Harry Hayden(8 November 1882 – 24 July 1955) was a Canadian-American actor. He was a highly prolific actor, with more than 280 screen credits.
Harry Hayden | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 8 November 1882 Nova Scotia,Canada |
| Died | 24 July 1955(aged 72) West Los Angeles,California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1936–1955 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
Career
editBorn in Canada in 1882, Hayden was slight, greying at the temples and wore glasses, and the characters he played were often small-town store proprietors, hotel managers, city attorneys, bankers and minor bureaucrats, frequently officious or snooping.[1]
Hayden worked both onstage and in films, and with his wife, actressLela Bliss,to whom he was married from 1924 until his death, he ran the Bliss-Hayden miniature theatre inBeverly Hills,whose alumni includeVeronica Lake,Doris Day,Debbie Reynolds,andMarilyn Monroe.[1]He directed one production onBroadway,[citation needed]a play calledThirsty Soil,which opened in February 1937.[2]
Hayden began appearing in films in 1936, when he was seen inFoolproof,a crime drama short,[citation needed]and worked consistently and steadily until 1954. At the peak of his career, in the late 1930s and early 1940s, a dozen or two films would be released every year in which Hayden appeared. Often his work went uncredited, but he was notable inLaurel and Hardy'sSaps at Seain 1940 as Mr. Sharp, the horn factory owner, and asFarley Granger's Boss in 1951'sO. Henry's Full House.[1]In the 1940s, Hayden was part ofPreston Sturges' unofficial"stock company" of character actors,appearing in six films written and directed by Sturges.[3]
Television also provided some opportunities for this ubiquitous actor. Hayden did a handful of episodic television shows from 1951 to 1955. In 1952, he played Stephen Wilson, the father of Margie's boyfriend in the episode "Vern's Chums", in "My Little Margie",he also had a recurring role as" Harry Johnson "onThe Stu Erwin Show,also known asThe Trouble With Father,although he was not credited for this when the show went to syndication.[1]In 1954, he appeared in his final film,The Desperado.He died on 24 July 1955 inWest Los Angeles, California,at the age of 72. He had one son with actressLela Bliss,Harry Hayden.[citation needed]
Partial filmography
edit- I Married a Doctor(1936)
- Killer at Large(1936)
- Two Against the World(1936) as Dr. Martin Leavenworth
- Artists and Models(1937)
- Black Legion(1937) as Jones
- I'll Give a Million(1938)
- Saleslady(1938)
- Wife, Husband and Friend(1939)
- Rose of Washington Square(1939)[4]
- The Rains Came(1939)
- Should a Girl Marry?(1939)
- Barricade(1939)
- Swanee River(1939)
- He Married His Wife(1940)
- Saps at Sea(1940) (uncredited)
- Lillian Russell(1940)
- Christmas in July(1940) (uncredited)
- A Man Betrayed(1941)
- Remember the Day(1941)
- Rings on Her Fingers(1942)
- The Lone Star Ranger(1942)
- Yankee Doodle Dandy(1942) as Dr. Lewellyn (uncredited)
- The Magnificent Dope(1942)
- Joan of Ozark(1942)
- Tales of Manhattan(1942)
- Hello, Frisco, Hello(1943) as Burkham
- She Has What It Takes(1943) as Mr. Jason
- The Unknown Guest(1943) as George Nadroy
- The Big Noise(1944)
- Hail the Conquering Hero(1944)
- Two Sisters from Boston(1946)
- The Killers(1946) (uncredited)
- Till the Clouds Roll By(1946)
- Millie's Daughter(1947) (uncredited)
- Variety Girl(1947)
- Merton of the Movies(1947)
- The Dude Goes West(1948)
- The Velvet Touch(1948)
- Good Sam(1948)
- Every Girl Should Be Married(1948)
- Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff(1949)
- Intruder in the Dust(1949)
- Gun Crazy(1950)
- The Traveling Saleswoman(1950)
- Union Station(1950)
- Double Dynamite(1951)
- Carrie(1952)
- Army Bound(1952)
- O. Henry's Full House(1952)
References
edit- ^abcdErickson, HalBiography (Allmovie)Archived26 April 2006 at theWayback Machine
- ^"Thirsty Soil".IBDB.Internet Broadway Database.
- ^Hayden appeared inThe Great McGinty,Christmas in July,The Palm Beach Story,Hail the Conquering Hero,The Great MomentandThe Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend,Sturges' last American film.
- ^Great Movie Musicals on DVD- A Classic Movie Fan's Guideby John Howard Reid - Google search with book preview
