1889-09-01 Brooklyn, New York, USA
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jack Norton (September 2, 1882 – October 15, 1958) was an American stage and film character actor who appeared in 184 films between 1934 and 1948, often playing drunks, although in real life he was a teetotaler. Career Jack Norton was born in Brooklyn, New York on September 2, 1882. In his early career he had a vaudeville comedy act with his wife Lillian Healy. Norton made his Broadway debut in 1925 in that year's edition of Earl Carroll's Vanities, and also appeared in Florida Girl, which was produced and staged by Carroll. Norton's first film work was for a musical short, School for Romance, in 1934, in which a young Betty Grable appeared, but his scenes were deleted. His work survived to reach the screen in his next assignment, The Super Snooper, a comedy short, and in his third film, his first full-length movie, Finishing School, which featured Frances Dee, Billie Burke, Ginger Rogers and Bruce Cabot, Norton played a drunk, setting the pattern for many of his future performances. Although he also played stone sober characters as well, he was best known for his inebriated characterizations, and he improved his work by following genuine drunks around, picking up behavioral tips. Norton worked continuously and consistently, sometimes appearing in as many as 20 films in one year, although many of his performances went uncredited. One of the few times he was credited as part of the main cast was in 1945 for the film A Guy, a Gal and a Pal In the 1940s, Norton was part of Preston Sturges' unofficial "stock company" of character actors, appearing in five films written and directed by Sturges. He is perhaps best known to modern audiences as A. Pismo Clam, the drunken film director whom W.C. Fields is hired to replace in The Bank Dick (1940). In 1947, Norton retired from films due to illness, his last appearance being in Alias a Gentlemen, which was released in 1948, although he did make some live television appearances in the early 1950s. Jack Norton's final appearance would have been in the 1956 episode of The Honeymooners entitled "Unconventional Behavior", but age and infirmity had so overwhelmed him that he was literally written out of the show as it was being filmed, though Jackie Gleason saw to it that Norton was paid fully for the performance he was ready, willing, but unable to give. Norton died on October 15, 1958 in Saranac Lake, New York at the age of 76. He is buried in Sacred Hearts Cemetery in Southampton, New York on Long Island.
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The Big Parade of Comedy | Actor in 'The Girl from Missouri' (archive footage) (uncredited) | 1964-09-02 |
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I Was a Burlesque Queen | Jim Benson | 1953-07-13 |
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Malice in the Palace | Emir of Schmoe (uncredited) | 1949-09-01 |
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Variety Girl | Busboy at Brown Derby | 1947-08-29 |
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Hired Husband | Mr. Drinkwater | 1947-05-09 |
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The Sin of Harold Diddlebock | James R. Smoke | 1947-04-04 |
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Linda, Be Good | Jim Benson | 1947-11-07 |
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Shadows Over Chinatown | Cosgrove | 1946-06-27 |
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Rhythm and Weep | Mr. Walsh | 1946-10-03 |
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Nocturne | Charlie (uncredited) | 1946-10-29 |
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Man Alive | William T. Lafferty | 1945-11-16 |
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Two O'Clock Courage | Drunk at Blue Room Bar (uncredited) | 1945-04-13 |
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Strange Confession | Jack | 1945-10-05 |
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The Naughty Nineties | Drunk at the Gilded Cage (uncredited) | 1945-06-20 |
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Fashion Model | Herbert | 1945-03-02 |
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A Guy, a Gal and a Pal | Norton | 1945-03-08 |
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Flame of Barbary Coast | Byline Conners, Reporter San Francisco Star | 1945-05-28 |
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The Scarlet Clue | Willie Rand | 1945-05-11 |
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Captain Tugboat Annie | Shiftless | 1945-11-17 |
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Hail the Conquering Hero | Second Bandleader (uncredited) | 1944-08-09 |
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The Big Noise | Drunk on Train | 1944-09-22 |
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The Story of Dr. Wassell | 'Janssen' Passenger (uncredited) | 1944-07-04 |
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Make Your Own Bed | Drunk | 1944-06-10 |
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The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek | Country Club Man Ordering Champagne (uncredited) | 1944-09-18 |
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Once Upon a Time | Man In Barber Chair (uncredited) | 1944-06-29 |
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Going My Way | Mr. Lilly (uncredited) | 1944-01-01 |
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Charlie Chan in The Chinese Cat | Hotel Desk Clerk | 1944-05-20 |
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So's Your Uncle | Drunk | 1943-09-01 |
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The Kansan | Saloon Drunk | 1943-09-10 |
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Crazy House | Drunk | 1943-10-08 |
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It Ain't Hay | Drunk (uncredited) | 1943-03-10 |
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Taxi, Mister | Reginald Van Nostrum - the Drunk | 1943-04-16 |
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Prairie Chickens | Henry Lewis-Clark III | 1943-05-21 |
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The Falcon Strikes Back | Second Hobo (uncredited) | 1943-04-01 |
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Thank Your Lucky Stars | Customer in Bette Davis Number (uncredited) | 1943-09-25 |
