- Percy Kilbride
Percy Kilbride (
July 16 ,1888 -December 11 ,1964 ), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Irish immigrants. Kilbride was a popular character actor. Despite being raised in a big city, he made a career of playingcountry hicks, most memorably as lazy Pa Kettle in the "Ma and Pa Kettle " movie series.Kilbride began working in theater at the age of 12 and eventually left his young son and young daughter to become anactor on Broadway. Ironically in light of his most familiar roles, hefirst played an 18th-century French dandy in "
A Tale of Two Cities ".His film debut was as Jakey in "
White Woman " in 1933. He left Broadwayfor good in 1942.In 1945 he appeared in "The Southerner".
In 1947 he and
Marjorie Main played the supporting parts of Ma andPa Kettle in "The Egg and I", starringFred MacMurray andClaudette Colbert . Those were followed by the popular Ma and Pa Kettleseries with Kilbride and Main playing the main characters, during which time he also played inother movies.Kilbride retired after making the 1955 film "
Ma and Pa Kettle at Waikiki "He did, however, take a small role in "Son of Flubber " in 1963.He died in Los Angeles, California, after havingbeen struck by a car while walking near his home with a friend.
Kilbride left his estate to the four nephews and a sister of his wife.
References
External links
*
*imdb|0452939
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
