Dan Tobin
Dan Tobin (October 19, 1910 – November 26, 1982) was an American supporting actor on the stage, in films and on television. He generally played gentle, urbane, rather fussy, sometimes obsequious and shifty characters, often with a concealed edge of malice.
Early years
Tobin was a native of Cincinnati, and he attended the University of Cincinnati.[1]
Career
Tobin acted with a touring troupe in England. After an impresario saw him in Ah, Wilderness!, he gained a role in Behind Your Back at the Strand.[1]
Tobin's most memorable roles were as the overbearing secretary, Gerald, in Woman of the Year (1942), and the top-billed scientist in Orson Welles's innovative Peabody Award-winning unsold television pilot, The Fountain of Youth, filmed in 1956 and televised once two years later as an installment of NBC's Colgate Theatre.
Tobin also played as Alexander "Sandy" Lord in the original Broadway production of Phillip Barry's The Philadelphia Story, thus starting his career on stage in 1939. His work on Broadway included American Holiday (1939).[2]
On television, Tobin was a regular on I Married Joan,[3] My Favorite Husband,[3]: 729 and Where Were You?[3]: 1170
The Internet Movie Database[unreliable source?] lists 96 television and film acting roles for Tobin over a career spanning from 1939 to 1977, however TV Guide only credits him with 44 appearances.[4] In 1966, he became a regular during the final season of Perry Mason as the proprietor of "Clay's Grill". He made a prior Mason appearance in 1964 as Dickens the butler in "The Case of the Scandalous Sculptor."
Personal life
Tobin was married to film and television screenwriter Jean Holloway (born Gratia Jean Casey: August 16, 1917 - November 11, 1989) from 1951 to his death in 1982.
Death
Tobin died in Saint John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California, in November 1982, at age 72. He was survived by his wife.[5]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1939 | Black Limelight | Roberts - Reporter | |
| 1942 | Woman of the Year | Gerald Howe | |
| 1946 | Undercurrent | Professor Joseph Bangs | |
| 1947 | A Likely Story | Phil Bright | |
| 1947 | The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer | Chester Walters | Released as Bachelor Knight (UK) |
| 1948 | The Big Clock | Ray Cordette | |
| 1948 | Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House | Bunny Funkhauser | Uncredited |
| 1948 | The Velvet Touch | Jeff Trent | |
| 1948 | Sealed Verdict | Lt. Parker | |
| 1948 | Miss Tatlock's Millions | Clifford Tatlock | |
| 1949 | Song of Surrender | Clyde Atherton | |
| 1950 | The Magnificent Yankee | Dixon | Uncredited |
| 1951 | Queen for a Day | Owen Cruger | |
| 1953 | Dream Wife | Mr. Brown | |
| 1956 | The Catered Affair | Hotel Caterer | |
| 1959 | The Last Angry Man | Ben Loomer | |
| 1962 | Who's Got the Action? | Mr. Sanford | |
| 1967 | How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying | Johnson | |
| 1969-1970 | The Ghost and Mrs. Muir | Mr. Hampton / Dr. Ryan McNally | TV Series, 2 episodes |
| 1974 | Herbie Rides Again | Lawyer | |
| 2018 | The Other Side of the Wind | Dr. Burroughs | (final film role) |
References
- ^ a b "Invited Out!". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. November 19, 1939. p. 32. Retrieved June 17, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Dan Tobin: Performer". Playbill. Archived from the original on 17 June 2017. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
- ^ a b c Terrace, Vincent (January 10, 2014). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company. p. 493. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
- ^ "Dan Tobin". TV Guide. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
- ^ "Character actor Dan Tobin, whose career ranged from movies..." United Press International Archives. United Press International. November 28, 1982. Archived from the original on 17 June 2017. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
External links
- Dan Tobin at IMDb
- Dan Tobin at the Internet Broadway Database
- Dan Tobin at Find a Grave
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