Comic Gangsters
by karljhickey14 | created - 02 Dec 2015 | updated - 11 Dec 2016 | PublicActors who played comedy gangsters in classic Hollywood , many played serious ones as well . See also James Cagney , Edward G. Robinson , Humphrey Bogart - even George Raft .
1. Edward Brophy
Actor | The Thin Man
Edward S. Brophy was born on February 27, 1895 in New York City and educated at the University of Virginia. He became a bit and small-part in the movies starting in 1919, but switched to behind-the-scenes work for job security, though he continued appearing in small parts. While serving as a ...
2. Allen Jenkins
Actor | Tomorrow at Seven
Both of Allen Jenkins' parents were musical comedy performers, and he entered the theater as a stage mechanic after World War I, after having spent time working in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Although his screen persona was that of a not-too-bright Brooklyn tough guy, Jenkins attended the American ...
3. Sheldon Leonard
Producer | Make Room for Daddy
Sheldon Leonard was born in New York City's lower Manhattan, the son of Jewish parents. He studied acting at Syracuse University and, after graduating, landed a job on Wall Street. Following the Wall Street crash of 1929, he found himself unemployed and resolved to become a professional actor on ...
4. Mike Mazurki
Actor | Some Like It Hot
With an intimidating face like craggy granite and a towering 6'5" solid frame, Mike Mazurki (born Mikhail Mazuruski or Mikhail Mazurkiewicz) was one of cinema's first serial thugs and specialized in playing strongarm men, gangsters and bullies for over 50 years on screen. Nearly always portrayed as...
5. Milton Berle
Actor | It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
Milton Berle was an American comedian and actor.
Berle's career as an entertainer spanned over 80 years, first in silent films and on stage as a child actor, then in radio, movies and television. As the host of NBC's Texaco Star Theatre (1948-55), he was the first major American television star and ...
as Seabiscuit , in Rise and Shine 1941
6. Ben Welden
Actor | The Desert Hawk
Character actor of distinctly American persona who nevertheless made several films in Britain before returning to the U.S. to carve out a career as a familiar face in American movies. Short, bald and built like a tank with a streetwise character and a Damon Runyan accent, Welden played countless ...
7. Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams
Actor | Virginia City
The son of a rancher-turned-politician, Guinn Williams was given the nickname "Big Boy" (and he was, too - 6' 2" of mostly solid muscle from years of working on ranches and playing semi-pro and pro baseball) by Will Rogers, with whom he made one of his first films, in 1919. Although his father ...
8. Broderick Crawford
Actor | All the King's Men
Broderick Crawford is best remembered for two roles: his Oscar-winning turn as Willie Stark in All the King's Men (1949) and as Chief Dan Mathews on the syndicated TV series Highway Patrol (1955). He was also memorable as Judy Holliday's vulgar partner in Born Yesterday (1950), roles both actors ...
9. Warren Hymer
Actor | Bluebeard's Eighth Wife
Warren Hymer was born on February 25, 1906 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Bluebeard's Eighth Wife (1938), The Lady and the Mob (1939) and Up the River (1930). He was married to Beau Williams and Virginia Meyer. He died on March 25, 1948 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
10. J. Carrol Naish
Actor | Sahara
One of the most versatile character actors in the business, Joseph Patrick Carrol Naish (pronounced Nash) was born of Irish descent in New York City. His illustrious ancestors hailed from county Limerick and were listed in Burke's Peerage. He had a Catholic education at St. Cecilia's Academy, but ...
11. Dewey Robinson
Actor | A Midsummer Night's Dream
Dewey Robinson was born on August 17, 1898 in New Haven, Connecticut, USA. He was an actor, known for A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935), The Return of Jimmy Valentine (1936) and 6 Hours to Live (1932). He was married to Louise Arlene Woolner. He died on December 11, 1950 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
12. Tom Pedi
Actor | The Taking of Pelham One Two Three
Tom Pedi was born on September 14, 1913 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974), The Naked City (1948) and McCloud (1970). He died on December 29, 1996 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
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