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Joseph Cawthorn
Actor

Joseph Cawthorn

27 Mar 1868Born
21 Jan 1949Died
80Age at death
53Credits

Biography

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Joseph Cawthorn (March 29, 1868, New York City, New York – January 21, 1949, Beverly Hills, California) was an American stage and film comic actor. Cawthorn started out in show business as a child, debuting at Robinson's Music Hall in his hometown of New York in 1872. He appeared in minstrel shows and vaudeville as a "Dutch" comic, employing a thick German dialect. He later worked in British music halls and American touring companies.

Cawthorn made his Broadway debut in 1895, 1897 or 1898, and embarked on a long career lasting over two decades. His first success was playing Boris in Victor Herbert's 1898 operetta The Fortune Teller.

Read the full biography

Other notable Broadway roles included the title character in Mother Goose (1903) and inventor Dr. Pill in the fantasy musical Little Nemo (1908). In the latter, he was called upon to ad lib to buy time during one performance. As "the scene called for him to describe imaginary animals he had hunted", he invented the "whiffenpoof" on the spot. Yale students in the audience appropriated it for the name of their glee club.

When his Broadway stardom waned, Cawthorn moved to Hollywood in 1927 and started a second prolific career, appearing in over 50 films, the last in 1942. He played Gremio in the first sound adaptation of The Taming of the Shrew in 1929, starring Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks; Schultz in Gold Diggers of 1935; and Florenz Ziegfeld's father in The Great Ziegfeld (1936).

Cawthorn died peacefully on January 21, 1949. He was survived by his wife, actress Queenie Vassar.

Known for

Filmography

  1. 1942The Postman Didn't RingFilm: Silas Harwood
  2. 1941So Ends Our NightFilm: Leopold Potzloch
  3. 1940ScatterbrainFilm: Nicholas Raptis
  4. 1940Lillian RussellFilm: Leopold Damrosch
  5. 1936Crime Over LondonFilm: Mr. Sherwood / Reilly
  6. 1936Hot MoneyFilm: Max Dourfuss
  7. 1936One Rainy AfternoonFilm: Monique's Father
  8. 1936Brides Are Like ThatFilm: Fred Schultz
  9. 1936The Great ZiegfeldFilm: Dr. Ziegfeld
  10. 1936Freshman LoveFilm: Wilson, Sr.
  11. 1935Beautiful DreamerFilm
  12. 1935Harmony LaneFilm: Professor Henry Kleber
  13. 1935Page Miss GloryFilm: Mr. Freischutz
  14. 1935Bright LightsFilm: Oscar Schlemmer
  15. 1935Smart GirlFilm: Karl Krausemeyer
  16. 1935Naughty MariettaFilm: Herr 'Schumie' Schuman
  17. 1935Gold Diggers of 1935Film: August Schultz
  18. 1935Sweet MusicFilm: Sidney Selzer
  19. 1935Maybe It's LoveFilm: Adolph Sr.
  20. 1934Sweet AdelineFilm: Oscar Schmidt
  21. 1934Music in the AirFilm: Hans Uppman
  22. 1934Young and BeautifulFilm: Herman Cline
  23. 1934The Human SideFilm: Fritz Speigal
  24. 1934HousewifeFilm: Krueger (as Joe Cawthorne)
  25. 1934Twenty Million SweetheartsFilm: Herbert Brokman
  26. 1934The Last GentlemanFilm: Dr. Wilson
  27. 1934Lazy RiverFilm: Mr. Julius Ambrose
  28. 1933Broken DreamsFilm: Pop
  29. 1933Best of EnemiesFilm: Gus Schneider
  30. 1933Made on BroadwayFilm: Maxie Schultz
  31. 1933Blondie JohnsonFilm: Jewelry Store Manager (as Joe Cawthorn)
  32. 1933Grand SlamFilm: Alex Alexandrovitch
  33. 1933Whistling in the DarkFilm: Barfuss
  34. 1932Men Are Such FoolsFilm: Werner (as Joseph Cawthorne)
  35. 1932They Call It SinFilm: Mr. Hollister
  36. 1932Love Me TonightFilm: Dr. Armand de Fontinac
  37. 1932White ZombieFilm: Dr. Bruner
  38. 1931Peach-o-RenoFilm: Joe Bruno
  39. 1931The RunaroundFilm: Lou
  40. 1931A Tailor-Made ManFilm: Huber
  41. 1931KikiFilm: Alfred Rapp
  42. 1930The Princess and the PlumberFilm: Merkl
  43. 1930DixianaFilm: Cornelius Van Horn, Carl's Father
  44. 1929Dance HallFilm: Bremmer
  45. 1929Jazz HeavenFilm: Herman Kemple
  46. 1929The Taming of the ShrewFilm: Gremio
  47. 1929Street GirlFilm: Keppel - Cafe Owner
  48. 1929SpeakeasyFilm: Yokel
  49. 1928Hold 'Em YaleFilm: Professor George Bradbury
  50. 1927Silk LegsFilm: Ezra Fulton
  51. 1927Very ConfidentialFilm: Donald Allen
  52. 1927Two Girls WantedFilm: Philip Hancock
  53. 1927The Secret StudioFilm: Pa Merton

Biography and credits from TMDB. This website uses TMDB and the TMDB APIs but is not endorsed, certified, or otherwise approved by TMDB.