Frank Moran

Infobox_Boxer
name=Frank Moran
realname =Frank Moran
nickname = The Fighting Dentist
weight = Heavyweight
nationality = United States Of America


birth_date = 18 March 1887
death_date = 14 December fy|1967 (aged 80)
birth_place = Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
death_place = Hollywood, California
style =
total = 66
wins = 36
KO = 28
losses = 13
draws = 16
no contests = 1|Infobox Actor
name =


caption =
birthname =
birthdate =
birthplace =
deathdate =
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othername =
occupation = actor
yearsactive = fy|1928–fy|1957
spouse =
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website =

Frank Moran (18 March 1887–14 December fy|1967) was an American boxer and film actor who fought twice for the Heavyweight Championship of the World, and appeared in over 135 movies in a 25 year film career.

ports career

Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Moran studied dentistry at the University of Pittsburgh where he also played football. He played professional football for the Pittsburgh Lyceums and Akron Pros.

While Moran was serving in the U.S. Navy in 1908, he knocked out fighter Fred Cooley in the second round. He began his career as a prize-fighter that same year with a match against Fred Broad. Soon, Moran, who had a hard right hand punch which he called "Mary Ann", became known as the "White Hope" of the teens. In 1914 he fought Jack Johnson for the Heavyweight Championship of the World, and in 1916 "The Fighting Dentist" went up against Jess Willard for the same title, but lost both bouts. He lost his last fight to Marcel Nilles for the Heavyweight Championship of France on December 22, 1922. He retired from boxing after 66 bouts with a record of 36 wins (28 by a knockout), 13 losses, 16 draws and 1 no contest. [http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/moran-f.htm Frank Moran] at Cyber Boxing Zone]

Film career

After acting in one show on Broadway in 1926 [ibdb name|53612] – a stage adaptation of Theodore Dreiser's novel "An American Tragedy" [ibdb title|7865|An American Tragedy] – Moran made his film debut in fy|1928imdb name|0602847] when he did two silent films, "The Chinatown Mystery" [imdb title|0018767|The Chinatown Mystery] and "Ships of the Night" [imdb title|0020400|Ships of the Night] , but his film career didn't start in earnest until fy|1933, when he appeared as himself in "The Prizefighter and the Lady", [imdb title|0024475|The Prizefighter and the Lady] and also in Mae West's "She Done Him Wrong", [imdb title|0024548|She Done Him Wrong] in which he played a convict. This was typical of the kinds of roles Moran was to play for the next 25 years – gangsters, henchmen, "plug uglies", bartenders, stage hands, sailors, guards, cops, bouncers, moving men, sargeant's and other soldiers – roles which belied his personal gentleness and sensitivity.Erickson, Hal [http://www.allmovie.com/cg/avg.dll?p=avg&sql=2:50440 Biography (Allmovie)] ]

In the 1940s, Moran was part of Preston Sturges' unofficial "stock company" of character actors, appearing in every American film written and directed by Sturges with one exception. He was seen 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", "The Sin of Harold Diddlebock" and "Unfaithfully Yours". [Earlier, Moran was also in "The Good Fairy", which Sturges had written, and appeared with Sturges in the Paramount all-star extravaganza "Star Spangled Rhythm". The American film that Sturges wrote and directed which Moran did "not" appear in was "The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend".]

It was Moran who, as a cop in Sturges' Christmas in July (1940), halted a tirade by an argumentative Jewish storeowner by barking, "Who do ya think you are, Hitler?" And it was Moran who, as a tough truck driver in Sullivan's Travels (1942), patiently explains to his traveling companions the meaning of the word "paraphrase."

Moran was usually credited for his performances, but almost never received star or featured billing. One exception was Monogram Pictures's "Return of the Ape Man" (fy|1944), starring Bela Lugosi and John Carradine, in which Moran shared credit for the title role with George Zucco, although, in fact, Zucco became ill and Moran replaced him – Zucco does not appear in the film as released. [TCM [http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title.jsp?stid=88066&category=Notes Return of the Ape Man: Notes] ] [imdb title|0037217|Return of the Apre Man] Also, at the beginning of his acting career, Moran was part of the featured cast in Raoul Walsh's "Sailor's Luck" (fy|1933). [imdb title|0024518|Sailor's Luck]

Other notable films in which Moran appeared include Charlie Chaplin's "Modern Times" fy|1936, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers's "Follow the Fleet" "Shall We Dance" and "Carefree" fy|1936, fy|1937 and fy|1938), Frank Capra's "Meet John Doe" (fy|1941), fy|1943's "Lady of Burlesque" starring Barbara Stanwyck and "Road to Utopia" with Bob Hope and Bing Crosby (fy|1946).

Moran's final film appearance was an uncredited bit part in "The Iron Sheriff", a Western, in fy|1957 at the age of 70. He was 80 when he died in Hollywood, California on 14 December fy|1967 of a heart attack.

Notes

External links

* [http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/moran-f.htm Frank Moran] at Cyber Boxing Zone
*imdb name|0602847
*amg movie|2:50440
*tcmdb name|135018