Tommy Noonan

For other people named Tommy Noonan or similar, see Tom Noonan (disambiguation).

Tommy Noonan
Born	Thomas Noon (1921-04-29)April 29, 1921 Bellingham, Washington, U.S.
Died	April 24, 1968(1968-04-24) (aged 46) Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Cause of death	Brain tumor
Resting place	San Fernando Mission Cemetery
Years active	1938–1967
Spouses	Lucile Barnes (1947–1952; divorced; 2 children) Carole Langley (1952–1968; his death; 4 children)

Tommy Noonan (April 29, 1921 – April 24, 1968) was a comedy genre film performer, screenwriter and producer. He acted in a number of 'A' and 'B' pictures from the 1940s through the 1960s, and he is best known for his supporting performances as Gus Esmond, wealthy fiancé of Lorelei Lee (Marilyn Monroe) in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), and as the musician Danny McGuire in A Star Is Born (1954). He played a stock room worker in the film Bundle of Joy (1956) with Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds.

Early years

Born Thomas Noon in Bellingham, Washington, he was the half-brother of actor John Ireland.

Noonan was the son of Michael James Noonan and Grace Ferguson. His father was a vaudeville comedian and a native of Galway County, Ireland. His mother, a piano teacher, was from Glasgow, Scotland. He attended New York University.

Career

In 1934, Noonan and Ireland made their stage debuts with a New York-based experimental theater. They later appeared together in three films, including I Shot Jesse James (1949).

Noonan had a repertory company of his own prior to World War II. On Broadway, Noonan appeared in How to Make a Man (1960) and Men to the Sea (1944).

After serving in the U.S. Navy, Noonan made his film debut in George White's Scandals (1945).

He teamed with Peter Marshall to form a comedy team in the late 1940s. The team's performances were limited because they continued their individual careers, "working together only when both were available at the same time". Working as Noonan and Marshall, they appeared on television, nightclubs, and in the films Starlift (1951), FBI Girl (1951) (in a brief appearance), The Rookie (1959), and Swingin' Along (1962). The duo went their separate ways after the release of Swingin' Along.

In 1953, Noonan appeared in the movie "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" as Gus Esmond.

In 1961, Noonan appeared on the CBS courtroom drama Perry Mason as the defendant and episode's title character, comedian Charlie Hatch, in "The Case of the Crying Comedian."

In the early 1960s, Noonan appeared in a few B movies, including Promises! Promises! (1963) with Jayne Mansfield and Three Nuts in Search of a Bolt (1964) with Mamie Van Doren, which he also directed, wrote and produced. His last effort as a producer was Cottonpickin' Chickenpickers (1967), which was also Sonny Tufts' last movie.

Personal life

Noonan was married five times. His last wife was actress Pocahontas Crowfoot, whose name had been Carole Langley. They were married 16 years.

Death

Eight months after he had an operation for a brain tumor, Noonan died at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital, just a few days shy of his 47th birthday. He was survived by his wife, Pokie Noonan, and their four children: Vince, Susan, Kathleen, and Timothy; by Tom Huntington, his son from his first marriage to Lucile Barnes; and by grandchildren Matthew and Claire.

External links

• Tommy Noonan at IMDb
• Tommy Noonan at the Internet Broadway Database
• Tommy Noonan at Find a Grave