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  • BIRTH 13/10/1884
  • DEATH 07/05/1962
  • Country United States
  • MOVIES 23

Jimmy Conlin

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jimmy Conlin (October 14, 1884 – May 7, 1962) was an American character actor who appeared in almost 150 films in his 32-year career. Conlin was born in Camden, New Jersey in 1884, and his acting career started out in vaudeville, where he and his first wife Myrtle Glass played the Keith-Albee-Orpheum circuits billed as "Conlin & Glass", a song-and-dance team. They also starred together in two short films, Sharps and Flats (1928) and Zip! Boom! Bang! (1929) for Vitaphone.

Conlin made another comedy short without Glass in 1930 (A Tight Squeeze), but his film career started for good in 1933, and for the next 27 years, with the single exception of 1951, every year saw the release of at least one film in which Conlin appeared – at the height of his career, often more than a dozen of them. Recognizable by his small size and odd appearance, Conlin played all sorts of small roles and bit parts, many times not receiving an onscreen credit.

In the 1940s, Conlin was part of Preston Sturges' unofficial "stock company" of character actors, appearing in nine films written and directed by Sturges. His roles in Sturges' films were often sizable and often came with good billing. One of his best performances came in Sturges' The Sin of Harold Diddlebock in 1946, when he played "Wormy", the racetrack tout who convinces Harold Lloyd to have his first drink, setting off the events of the film. The loyalty between Sturges and Conlin ran both ways, and when the former golden boy of Hollywood fell on hard times, Conlin remained a friend, stayed in contact, and helped out in any way he could.

Conlin did not make many television appearances, but he did have a regular role as a bartender on Duffy's Tavern, a syndicated series from 1954. He made his final film in 1959, when he played a habitual criminal in Anatomy of a Murder.

Jimmy Conlin

Movies (23)

Anatomy of a Murder
Anatomy of a Murder
Clarence Madigan
Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum
Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum
Tour Bus Barker
Hitler's Madman
Hitler's Madman
Dvorak - the Shopkeeper
The Inspector General
The Inspector General
Turnkey (uncredited)
Angels Over Broadway
Angels Over Broadway
Pawn Shop Proprietor (uncredited)
It Happened Tomorrow
It Happened Tomorrow
Boarding House Tenant (uncredited)
Petticoat Larceny
Petticoat Larceny
Jitters
The 30 Foot Bride of Candy Rock
The 30 Foot Bride of Candy Rock
Magruder
Second Chorus
Second Chorus
Mr. Dunn
Rose Marie
Rose Marie
Joe - Piano Player (uncredited)
Knock on Any Door
Knock on Any Door
Kid Fingers Carnahan (uncredited)
Two Girls on Broadway
Two Girls on Broadway
Poem Vendor (uncredited)
Nancy Drew... Reporter
Nancy Drew... Reporter
Newspaper Morgue-Keeper (uncredited)
Old Acquaintance
Old Acquaintance
Frank - Photographer (uncredited)
Fallen Angel
Fallen Angel
Walton Hotel Clerk (uncredited)
The Palm Beach Story
The Palm Beach Story
Mr. Asweld
On Dangerous Ground
On Dangerous Ground
Doc Hyman (uncredited)
Blue Skies
Blue Skies
Jeffrey - Valet (uncredited)
Christmas in July
Christmas in July
Arbuster (uncredited)
Sullivan's Travels
Sullivan's Travels
Trusty
The Shining Hour
The Shining Hour
Man Shaving on Plane (uncredited)
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves
Little Thief
Summer Storm
Summer Storm
Man Mailing Letter (uncredited)