Keir Dullea

Keir Atwood Dullea (/ˈkɪər dʊˈleɪ/ KEER doo-LAY; born May 30, 1936) is an American actor. He is best known for his portrayal of astronaut David Bowman in the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey and its 1984 sequel, 2010: The Year We Make Contact. His other film roles include David and Lisa (1962), Bunny Lake Is Missing (1965) and Black Christmas (1974). Dullea studied acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York City. He has also performed on stage in New York City and in regional theaters; he has said that, despite being more recognized for his film work, he prefers the stage.

Keir Atwood Dullea was born on May 30, 1936, at the Mount Sinai Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio, the son of Margaret (née Ruttan) and Robert Dullea. His mother was of Scottish descent, and his father was a second-generation Irish American. He was raised in the Greenwich Village section of New York City, where his parents ran a bookstore. He graduated from George School in Pennsylvania, attended Rutgers University and San Francisco State University, then pursued an acting career.

Dullea made his debut in a television adaptation of Mrs. Miniver (1960) with Maureen O'Hara, playing the German pilot. He was also in the TV films Give Us Barabbas! (1961) and an adaptation of All Summer Long (1961). He was in demand for guest appearances on television shows such as Route 66, The New Breed, Checkmate and Cain's Hundred. Dullea made his film debut in 1961 in Hoodlum Priest, cast on the strength of his work on Route 66. His performance was well received. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Disney offered long-term contracts (roles in Two Weeks in Another Town and Bon Voyage) but Dullea turned both down. He did accept a non-exclusive contract with Seven Arts and shot a pilot for a series that was not picked up. He appeared in Los Angeles on stage in The Short Happy Life.

In 1962, Dullea starred with Janet Margolin in David and Lisa, a film based on the book by Theodore Isaac Rubin, M.D., a psychiatrist who treated the two mentally ill adolescents portrayed in the film. It was a low-budget film that became a break-out hit, making over $2 million, and turning Dullea into an established name. Film Daily voted him "find of the year". Dullea appeared on television in shows such as Empire, The United States Steel Hour, Bonanza, Naked City, Going My Way, The Eleventh Hour, Alcoa Premiere, Kraft Mystery Theater, Channing and 12 O'Clock High. He was second-billed in Mail Order Bride (1964), written and directed by Burt Kennedy. Dullea starred in the first screen adaptation of James Jones' The Thin Red Line (1964), then did a TV adaptation of Pale Horse, Pale Rider and went to Italy to star in The Naked Hour (1964).

In 1965, Dullea guest-starred as Lieutenant Kurt Muller in the episode titled "To Heinie, with Love" of Twelve O'Clock High. He took these roles to avoid being typecast as a troubled youth. Dullea went to England to make Bunny Lake Is Missing (1965), which co-starred Dullea with Laurence Olivier, Carol Lynley and Noël Coward. Although they shared no scenes in the film, when Coward initially met Dullea on the set, he uttered the often quoted line "Keir Dullea, gone tomorrow." Nonetheless, he was voted one of 1965's "stars of tomorrow".

Dullea played the son of Lana Turner's character in Ross Hunter's remake of Madame X (1966), which underperformed commercially. He then appeared with Anne Heywood and Sandy Dennis in the Canadian box office hit, The Fox (1967). His first Broadway appearance was in 1967 in Ira Levin's Dr. Cook's Garden with Burl Ives, which only had a short run.

In 1968, Dullea appeared as astronaut David Bowman in Stanley Kubrick's film 2001: A Space Odyssey, which became a box-office success and is recognized by critics, filmmakers and audiences as one of the greatest and most influential films ever made. His line "Open the pod bay doors please, HAL" is #78 on the American Film Institute's list of 100 film quotes. Dullea was offered the title role in the 1969 film De Sade, playing the title role (the Marquis de Sade). The film was a critical and commercial disappointment. He had success on Broadway, starring in the 1969 hit comedy Butterflies Are Free with Eileen Heckart and Blythe Danner. In the play, he introduced the title song written by Stephen Schwartz (later recording the tune on an album for Platypus Records). The play was a huge hit, running for 1,128 performances, although Dullea did not appear in the film version.

Dullea travelled to London to be in the production of Butterflies there and decided to stay. He did a series of TV films: Black Water Gold (1970), Montserrat (1971) and A Kiss Is Just a Kiss (1971). He did a thriller in Italy, Devil in the Brain (1972), and guest-starred on McMillan & Wife.