Howard Keel

He worked various odd jobs until settling at Douglas Aircraft Company as a traveling representative.

At the age of 20, Keel was overheard singing by his landlady, Mom Rider, and was encouraged to take vocal lessons. One of his musical heroes was the great baritone Lawrence Tibbett. Keel later remarked that learning that his own voice was a basso cantante was one of the greatest disappointments of his life. Read Less

While living in London, Keel made his film debut as Howard Keel at the British Lion studio in Elstree, in The Small Voice (1948), released in the US as Hideout. He played an escaped convict holding a playwright and his wife hostage in their English country cottage.

Additional Broadway credits include Saratoga, No Strings, and Ambassador. He appeared at The Muny in St. Louis, MO as General Waverly in White Christmas (2000), Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady (1996); Emile de Becque in South Pacific (1992), and Adam in Seven Brides For Seven Brothers (1954). Keel was a devout Methodist.

From London's West End, Keel ended up at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, making his film musical debut as Frank Butler in the movie version of Irving Berlin's Annie Get Your Gun (1950).

His career at MGM resulted in plum film roles in Show Boat (1951), Kiss Me Kate (1953), Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954), and Kismet (1955). He also made a series of unremarkable musicals and B-films. On loan at Warner Brothers, he played Wild Bill Hickok in Calamity Jane (1953), a highly popular Oscar-winning musical starring Doris Day in one of her most famous screen roles. The film was Warner Brothers' answer to Annie Get Your Gun, and included the smash hit song "Secret Love". There were two more children born to Howard and Helen, daughter Kirstine in 1952, and son Gunnar in 1955. Read Less