Walter Connolly

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Walter Connolly (born April 8, 1887 in Cincinnati , Ohio , † May 28, 1940 in Beverly Hills , California ) was an American actor. He mainly played serious or class-conscious characters in comedies like It Happened in One Night .

Life

Walter Conolly was a successful theater actor who appeared in over 20 Broadway plays between 1916 and 1935 , including performances of Six People Looking for an Author and Uncle Vanya . He made his first film appearances in the silent films The Marked Woman (1914) and A Soldier's Oath (1915) and Connolly turned his first sound film Many Happy Returns in 1930; but it was not until 1932 that Connolly should work regularly in the film business. The stocky actor often embodied class-conscious, serious company bosses, editors-in-chief or superiors, often as the father of the main character. Comedic outbursts of anger were a hallmark of many of his appearances. Perhaps his best-known role was played by Connolly as the disgruntled father of Claudette Colbert in the comedy It Happened on a Night by Frank Capra , which won five Academy Awards in 1935.

From then on, he regularly took on appearances in comedies, for example as a friend and business partner of John Barrymore in Napoleon on Broadway (1934) and as editor-in-chief of Fredric March in Denen is nothing sacred (1937). In addition, Connolly also took on more serious roles, for example as the hated uncle of Paul Muni in the film drama Die Gute Erde based on Pearl S. Buck 's novel of the same name. In Richard Thorpe 's literary film adaptation of Mark Twain's literary classic The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn , he played the trickster "The King" alongside Mickey Rooney in 1939 . In some smaller film productions, Connolly was also seen as a leading actor. In total, he made around 50 films by 1939. In addition to his film appearances, Conolly could also be heard as detective Charlie Chan in a popular radio play series in the 1930s .

In his spare time, Connolly was a collector of old books and theater programs. He married the actress Nedda Harrigan in 1920 . The couple had a daughter named Ann (1924-2006), who later became a stage actress. Connolly died of a stroke at the age of 53, and his wife's divorce certificate reached him that same day. This later married the director Joshua Logan .

Filmography

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Cox, Jim, Radio Crime Fighters, 2002, p. 9, McFarland, Jefferson, NC, ISBN 0-7864-1390-5

Web links

Commons : Walter Connolly  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Connolly, Walter
BRIEF DESCRIPTION US-American actor
DATE OF BIRTH April 8, 1887
PLACE OF BIRTH Cincinnati , Ohio
DATE OF DEATH May 28, 1940
Place of death Beverly Hills , California