Kenneth Thomson (actor)
Kenneth Thomson | |
|---|---|
| Born | Charles Kenneth Thomson January 7, 1899 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Died | January 26, 1967 (aged 68) Hollywood, California, United States |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1926–1937 |
| Spouse | Alden Gay |
Charles Kenneth Thomson (January 7, 1899 – January 26, 1967) was an American character actor active during the silent and early sound film eras.
Biography
Born in Pittsburgh, Thomson along with his wife Alden Gay were founding members of the Screen Actors Guild.[1] The group was founded after meetings held at the Thomsons' home during 1933.[2] During his brief twelve-year career in front of the camera, he appeared in over 60 films.[3] After appearing in several Broadway plays during the early and mid-1920s, Thomson would make his film debut with a starring role in 1926's Risky Business.[4] Over the next four years, he would appear in over a dozen films, in either starring or featured roles. In 1930 alone he would appear in ten films, half of which were in starring roles, such as Lawful Larceny,[5] which also starred Bebe Daniels and Lowell Sherman (who also directed), and Reno, whose other stars were Ruth Roland and Montagu Love;[6] the other half would see him in featured roles as in A Notorious Affair, starring Billie Dove, Basil Rathbone, and Kay Francis.[7] During the rest of the 1930s, he would appear in numerous films, mostly in either supporting or featured roles, such as The Little Giant (1933), starring Edward G. Robinson and Mary Astor, and Hop-Along Cassidy (1935), starring William Boyd; although he occasionally would have a starring role, as in opposite Harold Lloyd in 1932's Movie Crazy.
Filmography
- Corporal Kate (1926) as Jack Clarke
- Risky Business (1926) as Ted Pyncheon M.D.
- Man Bait (1927) as Gerald Sanford
- Turkish Delight (1927) as Donald Sims
- White Gold (1927) as Alec Carson
- Almost Human (1927) as John Livingston
- The King of Kings (1927) as Lazarus
- The Secret Hour (1928) as Joe
- The Street of Illusion (1928) as Curtis Drake
- The Bellamy Trial (1929) as Stephen Bellamy
- The Broadway Melody (1929) as Jacques Warriner (uncredited)
- The Careless Age (1929) as Owen
- The Girl from Havana (1929) as William Dane
- The Letter (1929)
- Say It with Songs (1929) as Arthur Phillips
- The Veiled Woman (1929) as Dr. Donald Ross
- Children of Pleasure (1930) as Rod Peck
- The Doorway to Hell (1930) as Captain of Academy
- Just Imagine (1930) as MT-3
- Lawful Larceny (1930) as Andrew Dorsey
- A Notorious Affair (1930) as Dr. Alan Pomeroy
- The Other Tomorrow (1930) as Nort Larrison
- Reno (1930) as Richard Belden
- Sweet Mama (1930) as Joe Palmer
- Sweethearts on Parade (1930) as Hendricks
- Wild Company (1930) as Joe Hardy
- Bad Company (1931) as Barnes - Henchman
- Murder at Midnight (1931) as Jim Kennedy
- Woman Hungry (1931) as Leonard Temple
- Up for Murder (1931) as William's Daughter's Boyfriend (uncredited)
- Thirteen Women (1932) as Mr. Cousins (uncredited)
- Movie Crazy (1932) as Vance
- Man Wanted (1932) as Fred 'Freddie' Ames
- The Famous Ferguson Case (1932) as Bob Parks
- Her Mad Night (1932) as Schuyler Durkin
- 70,000 Witnesses (1932) as Dr. Collins
- Fast Life (1932) as Mr. Williams
- By Whose Hand? (1932) as Chambers
- Lawyer Man (1932) as Dr. Frank Gresham (uncredited)
- The Little Giant (1933) as John Stanley
- Female (1933) as Red
- Daring Daughters (1933) as Alan Preston
- Son of a Sailor (1933) as Williams
- From Headquarters (1933) as Gordon Bates
- Jungle Bride (1933) as John Franklin
- Sitting Pretty (1933) as Norman Lubin (uncredited)
- Hold Me Tight (1933) as Dolan (uncredited)
- Gallant Lady (1933) as Minor Role (scenes deleted)
- Behold My Wife! (1934) as Jim Curson
- In Old Santa Fe (1934) as Matt Korber - alias Mr. Chandler
- Cross Streets (1934) as Mort Talbot
- Many Happy Returns (1934) as Motion Picture Director
- Change of Heart (1934) as Howard Jackson
- Behind the Green Lights (1935) as Charles T. 'Ritzy' Conrad
- Manhattan Butterfly (1935) as A Gangster
- Whispering Smith Speaks (1935) as J. Wesley Hunt
- Hop-Along Cassidy (1935) as Jack Anthony
- Blackmailer (1936) as Mr. Porter
- With Love and Kisses (1936) as Gangster
- Jim Hanvey, Detective (1937) as W.B. Elwood
- Criminal Lawyer (1937) as First Trial Witness (uncredited)
External links
- Kenneth Thomson at IMDb
- Kenneth Thomson at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
- Kenneth Thomson at the TCM Movie Database
- Kenneth Thomson at AllMovie
- Kenneth Thomson at the Internet Broadway Database
References
- ^ "SAG History". Screen Actors Guild. Retrieved December 21, 2014.
- ^ "Masquers Club". SAG. Retrieved December 21, 2014.
- ^ a b "Kenneth Thomson". American Film Institute. Retrieved December 21, 2014.
- ^ "Kenneth Thomson". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved December 21, 2014.
- ^ "Lawful Larceny". American Film Institute. Retrieved December 21, 2014.
- ^ "Reno". American Film Institute. Retrieved December 21, 2014.
- ^ "A Notorious Affair". American Film Institute. Retrieved December 21, 2014.