne Johnson Biography
Dwayne Johnson
(American)
 
Katt Williams Biography
Katt Williams
(American)
 
Bruce Willis Biography
Bruce Willis
(American)
 
Tom Cruise Biography
Tom Cruise
(American)