Actor.
Born in Carman, Manitoba, he later moved to Milwaukee and attended Carleton College (Minnesota). He began his film career as a comic, shifted to playing sinister villains, and finally became best-known as a Hollywood comedian. He was cast in a series of “second banana” roles, usually as the hero’s buddy. He made over 70 films, including Mildred Pierce (1945) and A Star is Born (1954). In 1950 he co-hosted (with George Formby) the relief benefit concert for Manitoba flood victims held in May at Maple Leaf Gardens and broadcast to a network of nearly 600 stations around the world.
Dictionary of Manitoba Biography by John M. “Jack” Bumsted, Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press, 1999.
Memorable Manitobans
This is a collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. We acknowledge that the collection contains both reputable and disreputable people. All are worth remembering as a lesson to future generations.
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