Editing Stuart Whitman (section)

== Early life ==
Stuart Maxwell Whitman was born on February 1, 1928, in [[San Francisco, California]], the elder of two sons of Cecilia (née Gold) and Joseph Whitman. His family was Jewish. His mother was a Russian Jewish immigrant, while his paternal grandparents were Polish Jews. <ref name="CDHS" /><ref name=Luft /> However, in the 1950s, Whitman described himself to [[Hedda Hopper]] as "a real American – have a little bit of English, Irish, Scotch, and Russian – so I get along with everyone."<ref name="hedda" />

Whitman was interested in acting from the age of five. His father at the time was working as a ticket collector at [[Tammany Hall]], and he would sometimes be allowed to watch plays.<ref name="mark" /><ref name=":322"/><ref name=":422"/><ref name=":522"/><ref name=":622"/> His parents had married in their teens and traveled frequently during his childhood – his father became a lawyer who moved into property development. Whitman started his education in New York, in Manhattan and Poughkeepsie.<ref name="charles">{{cite news|title=Stu Whitman—a Lot Going for Him|date=February 18, 1966|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|page=c11}}</ref><ref name="bookref1" /> "I went to so many schools—26 in all!—that I was always an outsider," he later recalled. "It wasn't until high school that I could ''really'' read ... I always sat in the back of the room."<ref name="Meyer" /> Whitman's early love for acting came through when he did three [[summer stock]] plays in New York when he was 12, but "nobody took that seriously," he said.<ref name="hedda" />

His uncle thought he had potential as a boxer, and secretly trained him.<ref name="scott" /> When [[World War II]] broke out, Joseph Whitman moved to Los Angeles to run oil-cracking plants for the government. His family settled in Los Angeles, and Whitman graduated from [[Hollywood High School]] in 1945.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Aaker |first=Everett |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ltUkDwAAQBAJ&dq=%22Stuart+Whitman%22+%22Hollywood+High+School%22&pg=PA2081 |title=Television Western Players, 1960-1975: A Biographical Dictionary |date=2017-06-08 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-1-4766-6250-3 |language=en}}</ref>

After school, he enlisted in the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] and served in the [[United States Army Corps of Engineers|Corps of Engineers]] for three years at [[Fort Lewis (Washington)|Fort Lewis]], Washington. During this time, he occasionally boxed, winning 31 of his 32 bouts.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brad |first=Bad |title=Film and TV Actor Stuart Whitman Dead at 92 - Entertainment News |url=https://ringsidereport.com/?p=86771 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230705112608/https://ringsidereport.com/?p=86771 |archive-date=July 5, 2023 |access-date=2024-03-04 |website=RingSide Report |language=en-US}}</ref> Whitman was a lightweight boxer for the Army during his tenure.<ref name="Meyer" /> The boxing match for which he was most known was one where he had a difficult time against U.S. Army boxer Denny Dennison (né Archibald Dennison Scott III), against whom he had boxed at Hollywood High School. Denny, who had entered active duty in January 1944, after five months of the delayed-entry program, had defeated his third opponent, considered his toughest matchup. Whitman was honorably discharged from the Army in 1948, while his close friend, Scott, completed officer candidate school the following year, ending his service with the rank of colonel.<ref name="hedda" />

Whitman originally intended to follow his father into law and used the [[G.I. Bill]] to enroll in [[Los Angeles City College]]. He minored in drama. During his first year, he "figured that law was a real bore",<ref name="charles" /> and began to develop ambitions to be an actor.

"I reached a point where I said, 'What are you going to do with your life? You got to get something going'", he said. "I decided I wanted to spend most of my time on me. So I decided to develop me and educate me."<ref name="mark">{{cite news|title=Image for Him: Free, Easy and All Man|last=Alpert|first=Don|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=August 20, 1961|page=M4}}</ref> "My father wanted me to join his law firm and dabble in real estate on the side," recalled Whitman. "There was a family row about boxing, but nothing like the battle when I told my father I was going to be an actor. He said, 'If that's the case, you're on your own.' No money from him. And he kept his word."<ref name="hedda"/>

His father did sell Whitman a bulldozer, which his son used to support himself in college. Whitman would hire it (and himself) out to others to clear lots, uproot trees, and level off rugged terrain.<ref name="hedda" /> This work earned him up to $100 a day. He and his father later went into real estate development together, purchasing various lots in and around Los Angeles.<ref name="scott" />

Whitman joined the [[Michael Chekhov]] Stage Society, and studied with them at night for four years. He was considering a career in professional football, but injured his leg at college. He joined the [[Ben Bard]] Drama School in Hollywood, and debuted in the school's production of ''[[Here Comes Mr Jordan]]'', which ran for six months.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Barnes |first=Mike |date=2020-03-17 |title=Stuart Whitman, Star of 'Cimarron Strip' and 'The Mark,' Dies at 92 |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/stuart-whitman-dead-cimarron-strip-mark-star-was-92-1033764/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230705112612/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/stuart-whitman-dead-cimarron-strip-mark-star-was-92-1033764/ |archive-date=July 5, 2023 |access-date=2024-03-04 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}}</ref>