Home >

J. Carrol Naish

J. Carrol Naish

Birthday: 1896-01-21 | Place of Birth: New York City, New York, USA

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Joseph Patrick Carrol Naish (January 21, 1896 – January 24, 1973) was an American character actor born in New York City, New York. Naish did many film roles, but they were eclipsed when he found fame in the title role of radio's Life with Luigi (1948–1953), which surpassed Bob Hope in the 1950 ratings. Naish appeared on stage for several years before he began his film career. He began as a member of Gus Edwards's vaudeville troupe of child performers. In Paris after World War I, Naish formed his own song and dance act. He was traveling the globe from Europe to Egypt to Asia, when his China-bound ship developed engine problems, leaving him in California in 1926. His uncredited bit role in What Price Glory (1926) launched his career in more than two hundred films. He was twice nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, the first for his role in the 1943 film Sahara, then for his performance in the 1945 film A Medal for Benny, for which he won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor, Motion Picture. He notably played Boris Karloff's hunchback assistant in The House of Frankenstein in 1944. He was of Irish descent, but never used his dialect skills to play Irishmen, explaining, "When the part of an Irishman comes along, nobody ever thinks of me." Instead, he portrayed myriad other ethnic groups on screen: Latino, Native American, East Asian, Polynesian, Middle Eastern/North African, South Asian, Eastern European, and Mediterranean. Besides his film roles, he often appeared on television later in his career. He spent many of his later years in San Diego studying philosophy and theology. Naish was married (1929–1973) to actress Gladys Heaney (1907–1987). They had one daughter. For his contributions to television and film, J. Carrol Naish has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6145 Hollywood Boulevard.

...

Known For

Acting

Year
Title

Role

1971
Dracula vs. Frankenstein

as    Dr. Duryea alias Frankenstein

1964
The Hanged Man

as    Uncle Picaud

1960
Guestward, Ho!

as    Hawkeye

1956
Rebel in Town

as    Bedloe Mason

1955
New York Confidential

as    Ben Dagajanian

1955
Violent Saturday

as    Chapman, Bank Robber

1955
The Last Command

as    General Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana

1955
Hit the Deck

as    Mr. Peroni

1955
Desert Sands

as    Sgt. Diepel

1955
Rage at Dawn

as    Simeon 'Sim' Reno

1954
Saskatchewan

as    Batouche

1954
Sitting Bull

as    Sitting Bull

1953
Fighter Attack

as    Bruno

1952
Denver and Rio Grande

as    Gil Harkness

1952
Ride the Man Down

as    Sheriff Joe Kneen

1952
Clash by Night

as    Uncle Vince

1951
Bannerline

as    Frankie Scarbine

1951
Across the Wide Missouri

as    Looking Glass

1950
Please Believe Me

as    'Lucky' Reilly

1950
Annie Get Your Gun

as    Chief Sitting Bull

1950
Black Hand

as    Louis Lorelli

1950
Rio Grande

as    Lt. Gen. Philip Sheridan

1950
The Toast of New Orleans

as    Nicky Duvalle

1949
Canadian Pacific

as    Dynamite Dawson

1949
That Midnight Kiss

as    Papa Donnetti

1948
The Kissing Bandit

as    Chico

1948
Joan of Arc

as    John, Count of Luxembourg, Joan's Captor

1947
The Fugitive

as    A Police Informer

1947
The Beast with Five Fingers

as    Police Commissario Ovidio Castanio

1947
Humoresque

as    Rudy Boray