Roscoe Karns

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Roscoe L. Karns (born September 7, 1891 in San Bernardino , California - † February 6, 1970 in Los Angeles , California) was an American actor.

life and career

Roscoe Karns completed his education at a military academy and the University of Southern California . At the age of 15 he was on a theater stage for the first time and soon played in the theater group of Marjorie Rambeau . In the following years he took on numerous leading roles on the theaters around Los Angeles . Karns made his film debut in 1915 in the silent film School for Brides . In the 1920s he was able to establish himself as a supporting actor and played alongside stars such as Estelle Taylor and William Haines . In the late 1920s she had a small supporting role in the first full-length sound film The Jazzsinger and a supporting role as a lieutenant in the world war drama Wings , which won the Oscar for best film at the first Academy Awards . After starting the sound film, he returned to the theater for a short time before re-entering the film business.

In the 1930s, Karns specialized in the embodiment of joking and tipsy, often somewhat intrusive characters. His quick speech became Karn's trademark. He had one of his best-known roles as the annoying bus traveler Oscar Shapeley in the five Academy Award-winning comedy It Happened on a Night when he robbed the last nerve of his seatmate Claudette Colbert . The character of Oscar Shapeley later influenced the makers of Bugs Bunny . He has also appeared in other popular screwball comedies such as Napoleon on Broadway and His Girl on Special Occasions . Karns often played newspaper reporters or agents, often as a sidekick of the main character. It was also occasionally used as a comic relief in crime films . Between August 1944 and June 1945, he had a role in the Broadway -Stück School for Brides , which had 375 performances in total.

In the 1950s, Karns turned increasingly to television. He played the lead role in the Rocky King crime series , Inside Detective , of which nine episodes were produced between 1951 and 1954. In the television series Hennesey , he had another leading role as the grumpy Admiral Shafer between 1959 and 1962. He retired from the acting business in 1964 with an appearance alongside Rock Hudson in A Goldfish on a Leash . In total, Karns completed around 150 film and television appearances in his career. He was married to Mary M. Fraso from 1920 until his death. They had two children, including the actor Todd Karns (1921–2000), who also played in the Rocky King series, and James Stewart's brother Harry in the Christmas classic Isn't Life Beautiful? depicted. Roscoe Karns died in 1970 at the age of 78 and was buried in Hollywood Forever Cemetery .

Filmography (selection)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Roscoe Karns at the New York Times
  2. ^ Roscoe Karns at the Internet Broadway Database
  3. ↑ Roscoe Karns at Find A Grave
personal data
SURNAME Karns, Roscoe
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Karns, Roscoe L.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION US-American actor
DATE OF BIRTH September 7, 1891
PLACE OF BIRTH San Bernardino (California)
DATE OF DEATH February 6, 1970
Place of death los Angeles