Musicals Blog

Rod Steiger

by Claire J Rottenberg


Rod Steiger was one of America's great actors, yet most people probably don't remember that he sang in a movie musical early in his career. In 1955, Steiger played Judd Fry in the movie version of "Oklahoma" and, along with Gordon MacRae, he sang "Poor Judd Is Daid." Although his performance as Judd Fry was excellent, his acclaim as a leading actor did not come until several years later. In 1967, Steiger finally won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in "In the Heat of the Night." "Oklahoma" remained his only musical film.