American actor and singer best remembered for playing Cochise in “Broken Arrow” (1950), becoming the first actor nominated for an Academy Award for portraying an American Indian. He was one of Universal International’s most popular male stars of the decade.
He was notable for being grey-haired at an early age.
Chandler served in the United States Army in World War II for four years, mostly in the Aleutians, finishing with the rank of lieutenant.
Chandler married actress Marjorie Hoshelle (1918–1989) in 1946. The couple had two daughters, Jamie Tucker (1947–2003) and Dana Grossel (1949–2002), before separating in 1954. They reconciled but his wife filed for divorce again in 1957. He was romantically linked with Esther Williams, who claimed in her 1999 autobiography Chandler was a cross dresser and she broke off the relationship, but various friends and colleagues of Chandler’s including Jane Russell rejected Williams’ claims.
Chandler injured his back while playing baseball with U.S. Army Special Forces soldiers, and entered a Culver City hospital and had surgery for a spinal disc herniation on 13 May 1961. There were severe complications; an artery was damaged and Chandler hemorrhaged. In a seven-and-a-half-hour emergency operation over-and-above the original surgery, he was given 55 pints of blood. Another operation followed, date unknown, where he received an additional 20 pints of blood. He died on 17 June 1961. His death was deemed malpractice and resulted in a large lawsuit and settlement for his children.
At the time of his death, Chandler was romantically involved with British actress Barbara Shelley.
Link to Wikipedia biography