Neil Hamilton (actor)

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Neil Hamilton in 1928, photographer Russell Ball (1896–1942)

James Neil Hamilton (born September 9, 1899 in Lynn , Massachusetts , †  September 24, 1984 in Escondido , California ) was an American actor .

life and career

Hamilton started out as a model and got into acting. At first he played in several repertoire theaters and received his first film role in 1918. His breakthrough came in 1923 with The White Rose , directed by DW Griffith . He also starred in Griffith's social drama Isn't Life Wonderful the following year ? , which dealt with the difficult living conditions in Germany in the 1920s and was filmed for the most part in Germany and Austria. Other appearances followed, for example as Nick Carraway in the first - now lost - film adaptation of The Great Gatsby or in John Ford's drama Mother Machree about an Irish immigrant family in America. In the late 1920s he signed a studio contract with Paramount Pictures , where he was one of the most popular leading actors.

The actor successfully switched to talkies and continued his acting career until the early 1970s. He played as a lover alongside stars like Joan Crawford in Laughing Sinners or Constance Bennett in What Price Hollywood? . In the first two Tarzan films with Johnny Weissmüller , he played his opponent Harry Holt , who was killed at the end of the second film. Neil Hamilton's success waned in the mid-1930s, however, he received only a few leading roles and found himself increasingly in insignificant B-films . Only television brought him new popularity, where he played numerous guest roles and between 1948 and 1953 also hosted the talent show Hollywood Screen Test . In the 1960s, Hamilton played the role of Commissioner James Gordon in the popular television series Batman , which brought him new prominence.

Neil Hamilton had his last role in a television movie in 1971, after which he retired into private life. From 1922 until his death he was married to Elsa Cozetta Whitmer for 62 years, they had one child. Neil Hamilton died of asthma in September 1984 at the age of 85.

Filmography (selection)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Neil Hamilton in the Find a Grave database . Retrieved December 30, 2018.
personal data
SURNAME Hamilton, Neil
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Hamilton, James Neil (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION US-American actor
DATE OF BIRTH September 9, 1899
PLACE OF BIRTH Lynn , Massachusetts
DATE OF DEATH September 24, 1984
Place of death Escondido , California