Actor David Hedison

Actor David Hedison has died at the age of 92, according to The Hollywood Reporter.  He was born Albert David Hedison, Jr. May 20, 1927 in Providence, Rhode Island.  He died Thursday, July 18, 2019 in Los Angeles, CA, and the family said in a statement that he “died peacefully” with his daughters at his side.

David Hedison as Andre Delambre in THE FLY {image via 20th Century Fox}

Hedison starred as the scientist whose experiment went horribly wrong in the 1958 The Fly.  He was best known to TV viewers as Captain Lee Crane of the Seaview in Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea and as Spencer Harrison in the soap opera Another World.

He co-starred in the 1960 The Lost World with Claude Rains and Michael Rennie, played Jor-El in Superman and the Secret Planet, and Daniel Alexander in Meggido: The Omega Code 2.  He also played Felix Leiter, Bond’s CIA friend, in two James Bond films, Live and Let Die and License to Kill.  

Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman, David Hedison as thief Evan Robley {image via Warner Bros.}

Hedison was married to TV producer Bridget Hedison from 1968 until her death in 2016. They had two daughters, Alexandra and Serena. Alexandra Hedison is the wife of former child star Jodie Foster, now an Oscar-winning actress and director.

Hedison appeared in Spectres with Marina Sirtis. He preferred legitimate theater to movies or TV, although he kept busy in all three media.

According to family members, Hedison joked during his final days that “instead of RIP he preferred SRO ‘Standing Room Only.’” They said that he was “tall and strikingly handsome,” and “a true actor through and through.”

Hedison’s wife, Bridget, a production associate on “Dynasty” and an assistant to producer on “The Colbys,” died in 2016. He is survived by two daughters; Serena and Alexandra, an actress and director who is married to Jodie Foster.

Donations may be made to the Actor’s Fund.

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Susan Macdonald
Susan Macdonald

Susan Macdonald is the author of the children’s book “R is for Renaissance Faire”, as well as 26 short stories, mostly fantasy in “Alternative Truths”, “Swords and Sorceress ”, Swords &Sorceries Vols. 1, 2, & 5, “Cat Tails” “Under Western Stars”, and “Knee-High Drummond and the Durango Kid”. Her articles have appeared on SCIFI.radio’s web site, in The Inquisitr, and in The Millington Star. She enjoys Renaissance Faires (see book above), science fiction conventions,  Highland Games, and Native American pow-wows.