Laird Cregar

Laird Cregar
Cregar in the 1940s
Born
Samuel Laird Cregar

(1913-07-28)July 28, 1913[1][2]
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.[3]
DiedDecember 9, 1944(1944-12-09) (aged 31)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting placeForest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1938–1944

Samuel Laird Cregar (known professionally as Laird Cregar, July 28, 1913 – December 9, 1944) was an American stage and film actor. Cregar was best known for his villainous performances in films such as I Wake Up Screaming (1941), This Gun For Hire (1942) and The Lodger (1944).

Cregar's screen career began in 1940 with small uncredited roles in films. By 1941, he had signed a film contract with 20th Century Fox. Cregar quickly rose to stardom, appearing in a variety of genres from film noir to screwball comedy to horror movies. He was a popular actor at the time of his death in 1944 at age 31, a result of complications from binge dieting undertaken to suit him for leading man roles.

  1. ^ 1920 U.S. Census, State of Pennsylvania, County of Philadelphia, enumeration district 621, p. 5-B, family 115.
  2. ^ 1930 U.S. Census, State of Pennsylvania, County of Philadelphia, enumeration district 636, p. 1-A, family 9.
  3. ^ Brettell, Andrew; King, Noel; Kennedy, Damien; Imwold, Denise (2005). Cut!: Hollywood Murders, Accidents, and Other Tragedies. Leonard, Warren Hsu; von Rohr, Heather. Barrons Educational Series. p. 64. ISBN 0-7641-5858-9.