Here is the rewritten biography:
Kerwin Mathews, a virile and boyishly handsome actor, made a lasting impact on audiences in the late 1950s and early 1960s, thanks to his association with special effects guru Ray Harryhausen. Born on January 8, 1926, in Seattle, Washington, Kerwin's parents divorced when he was young, and he and his mother relocated to Janesville, Wisconsin. He developed an early interest in acting while performing in high school plays.
After serving in the Army Air Force during World War II, Kerwin studied at Beloit College in Wisconsin on both dramatic and musical scholarships. He later taught speech and drama at the college and found acting jobs in regional theater. In the early 1950s, he decided to make the big trek to Hollywood to seek his fame and fortune.
While training at the Pasadena Playhouse, Kerwin met a casting agent for Columbia Pictures and was eventually signed to a seven-year contract after winning over the approval of studio boss Harry Cohn. He found a number of roles on TV and made his film debut in 5 Against the House (1955) as one of four college pals who decide to carry out a fake casino robbery in Las Vegas, a plan that backfires badly.
Kerwin's career took off with his role as the dauntless hero in Columbia's classic The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958),where he battled a variety of creatures, including a colossal, one-eyed Cyclops and a fire-spewing dragon. He worked with Harryhausen's stop-motion creations again in The 3 Worlds of Gulliver (1960) and Jack the Giant Killer (1962).
Kerwin also appeared in a range of other films, including the WWII war drama The Last Blitzkrieg (1959),the crime thriller Man on a String (1960),and the comedy The Devil at 4 O'Clock (1961),where he played a priest alongside Spencer Tracy.
By the early 1960s, Kerwin was typecast in adventure tales and began searching for work overseas to display his stoic heroics. He appeared in a range of films, including The Warrior Empress (1960),The Pirates of Blood River (1962),and Shadow of Evil (1964),before finding more success on TV, playing composer Johann Strauss Jr. in Disney's 1963 TV biopic The Waltz King: Part 1 (1963).
Kerwin's career ended in 1978, and he spent his later years selling antiques and furniture in San Francisco. He was a stalwart patron of the arts and supporter of the city's various opera and ballet companies. Kerwin died at the age of 81 in his San Francisco home, survived by his partner of 46 years, Tom Nicoll.