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The Spoilers | Mr. Skinner | 1942-06-11 |
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The Fleet's In | Kellogg | 1942-01-24 |
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Brooklyn Orchid | Jonathan McFeeder | 1942-01-31 |
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Dr. Renault's Secret | Mr. Austin | 1942-10-19 |
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The Palm Beach Story | Second Member Ale and Quail Club | 1942-08-28 |
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Dr. Broadway | Drunk | 1942-05-09 |
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My Favorite Spy | Orchid Room Drunk | 1942-06-12 |
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Moonlight in Havana | George | 1942-10-16 |
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Ride on Vaquero | 1941-04-18 | |
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Louisiana Purchase | Jester | 1941-12-31 |
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Let's Make Music | Drunk | 1941-01-17 |
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No Hands on the Clock | Bartender at The Nugget Room | 1941-12-01 |
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Pacific Blackout | Drunk | 1941-12-31 |
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City of Chance | Mr. Murphy | 1940-01-13 |
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The Ghost Breakers | Drunk (uncredited) | 1940-06-21 |
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The Villain Still Pursued Her | Drunk | 1940-10-11 |
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The Bank Dick | A. Pismo Clam | 1940-11-29 |
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Opened by Mistake | Al, the Bartender | 1940-05-10 |
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The Farmer's Daughter | Shimmy Conway | 1940-03-29 |
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The Way of All Flesh | Barber | 1940-07-05 |
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A Night at Earl Carroll's | Alonzo Smith | 1940-12-06 |
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Grand Jury Secrets | Doyle | 1939-06-23 |
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The Lone Wolf Spy Hunt | Charlie Fenton - the Party Drunk (uncredited) | 1939-01-27 |
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News Is Made at Night | Drunk | 1939-07-20 |
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The Roaring Twenties | Drunk at Henderson Club (uncredited) | 1939-10-28 |
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Joe and Ethel Turp Call on the President | Parker | 1939-12-01 |
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Society Smugglers | Prentis | 1939-03-01 |
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The Awful Tooth | Dr. Schultz | 1938-05-26 |
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Love Is a Headache | Bartender (uncredited) | 1938-01-14 |
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Hold That Kiss | Mallory | 1938-05-13 |
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Arsène Lupin Returns | Hotel Manager (uncredited) | 1938-02-25 |
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Meet the Girls | Fletcher | 1938-10-06 |
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Jezebel | Drunk (uncredited) | 1938-03-26 |
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Everybody's Doing It | Harry The Drunk | 1938-01-14 |
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Thanks for the Memory | Bert Monroe | 1938-11-11 |
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Marked Woman | Drunk | 1937-04-10 |
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Meet the Missus | Mr. Norton | 1937-06-04 |
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My Dear Miss Aldrich | First Drunk at Red Apple Inn (uncredited) | 1937-09-17 |
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The Women Men Marry | Wilhelm Peebles (uncredited) | 1937-09-10 |
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Time Out for Romance | Crapshooter | 1937-02-10 |
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Who's Looney Now | Herbert Brown | 1936-08-23 |
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Forgotten Faces | Drunk | 1936-05-15 |
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Down the Ribber | 1936-03-27 | |
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The Preview Murder Mystery | Comedy Director (Uncredited) | 1936-02-28 |
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One More Spring | Drunk | 1935-02-15 |
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Going Highbrow | Sinclair | 1935-07-06 |
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His Night Out | Dr. Singer | 1935-10-01 |
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Stolen Harmony | Phillips (uncredited) | 1935-04-20 |
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Don't Bet on Blondes | J. Mortimer 'Mousy' Slade | 1935-07-13 |
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Broadway Gondolier | Man on Ship with Pipe | 1935-07-27 |
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Ship Cafe | Mr. Randall (uncredited) | 1935-11-09 |
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Sweet Music | Drunk (uncredited) | 1935-02-23 |
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Foolish Hearts | Jimmy | 1935-12-27 |
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Page Miss Glory | Reporter (uncredited) | 1935-09-07 |
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Dr. Socrates | Drunk in Park | 1935-10-19 |
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Calling All Cars | Duke Costello | 1935-01-25 |
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Woman Haters | Justice of the Peace (uncredited) | 1934-05-05 |
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Fixing a Stew | Pete | 1934-11-02 |
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The Super Snooper | 1934-02-09 | |
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Finishing School | Drunk (uncredited) | 1934-05-04 |
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Cockeyed Cavaliers | King's Physician | 1934-06-29 |
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One Too Many | 1934-12-28 | |
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Counsel on De Fence | 1934-10-24 |
