John Boswell

born: 18 May 1908 Montgomery, Alabama, United States of America

died: 29 October 2000 Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America (prostate cancer, age 92)

American actor and set designer who worked in both capacities for the Hal Roach Studios. He arrived in Los Angeles in 1929 and would go on to work for more than 50 years as a set designer for many Hollywood studios (including Roach, Columbia, 20th Century Fox, MGM, and his final studio, Universal) through the mid-1970s; he then worked with the Walt Disney Company on building designs for their resorts, Walt Disney World and Disneyland. He moved to Marietta, Georgia, in 1983, where he spent the remainder of his life. In the 1930 U.S. Census, he and David Sharpe are two of several roomers sharing a room at the Chatham Apartments in Los Angeles.

Real name: John Frederick Brazell Height: 5'11"

Films listed on this page: complete Hal Roach filmography.

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1935 Thicker Than Water Man at auction 1936 An All-American Toothache Dental student 1938 Block-Heads Pedestrian (and stunts) Acknowledgements: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MKWC-8YC (1910 Census) https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MXDR-QQQ (1920 Census) https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XCVC-8M7 (1930 Census) https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QGXB-T635 (WWII draft reg. card) https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JG4D-33V (Social Security Death Index) https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6K46-RHDQ (Social Security Numident File) https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/399942148/ (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 04 Nov 2000) https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-atlanta-constitution-john-boswell-ob/99577051/ (clipping of obituary with photo) Jesse Brisson (bio notes and research; identification in all films) This page was last updated on: 15 November 2025