Jimmy Conlin

Infobox Actor
name = Jimmy Conlin


imagesize = 175px
caption =
birthname =
birthdate = 14 October 1884
birthplace = Camden, New Jersey U.S.
deathdate = 7 May fy|1962 (aged 77)
deathplace = Encino, California U.S.
othername =
occupation = actor
yearsactive = fy|1928–fy|1959
spouse = Myrtle Glass
Dorothy Ryan
domesticpartner =
website =

Jimmy Conlin (14 October 1884–7 May 1962) was an American character actor who appeared in almost 150 films in his 32 year career.imdb name|0174813]

Career

Conlin was born in Camden, New Jersey in 1884, and his acting career started out in vaudeville, where he and his first wife Myrtle Glass played the Keith and Orpheum circuits billed as "Conlin & Glass", a song-and-dance team.Erickson, Hal [http://www.allmovie.com/cg/avg.dll?p=avg&sql=2:14480~T1 Biography (Allmovie)] ] They also starred together in two short films, "Sharps and Flats" (fy|1928) and "Zip! Boom! Bang!" (fy|1929) for Vitaphone.

Conlin made another comedy short without Glass in fy|1930 ("A Tight Squeeze"), but his film career started for good in fy|1933, and for the next 27 years, with the single exception of fy|1951, ever year saw the release of at least one film in which Conlin appeared – at the height of his career, often more than a dozen of them. Recognizable by his small size and odd appearance, Conlin played all sorts of small roles and bit parts, many times not receiving an onscreen credit.

In the 1940s, Conlin was part of Preston Sturges' unofficial "stock company" of character actors, appearing in nine films written and directed by Sturges. [Conlin appeared in "The Great McGinty", "Christmas in July", "The Lady Eve", "Sullivan's Travels", "The Palm Beach Story", "The Miracle of Morgan's Creek", "Hail the Conquering Hero", "The Great Moment" and "The Sin of Harold Diddlebock"] His roles in Sturges' films were often sizable and often came with good billing. One of his best performances came in Sturges' "The Sin of Harold Diddlebock" in fy|1946, when he play "Wormy", the racetrack tout who convinces Harold Lloyd to have his first drink, setting off the events of the film. The loyalty between Sturges and Conlin ran both ways, and when the former golden boy of Hollywood fell on hard times, Conlin remained a friend, stayed in contact, and helped out in any way he could.

Conlin did not make many television appearances, but he did have a regular role on "Duffy's Tavern", a syndicated series from 1954. He made his final film in fy|1959, when he played a habitual criminal in "Anatomy of a Murder"

Jimmy Conlin died in Encino, California on 7 May fy|1962 at the age of 77.

Selected filmography

*"Footlight Parade" (fy|1933) - in "Honeymoon Hotel"
*"Find the Witness" (fy|1937)
*"Second Chorus" (fy|1940)
*"The Great McGinty" (1940)
*"The Lady Eve" (fy|1941)
*"Sullivan's Travels" (1941)
*"The Palm Beach Story" (fy|1942)
*"Hail the Conquering Hero" (fy|1944)
*"The Sin of Harold Diddlebock" (fy|1946)
*"The Hucksters" (fy|1947)
*"The Seven Little Foys" (fy|1955)
*"The 30 Foot Bride of Candy Rock" (fy|1959)
*"Anatomy of a Murder" (1959)

Notes

External links

*imdb name|0174813
*amg name|2:14480
*tcmdb name|37800