Actor Jeff Chandler, a 1950s Hollywood leading man and Academy Award nominee, died on June 17, 1961, at just 42 years old, following a series of complications from routine back surgery. His death was later determined to be the result of medical malpractice and led to a lawsuit against the hospital where he was treated. Born Ira Grossel on December 15, 1918, in Brooklyn, New York, Chandler grew up in a Jewish family and attended Erasmus High School. Before finding fame in Hollywood, he worked as a restaurant cashier to save money for acting school.
He spent four years serving in World War II, leaving the military with the rank of lieutenant. After his discharge, Chandler built a successful career in radio, appearing in both dramas and comedies. He played bashful biology teacher Philip Boynton on the popular sitcom “Our Miss Brooks” and took the lead role in the detective drama “Michael Shayne. ”
Chandler made his feature film debut in 1947 and rose to stardom throughout the 1950s in westerns and action films.
He earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Cochise in the 1950 film “Broken Arrow. ” He would go on to play the legendary Apache chief twice more, in “Battle at Apache Pass” (1952) and “Taza, Son of Cochise” (1954). During the peak of his career, Chandler appeared in films such as “Away All Boats,” “Toy Tiger,” “The Tattered Dress,” “Man in the Shadow,” “Foxfire,” and “Thunder in the Sun. ” His leading ladies included Joan Crawford, Rhonda Fleming, Susan Hayward, and Jane Russell.
He married actress Marjorie Hoshelle in 1946, and the couple had two daughters before divorcing in 1958. Chandler also pursued a singing career, releasing several albums and performing in nightclubs. Singer and actress Rosemary Clooney, who performed with him in Las Vegas, later wrote in her autobiography that Chandler was a great guy, though she was unimpressed by his vocal abilities. On April 15, 1961, while filming “Merrill’s Marauders” in the Philippines, Chandler injured his back during a baseball game with US Army Special Forces soldiers who were serving as extras.
He received pain-numbing injections so he could complete the movie. On May 13, 1961, he was admitted to the hospital for surgery to correct a herniated disc. The procedure led to severe complications, including arterial hemorrhaging. During an emergency operation that lasted seven and a half hours, he received 55 pints of blood.
A third surgery followed, during which he was given an additional 20 pints. Chandler died on June 17, 1961, from a blood infection complicated by pneumonia. Actor Tony Curtis served as a pallbearer at his funeral, and Chandler was interred at Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Culver City, California. After his death, an investigation determined that malpractice had contributed to his fatal complications.
His children subsequently sued the hospital for $1. 5 million, and the case was eventually settled for $233,258.
