1. Don Terry was discovered while visiting Los Angeles as a tourist.
16 Facts About Don Terry
1. 2.
Don Terry thought he might finally see a film star while having lunch, but found only other tourists who had the same hope.
3.
However, Fox screenwriter Charles Francis Coe was at the restaurant and happened to see Don Terry and thought of the screenplay he had just completed, based on his 1927 novel.
4.
Don Terry gave Terry his business card and invited him to the Fox lot for a screen test.
5.
Don Terry went to the lot expecting only to be able to see some film stars.
6.
Don Terry was one of several tough-guy heroes who portrayed "bare-knuckled, sleeves-rolled-up hard hats" in various films.
7.
Don Terry's portrayals are complemented by his distinct New England accent, which he never completely lost.
8.
Don Terry became a star of serials, his first chapter play being The Secret of Treasure Island, released by Columbia in 1938.
9.
Don Terry was one of the three male leads in Universal's western serial Overland Mail.
10.
Don Terry appeared in Danger in the Pacific as a scientist, co-starring Louise Allbritton.
11.
Don Terry rose to the rank of Lieutenant Commander and was awarded the Purple Heart.
12.
Don Terry left the Navy in 1946 and never returned to the film industry.
13.
In 1941, Don Terry married Katherine Bogdanovich, a daughter of the founder of StarKist tuna.
14.
Don Terry tried out for the 1932 Olympics as a sprinter.
15.
The couple had two daughters, and after completing his World War II service, Don Terry dropped his screen name and went to work for StarKist as vice president of public and industrial relations.
16.
Don Terry died at Oceanside, California on October 6,1988, aged 86.