GEORGE GRIZZARD
(Hank Griffin)

    After graduation from the University of North Carolina with a degree in advertising George Grizzard spent a rather frustrating year working as what he terms "assistant to a flunky" in an ad agency. Visualizing a bleak future with the organization he quit and headed for Washington, D.C. It was at the noted Arena Stage in our nation's capitol that he first tried his hand at professional acting. The try was so good that he spent three years there, appearing in 25 productions. Among these was the try-out of Robert Anderson's "All Summer Long," in which Mr. Grizzard created the role of Don--the role he understudied but didn't have a chance to portray during the play's brief run on Broadway. "The Desperate Hours," therefore, marks his New York debut, and a most auspicious one it is. Strangely enough, when he was sent to read for producers Erskine and Hayes and director Montgomery Mr. Grizzard didn't have a hope of getting the job. He thought he wasn't tough enough to play an escaped convict. However, the three gentlemen in charge of casting were quick to recognize the value of the young actor's sensitivity, a necessary quality to develope sympathy for the character of the ringleader's younger brother, and have launch the talented North Carolinian on what promises to be a most rewarding career.