Frank Albertson

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Frank Albertson (* 2. May 1909 in Fergus Falls , Minnesota as Francis Healy Albertson ; † 29. February 1964 in Santa Monica , California ) was an American actor .

life and career

Irish-born Albertson began working as a prop boy in Hollywood when he was twelve . In 1923 he appeared in the silent film The Caravan , but was not mentioned in the credits. His career reached its breakthrough in adulthood in the emerging sound film , where he played leading roles in numerous films, for example in John Ford's submarine drama U 13 from 1930. From the mid-1930s, Albertson's success declined and he was outside of numerous B-movie appearances, mainly seen in supporting roles. He played, among other things, the brother of Katharine Hepburn in Alice Adams after Booth Tarkington 's play of the same name.

Albertson continued his career after serving in World War II . While his appearance was rather boyish at the beginning of his career, his features became very distinctive in later years. In his post-war career, he often played mischievous or cheerful businessmen, taxi drivers or journalists. In the Christmas classic Isn't life beautiful? appeared next to James Stewart as his childhood friend Sam Wainwright . In 1960, he took on the role of the repulsive millionaire in Alfred Hitchcock's thriller Psycho , who flirts with a secretary played by Janet Leigh , who later steals $ 40,000 from him. He played one of his last roles in 1963, also alongside Leigh, namely in the role of Mayor in Bye Bye Birdie . In addition, he appeared in numerous television programs in guest roles in the 1950s and 1960s. In total, Frank Albertson had at least 190 film and television appearances.

He was married to Virginia Shelley from 1931 until the divorce in 1943 and they had two children. In 1943 Albertson married the actress Grace Gillern (* 1919) for the second time, this marriage lasted until his death in 1964. Albertson and Gillern again had three children, although there was a tragic accident in New York in July 1956: Albertsons Wife Grace lost control of her car, which overturned three times. Their youngest daughter Mundy and Grace's mother were killed. Frank Albertson died in his sleep in 1964 at the age of 54.

The actor was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his film work .

Filmography (selection)

Web links

Commons : Frank Albertson  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Archive link ( Memento from July 20, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
  2. ↑ a b Frank Albertson at Rotten Tomatoes ( Memento from February 28, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
personal data
SURNAME Albertson, Frank
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Albertson, Francis Healey (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION US-American actor
DATE OF BIRTH May 2, 1909
PLACE OF BIRTH Fergus Falls , Minnesota
DATE OF DEATH February 29, 1964
Place of death Santa Monica , California