Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Actor Farley Granger dies, aged 85

Strangers on a Train actor Farley Granger has died in New York City at age 85, it has been confirmed.

The star died at his Manhattan home of natural causes on Sunday, a spokesperson for the New York medical examiner's office told The AP.

Over the course of his seven-decade career, Granger worked with some of the most acclaimed directors in world cinema including Alfred Hitchcock on the thriller Rope and Luchino Visconti on 1954's Senso.

The San Jose, CA native suffered a difficult childhood after his family lost their home following the 1929 stock market crash and later turned to acting to escape relative poverty.

After making his film debut in the 1943 war epic The North Star, Granger appeared in a string of memorable films including They Live By Night, Edge of Doom and The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing.

He would later land a starring role in TV soap opera One Life To Live as resident doctor Will Vernon, which earned him a Daytime Emmy nomination.

Working steadily through the 1970s, Granger slowed his screen appearances in the 1980s and made his last film appearance in the comedy The Next Big Thing in 2001.

Granger received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in honour of his extensive work in television.