Sterling Hayden
Known for
A distinctive American actor with a craggy presence and a colorful off-screen life as a sailor and adventurer. Born in New Jersey, Sterling Hayden delivered two indelible performances for auteurs: the doomed criminal in 'The Asphalt Jungle' (1950) and the deranged General Jack D. Ripper in Stanley Kubrick's 'Dr. Strangelove' (1964). He later played the corrupt police captain McCluskey in 'The Godfather' (1972). A rugged, world-weary American character lead whose gravelly authority marked some of cinema's great films until his death in 1986.
Sterling Hayden
59 Movies
7 Series
A distinctive American actor with a craggy presence and a colorful off-screen life as a sailor and adventurer. Born in New Jersey, Sterling Hayden delivered two indelible performances for auteurs: the doomed criminal in 'The Asphalt Jungle' (1950) and the deranged General Jack D. Ripper in Stanley Kubrick's 'Dr. Strangelove' (1964). He later played the corrupt police captain McCluskey in 'The Godfather' (1972). A rugged, world-weary American character lead whose gravelly authority marked some of cinema's great films until his death in 1986.
Movies
Plays Captain McCluskey
The Godfather
1972
Plays Brigadier General Jack D. Ripper
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
1964
Plays Johnny Clay
The Killing
1956
Plays Roger Wade
The Long Goodbye
1973
Plays Russell Tinsworthy
Nine to Five
1980
Plays Leo Dalcò
1900
1976
Plays Dix Handley
The Asphalt Jungle
1950
Plays Johnny 'Guitar' Logan
Johnny Guitar
1954
Plays Sir Gawain
Prince Valiant
1954
Plays John Garth
Valerie
1957
Plays Det. Lt. Sims
Crime Wave
1953
Plays Joe E. Conroy
Naked Alibi
1954
Plays Z.K. Dawson
Winter Kills
1979
Plays Sheriff Tod Shaw
Suddenly
1954
Plays Henry 'Jack' Pullitzer
Cry, Onion!
1975
Plays King Zharko Stepanowicz
King of the Gypsies
1978
Plays Howard Anderson
Venom
1981
Plays Allan
Sweet Hunters
1970
Plays Captain Martin Treleaven
Zero Hour!
1957
Plays McCabe
Denver and Rio Grande
1952
Plays Clay Hardin
Shotgun
1955
Plays Bert Donner
El Paso
1949
Plays Lt. William Doyle
Crime of Passion
1956
Plays Jim Bowie
The Last Command
1955
Plays John Emmett
5 Steps to Danger
1956
Plays Tex McCloud
Flaming Feather
1952
Plays Pervis De Jong
So Big
1953
Plays Duke Stuyvesant
Gas
1981
Plays Lt. Tod Voorhees
Hellgate
1952
Plays Maj. Wrongway Lindbergh
The Final Programme
1973
Plays M. Nature / The Leader
The Big Departure
1972
Plays Jim Johannsen aka Barry Lester
The Star
1952
Plays George Hansen
Terror in a Texas Town
1958
Plays Sheriff Samuel Galt
The Iron Sheriff
1957
Plays Capt. John Nelson
Kansas Pacific
1953
Plays Tim Chipman
Timberjack
1955
Plays Michael Carlson
Hard Contract
1969
Plays Mason / Custer
Angel's Leap
1971
Plays Commander Dan Collier
Flat Top
1952
Plays Rear-Adm. John Madison Hoskins
The Eternal Sea
1955
Plays Bart Laish
Arrow In The Dust
1954
Plays Rev, John Burrows
Journey Into Light
1951
Plays Dave Arnold
The Come On
1956
Plays Rick Martin
Top Gun
1955
Plays Joe Cooper
Manhandled
1949
Plays Tad McDonald
Blaze of Noon
1947
Plays Steve
Fighter Attack
1953
Plays Lepridon
Loving
1970
Plays Jay Turner / John York
Gun Battle at Monterey
1957
Plays Scotty
Ten Days To Tulara
1958
TV Shows
Plays Capt. Mark McCluskey
Mario Puzo's The Godfather: The Complete Novel for Television
1977
Plays John Brown
The Blue and the Gray
1982
Plays Joe Turner
General Electric Theater
1953
Plays Maj. Jim Curtis
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
1951
Plays Link Stevens
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
1956
Plays Tony Fowler
Banacek
1972
Plays Old Jeremiah
The Starlost
1973
Latest Trailers
Watch Trailer
Venom
Full Filmography
The Blue and the Gray
John Brown · 3 episodes
1982
TV
Venom
Howard Anderson
1981
Film
Gas
Duke Stuyvesant
1981
Film
Nine to Five
Russell Tinsworthy
1980
Film
The Starlost: The Beginning
Jeremiah
1980
Film
The Outsider
Seamus Flaherty
1979
Film
Winter Kills
Z.K. Dawson
1979
Film
King of the Gypsies
King Zharko Stepanowicz
1978
Film
Mario Puzo's The Godfather: The Complete Novel for Television
Capt. Mark McCluskey · 4 episodes
1977
TV
Photos
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sterling Hayden still alive?
Sterling Hayden passed away on May 23, 1986 at age 70.
What are the most famous roles of Sterling Hayden?
Sterling Hayden is best known for roles in The Godfather, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, The Killing.
How many movies has Sterling Hayden been in?
Over a 45-year career (since 1941), Sterling Hayden has appeared in 59 movies and 7 TV shows.
What was Sterling Hayden's first movie?
The career of Sterling Hayden began with Virginia (1941).
What is Sterling Hayden's most recent movie or series?
Sterling Hayden's most recent release is Irving Johnson High Seas Adventurer, which premiered on March 28, 1985.
What TV shows has Sterling Hayden appeared in?
On television, Sterling Hayden has appeared in The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, Mario Puzo's The Godfather: The Complete Novel for Television, The Blue and the Gray, Banacek.
Sterling Hayden
1916-03-26 · Upper Montclair, New Jersey, USA
Sterling Walter Hayden (born Sterling Relyea Walter; March 26, 1916 – May 23, 1986) was an American actor and author. He dropped out of high school at the age of 16 and hired on as mate on a schooner. He was a ship's captain at 22, and in need of cash to buy his own boat, established himself as a model in New York, discovered by Paramount Studios talent scouts and offered a contract.
Sterling Hayden, the handsome tall blond actor who played wholesome leading-man movie roles in the 1940's and 1950's and later weathered into a rough-hewn solid character actor in films such as "Dr. Strangelove", "The Godfather," "Nine to Five" and "King of the Gypsies". He appeared in 71 feature films and tv-productions from the debut in "Virginia" 1941 to the tv mini-series "The Blue and the Gray" in 1982.
He wrote of his obsessive fascination with the sea in a 1963 autobiography, "Wanderer," and in 1970 his 700-page epic novel of the sea, "Voyage," was a main selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club.
Sterling Hayden appeared in the German documentary, "Pharos of Chaos," (1983) filmed aboard his barge in Europe, and seemed to be in an alcoholic stupor much of the time, supplementing his wine intake with hashish. On camera he said: "What confuses me is I ain't all that unhappy. So why do I drink, I don't know."