Eugene Pallette
(1889 - 1954)If you were compiling a list of the most memorable voices in the entertainment business, Eugene Pallette would be right at the top. Born in Winfield, Kansas on July 8, 1889, to a theatrical family touring the U.S. he would follow in his parents footsteps. After working as a streetcar conductor and a jockey(?), he began his acting career in silent films as a leading man. World War I interrupted his career and when he returned, a bit stouter, he was better suited for character type roles. His trademarks were his squatty stature, dark piercing eyes and above all his gravelly, bullfrog voice. I often confused him with Edward Arnold as they are similar types, but there is no mistaking that foghorn voice. His best remembered role is probably as Friar Tuck in "The Adventures of Robin Hood" (1938) with Errol Flynn. Among his over 230 films were: "The Tattooed Arm" (1913) his film debut; "The Birth of a Nation" (1915) a silent, as a Union Soldier; "The Three Musketeers" (1921) as Aramis; "The Love Parade" (1929) as Minister of War; "The Santa Fe Trail" (1930) as Doc Brady; "Huckleberry Finn" (1931) as Duke of Bilgewater; "My Man Godfrey" (1936); "Topper" (1937) as Casey; "The Kansan" (1943) as Tom Waggoner; "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" (1939) as Chick McCann; "Young Tom Edison" (1940) as Mr. Nelson; "The Mark of Zorro" (1940) as Fray Felipe; "Heaven Can Wait" (1943) as E.F. Strabel; "In Old Sacramento" (1946) as Jim Wales; "Suspense" (1946) and "Silver River" (1948) a bit part and his final film. In 1927 he signed with the famed Hal Roach Studios, working in silent comedies for a time. He married Marjorie Cagnacci in 1932. He died on September 3, 1954 in Los Angeles, California.
From Great Character Actors, Page 1.
|
