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| Harold Austin |
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born:
22 June 1892 Noroton division of Darien, Connecticut, United States of America |
died:
20 September 1965 Oceanside, San Diego County, California, United States of America (pulmonary edema and related heart problems, age 73) |
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Harold Austin was a very successful actor, director, cameraman, writer and producer of silent and sound films. His Dad, Austin G. Swezy died when Harold was 10 years old. A few years later, his Mom married the village blacksmith. Harold attended Stamford Military Academy for 3 years and enlisted in the US Navy from May 1917 to December 1918. At that time he worked for the Studebaker Car Rental Co. in New York City.
In the 1920 Census he lists himself as motion picture actor, "Harold A. Austin", born about 1892 in CT to a Dad from New York and a Mom from CT. He was always working and successful (good reviews) in comedy and dramatic shorts and features. In 1927 he married English-born actress "Billy" Edis, 15 years his junior. They divorced in 1932 with her claim that he "flew into violent rages". He was working as a cameraman at the time. Two years later, she married English actor, Reginald Owen, until she died in 1956. In 1929, he gravitated to the filming of "nature films" done in a dramatic documentary style such as Walt Disney did many years later. He wrote, produced, directed, filmed and sometimes acted in such films into the 1940's. They were popular and successful at the box office domestically and internationally. His 1942 (WWII) draft card gives as identification "two ends of fingers off on left hand". This was the result of a shark bite he suffered while filming an adventurous "nature film" in 1933. The draft card gives actor Frank Morgan ("Wizard of Oz") as "next of kin" since he was living in his friend Morgan's home at the time. His surname signature on both his WWI & WWII Draft Cards definitely reads "Swezy". According to his 1965 San Diego County Death Certificate, Harold had suffered from high blood pressure and heart problems for at least 10 years. *At least one source lists his birth year as 1895. |
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Real name: Harold Austin Swezy Height: 5'6½" |
Films listed on this page: complete Hal Roach filmography. |
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