Clarence William Kolb,[citation needed] sometimes given as C. William Kolb, (July 31, 1874 – November 25, 1964) was an American vaudeville performer and actor known for his comedy routines that featured a Dutch dialect.[1]
Clarence Kolb | |
---|---|
Born | Clarence William Kolb July 31, 1874 |
Died | November 25, 1964 Hollywood, California, U.S. | (aged 90)
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1916–1957 |
Spouse |
May Cloy (m. 1915) |
Biography
editKolb started out as one half of a vaudeville comedy team, Kolb and Dill, with Max Dill. They styled their act on the famous team of Weber and Fields.[2] In addition to their stage work, they appeared in a series of short films and a feature-length movie in 1917. Afterwards, Kolb made a return to vaudeville, only returning to the movies in the late 1930s.[citation needed]
In 1935, Kolb left the act to work in films as a character actor,[2] eventually appearing in 75 feature films.[1] He became famous for portraying the same type of character in many films, namely, a politician or businessman. He is best remembered for his roles as the grumpy father in the multi-Academy Award-nominated hit comedy film Merrily We Live (1938), as the corrupt mayor in the comedy His Girl Friday (1940),[citation needed] and as Mr. Honeywell in the television sitcom My Little Margie (1952).[3] Kolb played himself in his last movie appearance, Man of a Thousand Faces (1957), opposite Danny Beck (who played the late Max Dill).
On September 1, 1917, Kolb married dancer May Cloy (whose birth name was Mabel S. Larsen).[4] They were still married when he died.[5]
Kolb died at age 90 of a stroke at the Orchard Gables Sanitarium in Hollywood.[6][7][8]
Partial filmography
edit- A Million for Mary (1916) - Louie
- The Three Pals (1916) - Louie
- Bluff (1916) - Louie
- Peck o' Pickles (1916) - Rudolph Schlitz
- Lonesome Town (1916) - Louie
- Glory (1917) - Louie Bohn
- Beloved Rogues (1917) - Louie Vandergriff
- Two Flaming Youths (1927) - Kolb - as Kolb and Dill
- Fury (1936) - Durkin's Friend (uncredited)
- After the Thin Man (1936) - Cousin Lucius (uncredited)
- Maid of Salem (1937) - Town Crier (uncredited)
- The Toast of New York (1937) - Cornelius Vanderbilt
- Portia on Trial (1937) - John Condon
- Wells Fargo (1937) - John Butterfield
- Gold Is Where You Find It (1938) - Senator Walsh
- Merrily We Live (1938) - Mr. Kilbourne
- Give Me a Sailor (1938) - CaptainTallant
- Carefree (1938) - Judge Travers
- The Law West of Tombstone (1938) - Sam Kent
- Honolulu (1939) - Mr. Horace Grayson
- I Was a Convict (1939) - John B. Harrison
- Society Lawyer (1939) - Mr. Leonard
- It Could Happen to You (1939) - Alfred Wiman
- Good Girls Go to Paris (1939) - Ted Dayton Sr.
- Five Little Peppers and How They Grew (1939) - Mr. King
- Our Leading Citizen (1939) - Jim Hanna
- Beware Spooks! (1939) - Commissioner Lester Lewis
- The Amazing Mr. Williams (1939) - Police Captain McGovern
- His Girl Friday (1940) - Mayor
- Five Little Peppers at Home (1940) - Mr. King
- The Man Who Talked Too Much (1940) - E.A. Smith
- No Time for Comedy (1940) - Richard Benson
- Tugboat Annie Sails Again (1940) - J.B. Armstrong
- Michael Shayne, Private Detective (1940) - Brighton
- Caught in the Draft (1941) - Col. Peter Fairbanks
- Blossoms in the Dust (1941) - Texas Senator T.R. Cotton (uncredited)
- Nothing But The Truth (1941) - Mr. Van Dusen
- The Night of January 16th (1941) - Tilton
- Bedtime Story (1941) - Collins
- You're in the Army Now (1941) - General Winthrop
- Hellzapoppin' (1941) - Andrew Rand
- True to the Army (1942) - Gen. Marlowe
- The Sky's the Limit (1943) - Harvey J. Sloan (uncredited)
- The Falcon in Danger (1943) - Stanley Harris Palmer
- True to Life (1943) - Mr. Huggins
- Standing Room Only (1944) - Glen Ritchie
- Irish Eyes Are Smiling (1944) - Leo Betz
- Something for the Boys (1944) - Colonel Grubbs (uncredited)
- Three Is a Family (1944) - Mr. Steele
- What a Blonde (1945) - Charles DaFoe
- Road to Alcatraz (1945) - Philip Angreet
- The Kid from Brooklyn (1946) - Mr. Austin
- White Tie and Tails (1946) - Mr. Arkwright
- The Pilgrim Lady (1947) - Prof. Rankin
- Lost Honeymoon (1947) - Mr. Evans
- Fun on a Weekend (1947) - Quigley Quackenbush
- The Hal Roach Comedy Carnival (1947) - Cornelius Belmont Sr., in 'Fabulous Joe'
- The Fabulous Joe (1947) - Cornelius Belmont, II
- Blondie in the Dough (1947) - J.T. Thorpe
- Christmas Eve (1947) - Judge Alston
- Impact (1949) - Darcy
- Adam's Rib (1949) - Judge Reiser
- The Rose Bowl Story (1952) - 'Gramps' Burke
- Shake, Rattle & Rock! (1956) - Judge McCombs
- Man of a Thousand Faces (1957) - Clarence Kolb (final film role)
References
edit- ^ a b Bladen, Barbara (December 8, 1964). "The Marquee". The Times. California, San Mateo. p. 28. Retrieved March 17, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Slide, Anthony (2012). The Encyclopedia of Vaudeville. Univ. Press of Mississippi. p. 291. ISBN 9781617032509. Retrieved March 17, 2019.
- ^ Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. pp. 732–733. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
- ^ "Clarence Kolb Weds Dancer; Plans Guarded From Friends". The San Francisco Examiner. California, San Francisco. September 2, 1917. p. 13. Retrieved March 17, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Clarence Kolb; Vaudeville Star, Television Actor". Tampa Bay Times. Florida, St. Petersburg. November 28, 1964. p. 15. Retrieved March 17, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Clarence Kolb, Veteran Actor, Dies Here at 90." Los Angeles Times. Nov. 26, 1964. p. A 12.
- ^ California Death Index, Name: Clarence W. Kolb, Birth Date: 07-31-1874, Sex: Male, Birth Place: Ohio, Death Place: Los Angeles (70), Death Date: 11-25-1964, Age: 90 yrs.
- ^ Social Security Death Index, Name: Clarence Kolb, Birth: July 31, 1875, Issued: California, Death: Nov 1964, Last Residence: (California).