Walter Woolf King (born Walter Woolf; November 2, 1899 – October 24, 1984) was an American film, television and stage actor and singer.
Walter Woolf King | |
|---|---|
.jpg) King in Today I Hang (1942) | |
| Born | Walter Woolf November 2, 1899 |
| Died | October 24, 1984 (aged 84) |
| Occupations | Actor, singer |
| Years active | 1918–1977 |
| Spouse(s) | Ernestyne Bachrach (m. 193?; div. 19??) |
| Children | 2 |
Career
editBorn in San Francisco, California on November 2, 1899,[1] King was raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he sang in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.[2] When he performed in a production in Ogden, Utah, in 1916, a local newspaper described him as "a clean cut young actor with a baritone voice that should take him to the top rank in musical comedy".[3] It added that his voice was "far superior in range and quality" to Joseph Santley.[3]
King and a friend, Charles Lemaire, left their homes in Salt Lake City and began a vaudeville act with Lemaire playing piano and Woolf singing. They progressed from being a fill-in act to fairly good positions on bills at smaller vaudeville theaters. Eventually the act broke up with Lemaire leaving show business while Woolf went on tour with a singing act.[4]
King made his Broadway debut in 1920,[1] and became a well-known baritone in operettas and musical comedies. King billed himself as Walter Woolf and Walter King early in his career, eventually settling on a combination of all three names in the mid-1930s. He used his birth name, Walter Woolf, until he went to Hollywood. There he became Walter King to appease his employers. He used that name until he returned to Broadway to appear in May Wine. Producer Lawrence Schwab had known him as Walter Woolf and did not like the name Walter King; they compromised on use of Walter Woolf King for the play.[5]
King's film debut came in Golden Dawn (1930).[6]
King acted in the Community Playhouse in Pasadena, California, in 1934.[7]
In 1936, King was host of the Flying Red Horse Tavern on CBS radio.[8]
King began his film career in musicals but quickly moved into supporting roles. He is probably best remembered today for his villainous roles in two films starring the Marx Brothers: A Night at the Opera (1935) and Go West (1940). He also appeared with Laurel & Hardy in Swiss Miss (1938). King made several appearances on radio and later became an actors' agent. During the 1950s and 1960s, he was seen in several often uncredited bit parts and smaller roles in television and films.
One credited TV role was as “Major Clinton” in the 1958 S1E38 offering, “The Monty Britton Story” on Wagon Train.
In the first episode of The Munsters he is credited for his role as George Washington. His final appearance was in the 1977 TV movie One in a Million: The Ron LeFlore Story.
Personal life and death
editKing was married to Ernestyne Bachrach.[9] They had a daughter, Barbara Jean Meier, and a son, Walter Woolf King Jr. He died of a heart attack in Beverly Hills, California, on October 24, 1984, aged 88.[10]
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 | Golden Dawn | Tom Allen | |
| 1933 | Girl Without a Room | Arthur Copeland | |
| 1934 | Embarrassing Moments | Paul | |
| 1935 | Lottery Lover | Prince Midanoff | |
| One More Spring | Morris Rosenberg | ||
| Ginger | Daniel Parker | ||
| Spring Tonic | José | ||
| A Night at the Opera | Rudolfo Lassparri | ||
| 1937 | Call It a Day | Paul Francis | |
| 1938 | Walking Down Broadway | Jeff Hoffman | |
| Swiss Miss | Victor Albert | ||
| 1939 | Society Smugglers | Roy Allen Massey | |
| Big Town Czar | Paul Burgess | ||
| The House of Fear | Carleton | ||
| Balalaika | Captain Michael Sibirsky | ||
| 1940 | Go West | John Beecher | |
| 1941 | Melody for Three | Antoine Pirelle | |
| 1942 | Today I Hang | Jim O'Brien | |
| A Yank in Libya | Mike Malone | ||
| Smart Alecks | Dr. Ormsby | ||
| Between Us Girls | King - an actor | ||
| 1943 | Yanks Ahoy | Captain Gillis | |
| 1952 | Stars and Stripes Forever | President's Aide | Uncredited |
| 1953 | Taxi | Business Man | |
| Tonight We Sing | Gritti | ||
| Call Me Madam | Secretary of State | Uncredited | |
| City That Never Sleeps | Hotel Manager | Uncredited | |
| Affair with a Stranger | Harry Casino | Uncredited | |
| 1955 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Doctor Pritchard | Season 1 Episode 8: "Our Cook's a Treasure" |
| Francis in the Navy | Jensen | Uncredited | |
| 1956 | The Bottom of the Bottle | Grant | |
| The Ten Commandments | Herald | Uncredited | |
| Three Brave Men | Admiral Mason | Uncredited | |
| 1957 | An Affair to Remember | Doctor in Hospital | Uncredited |
| The Joker Is Wild | Mr. Page | Uncredited | |
| The Helen Morgan Story | Florenz Ziegfeld | ||
| 1958 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Mob Boss | Season 3 Episode 14: "The Percentage" |
| Kathy O' | Donald C. Faber | ||
| Hong Kong Confidential | CIA Chief | Uncredited | |
| 1961 | The Outsider | Civilian | Uncredited |
| 1963 | The Alfred Hitchcock Hour | Senator Hayes | Season 1 Episode 29: "The Dark Pool" |
| The Alfred Hitchcock Hour | Mr. Roberts the Executive | Season 2 Episode 2: "A Nice Touch" | |
| The Householder | Professor | ||
| The Raiders | Colonel DeKoenig | Uncredited | |
| 1964 | The Alfred Hitchcock Hour | Judge | Season 2 Episode 31: "Isabel" |
| Where Love Has Gone | Bank Board Member | Uncredited | |
| Della | Sam Jordon | ||
| 1967 | Rosie! | Judge | |
| 1970 | Airport | Cindy's Father | Uncredited |
References
edit- 1 2 "Walter Woolf King". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on August 17, 2019. Retrieved May 28, 2026.
- ↑ "Shoe Salesman Now Stage Star". Atlantic City Daily Press. March 27, 1926. p. 26. Retrieved May 28, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- 1 2 "Received by Ogden Audiences". The Ogden Standard. February 25, 1916. p. 3. Retrieved May 28, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Walter Woolf left bank to go on the stage". The Boston Globe. May 11, 1924. p. 88. Retrieved May 28, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Name, Please?". Buffalo Evening News. January 21, 1936. p. 22. Retrieved May 28, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Woolf Made His Name Famous, And Then Hollywood Changed It". Times Union. New York, Brooklyn. February 8, 1936. p. 4. Retrieved May 28, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Walter Woolf makes big hit at Playhouse". Pasadena Star-News. September 15, 1934. p. 9. Retrieved May 28, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Sies, Luther F. (2014). Encyclopedia of American Radio, 1920-1960, 2nd Edition. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-5149-4. P. 234.
- ↑ "Woolf a Father". Daily News. New York, New York City. August 28, 1928. p. 29. Retrieved May 28, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Walter Woolf King is Dead;Leading Actor and Singer". The New York Times. October 29, 1984.
External links
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