American character actor who was often cast in roles of authority, often as a cop. He has previously been misidentified as Gene Morgan in several publications.
Born in Buffalo, New York and raised in Cook County, Illinois, Arras was previously a chauffeur and a brush salesman. Arras first came to California on a visit in 1918, moving there with his wife Julia (née Miller, 1883-1971; m. 1905) shortly thereafter and playing in many motion pictures over the next 20+ years. A 1923 article claims he was a professional ice skater.
Arras suffered a heart attack on the set of the film "Escape from Crime" (Warner Bros., 1942). A newspaper obituary said he was stricken on Monday afternoon (having felt unwell the day before, but chalking it up to indigestion), before succumbing on Thursday the 29th. This would seem to suggest he was stricken on the 26th, but Arras' death certificate says the duration of his coronary occlusion was 10 days, which would take us back to the Monday before, on the 19th. Arras is buried at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California.
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