Harry Wilson (actor)
Harry Wilson (born November 22, 1897 in London , England , † September 6, 1978 in Woodland Hills , California ) was a British actor.
life and career
Born in Great Britain, Harry Wilson began his film career in the United States in 1928 . He suffered from acromegaly and was bulky anyway, which is why he looked rather ugly and threatening at the same time. Therefore, in his long film career, he mostly played henchmen, criminals, workers or boxers. By 1965 he played in around 300 film and television productions, including numerous classics such as Modern Times and The Wizard of Oz . Most of his roles were small and went unmentioned in the credits . Only occasionally did he get bigger roles, for example in the role of a dumb henchman in Some Like It Hot and as the female monster Frankenstein in the trash flick Frankenstein's Daughter . He also worked as a double for actors, including 15 years for Oscar winner Wallace Beery .
Harry Wilsons was a co-owner of a religious book shop. He had children and grandchildren.
Filmography (selection)
- 1928: The Racket
- 1930: Hell Behind Bars (The Big House)
- 1931: Buster has nothing to laugh about (Sidewalks of New York)
- 1932: People in the hotel (Grand Hotel)
- 1932: 20,000 Years in Sing Sing (20,000 Years in Sing Sing)
- 1933: Between Today and Tomorrow (Gabriel Over the White House)
- 1935: The Miserable (Les Miserables)
- 1936: Modern Times (Modern Times)
- 1937: You Only Live Once (You Only Live Once)
- 1937: The Marx Brothers: A Day at the Races
- 1937: Topper - The blonde ghost (Topper)
- 1938: The Adventures of Marco Polo (The Adventures of Marco Polo)
- 1939: The Wizard of Oz (The Wizard of Oz)
- 1940: Tumak, the lord of the jungle (One Million BC)
- 1940: The Great Dictator (The Great Dictator)
- 1940: Go West
- 1941: Ridin 'on a Rainbow
- 1942: Don't Talk
- 1944: The Princess and the Pirate (The Princess and the Pirate)
- 1944: The Hairy Ape
- 1945: The Lost Weekend (The Lost Weekend)
- 1945: A Gun in His Hand (short film)
- 1947: Cell R 17 (Brute Force)
- 1949: The man who wanted to rule (All the King's Man)
- 1950: The Pirate Bride (Buccaneer's Girl)
- 1950: In the land of the Comanches (Comache Territory)
- 1952: Abbott and Costello as unwilling pirates (Abbott ans Costello Meet Captain Kidd)
- 1953: Abbott and Costello meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde)
- 1954: Formicula (Them)
- 1955: Heavy boys - easy girls (Guys and Dolls)
- 1958: Frankenstein's Daughter
- 1959: Some Like It Hot (Some Like It Hot)
- 1960: Frankie and his cronies (Ocean's Eleven)
- 1961: The Lower Ten Thousand (Pocketful of Miracles)
- 1962: How the West Was Won (How the West Was Won)
- 1964: Seven against Chicago (Robin and the 7 Hoods)
- 1965: The Greatest Story Ever Told (The Greatest Story Ever Told)
- 1965: Cincinnati Kid
Web links
- Harry Wilson in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Articles about Harry Wilson and other "Henchman" actors
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Wilson, Harry |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British actor |
DATE OF BIRTH | November 22, 1897 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | London , England |
DATE OF DEATH | September 6, 1978 |
Place of death | Woodland Hills , California |