Tom Drake

Tom Drake received his first taste of the acting world when--under his real name, Alfred Alderdice--he starred in the hit Broadway production of "Janie" in 1942. After taking the stage name Tom Drake, the newly christened actor gathered the success from the musical and went on to star in his most famous role, next to Judy Garland in the 1944 musical "Meet Me in St. Louis." There, Drake played John Truett, the love interest of a girl whose family lived in St. Louis during the Louisiana Purchase Convention. The picture gained an array of Academy Award nominations, including Best Music. The next film in which Drake appeared was "The Green Years," in which he starred as Robert Shannon, an orphan who overcomes boundaries on his path to become a doctor. Drake starred in the 1950 holiday feature "The Great Rupert," playing a young man striking up a little romance--with some assistance from a helpful little squirrel. A supporting role in the Civil War-themed "Raintree County" in 1957 helped Drake's film career stay afloat before television appearances overwhelmed his filmography from the '50s to the '70s.