1887-04-08 Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Walter Connolly (April 8, 1887 – May 28, 1940) was an American actor. While some film historians complain that a number of his performances were annoying or overbaked, he was for the most part applauded for his zesty contributions to a number of comedy classics. Frank Capra's Lady for a Day (1933), Broadway Bill (1934) and It Happened One Night (1934), as well as the Carole Lombard/Fredric March screwball farce Nothing Sacred (1937) as news reporter March's hot-headed editor boss are sure-fire examples. The son of the head of the Western Union relay office, he attended St. Xavier College and the University of Dublin in Ireland before making his New York debut in 1910 in an outdoor presentation of "As You Like It". For the next year or so he was a member of E.H. Sothern's touring company and played supporting roles in a number of Shakespearean shows on the road. After a few silent pictures left him unimpressed with film-making, he turned to the Broadway stage in the 1920s and scored quite well. Somewhat short and tubby, it was not difficult for the jowly, mustachioed actor to seize laughs and he found his share in such outings as "The Talking Parrot" (1923), "Applesauce" (1925), "The Springboard" (1927), "The Happy Husband" (1928), "Stepping Out" (1929), "Your Uncle Dudley" (1930), "Anatol" (1931), "Six Characters in Search of an Author" (1931), "The Good Fairy" (1932) and "The Late Christopher Bean" (1932). With his talents as a stage farceur firmly established, it was time to make a second attempt at a film career and Hollywood (specifically, Columbia) wisely opened their doors to him. Interestingly, his debut in a full-length talking picture came at age 45 in the form of a drama, Washington Merry-Go-Round (1932), where he was third-billed as a rather benign senator. For the next seven years Connolly, often playing older than he really was, could be found everywhere giving good fluster to the greatest and glossiest of stars -- Janet Gaynor, Carole Lombard, Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, Myrna Loy, Paul Muni, Spencer Tracy, and Ginger Rogers, among hordes of others. His hobbies were collecting old books and theatre programmes. Connolly was married to actress Nedda Harrigan from 1923 to his death. They had one daughter, Ann (1924–2006). Connolly suffered a fatal stroke on May 28, 1940, and was buried in New St. Joseph Cemetery in Cincinnati.
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Black Shadows on a Silver Screen | Self (archive footage) | 1975-04-19 |
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Those High Grey Walls | Dr. MacAuley | 1939-09-21 |
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Coast Guard | Tobias Bliss | 1939-08-04 |
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The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn | The 'King' | 1939-02-10 |
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The Great Victor Herbert | Victor Herbert | 1939-12-29 |
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Bridal Suite | Dr. Theodore Grauer | 1939-05-26 |
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Fifth Avenue Girl | Mr. Borden | 1939-09-22 |
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Good Girls Go to Paris | Olaf Brand | 1939-06-20 |
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The Girl Downstairs | Mr. Brown | 1938-12-23 |
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Breakdowns of 1938 | Carter Hibbard (archive footage) (uncredited) | 1938-12-31 |
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Start Cheering | Sam Lewis | 1938-03-03 |
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Penitentiary | Dist. Atty. Thomas Mathews | 1938-02-05 |
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Four's a Crowd | John P. Dillingwell | 1938-08-04 |
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Too Hot to Handle | Gabby MacArthur | 1938-09-16 |
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Let's Get Married | Joe Quinn | 1937-04-14 |
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The League of Frightened Men | Nero Wolfe | 1937-05-25 |
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The Good Earth | Uncle | 1937-06-02 |
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Nothing Sacred | Oliver Stone | 1937-11-25 |
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First Lady | Carter Hibbard | 1937-12-04 |
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Nancy Steele Is Missing! | Michael Steele | 1937-03-12 |
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The Music Goes 'Round | Hector Courtney | 1936-02-27 |
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The King Steps Out | Maximilian, Duke of Bavaria | 1936-05-27 |
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Soak the Rich | Humphrey Craig | 1936-01-17 |
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Libeled Lady | James B. Allenbury | 1936-10-09 |
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One Way Ticket | Captain Bourne | 1935-11-25 |
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She Couldn't Take It | Daniel Van Dyke | 1935-10-08 |
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White Lies | John Mitchell | 1935-12-27 |
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So Red the Rose | Malcolm Bedford | 1935-12-20 |
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The Captain Hates the Sea | Captain Helquist | 1934-11-02 |
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Servants' Entrance | Viktor Nilsson | 1934-09-25 |
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Whom the Gods Destroy | John Forrester aka Eric Jann aka Peter Korotoff | 1934-07-12 |
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Eight Girls in a Boat | Storm | 1934-01-05 |
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Twentieth Century | Oliver Webb | 1934-05-11 |
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It Happened One Night | Alexander Andrews | 1934-02-22 |
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Broadway Bill | J.L. Higgins | 1934-11-30 |
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Once to Every Woman | Dr. Selby | 1934-03-24 |
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Hollywood on Parade No. B-1 | 1934-03-02 | |
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Lady by Choice | Judge Daly | 1934-10-15 |
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Father Brown, Detective | Father Brown | 1934-12-14 |
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Paddy the Next Best Thing | Major Adair | 1933-09-01 |
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East of Fifth Avenue | John Lawton | 1933-11-28 |
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Lady for a Day | Count Romero | 1933-09-13 |
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Man's Castle | Ira | 1933-11-20 |
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Master of Men | Sam Parker | 1933-11-28 |
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The Bitter Tea of General Yen | Jones | 1932-12-25 |
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Man Against Woman | Mossie Ennis | 1932-11-15 |
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No More Orchids | Bill Holt | 1932-11-25 |
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Washington Merry-Go-Round | Senator Wylie | 1932-10-15 |
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A Soldier's Oath | Raoul de Reyntiens | 1915-12-19 |
