Gary Merrill; Colorful Stage, Screen Actor

Actor Gary Merrill, known for his supporting roles in the movies “Twelve O’Clock High” and “All About Eve” and for his stormy marriage to actress Bette Davis, died Monday of cancer at age 74.

Merrill, who moved to Maine in 1965 and spent most of his time playing golf and reading poetry in schools, died at his home, a small cottage overlooking the sea in the wealthy Portland suburb of Falmouth Foreside.

The colorful, spirited actor appeared in 42 films during a career of more than 40 years.

His last stage appearance was on Broadway in 1980 in a revival of the play “Mornings at Seven” with Maureen O’Sullivan.

Merrill began his acting career on stage in 1937. His first movie role was in “Winged Victory” in 1944. He went on to “Twelve O’Clock High” in 1949 and “All About Eve,” which starred Miss Davis and won the best-picture Academy Award in 1950.

Merrill’s other movie roles included parts in “Phone Call From a Stranger,” 1953; “Blueprint for Murder,” 1953; “Bermuda Affair,” 1956 and “Around the World Under the Sea,” 1966.

On television, he played the gruff but understanding Dr. Gillespie in the “Young Dr. Kildare” series and narrated “The Valiant Years” series about Winston Churchill.

Merrill met Miss Davis in “All About Eve”--he played her lover--and married her the day his divorce from his first wife became final. He and Davis divorced in 1960.

Merrill, a native of Hartford, Conn., prided himself on an inactive life style, telling an interviewer in 1981, “I’ve spent my life doing as little as possible. . . . And I intend to keep doing exactly the same thing.”

Merrill is survived by his son, Michael, of Brookline, Mass.; a daughter, Margot, of Geneva, N.Y.; a brother, Jerry, of Cape Elizabeth, Maine, and two grandchildren.