American "headliner" vaudeville performer, who was evidently pretty good. Part of his act was as a "rube" or country bumpkin who told jokes, acted in skits, and sang.
He spent his early years in two orphanages, and at the age of 25 began his successful career in show business. Starting with a part in DeMille’s ‘The Squaw Man’ in 1914, through the mid 1940s his career covered vaudeville, movies, and radio with the movies being his most consistent appearances in both bit parts and longer roles. For the balance of his productive life he was a carpenter, plasterer, stuccoer, cabinet maker, and roof repairs and called it “5 in 1 repairs.” |
