Walter Abel
Walter Abel | |
|---|---|
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| Born | June 6, 1898 |
| Died | March 26, 1987 (aged 88) Essex, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1918–1984 |
| Spouse | Marietta Bitter (1926-1979; her death) 2 sons |
Walter Abel (June 6, 1898 – March 26, 1987) was an American stage and film character actor. Known as a prolific and very dependable character actor, Abel appeared in over 200 films, beginning in the silent film era. Often portraying characters of "responsibility," (the minister keeping morale up in a war zone in "So Proudly We Hail," the colonel leading a rescue effort in "Island in the Sky"), Abel was a regular in films of the 1940s and 1950s, in particular. A distinctive bearing and direct gaze were two of his trademarks. His eyes were brown and his (adult) height was five feet ten inches.
Life
Abel was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, the son of Christine (née Becker) and Richard Michael Abel.[1] Abel graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts where he had studied in 1917[2] and joined a touring company. His brother Alfred died in 1922 from tuberculosis contracted while serving overseas in World War I. Abel was married to concert harpist Marietta Bitter.[2]
Career
Abel made his film debut in 1918 with a small part in Out of a Clear Sky.[3]
He made his Broadway debut in Forbidden in 1919.[4] In 1924 he appeared in two Eugene O'Neill plays simultaneously: Bound East for Cardiff at the "The Provincetown Playhouse" and Desire Under the Elms at the "Greenwich Village Theater".[3] His many theatre credits include As You Like It (1923), William Congreve's Love for Love (1925), Anton Chekhov's The Seagull (1929-1930), Mourning Becomes Electra (1929), Kaufman and Hart's Merrily We Roll Along (1934), and Trelawny of the 'Wells' (1975). He also appeared in Channing Pollock's play The Enemy (1926) with Fay Bainter. The play was adapted to film as The Enemy (1927) with Lillian Gish and Ralph Forbes. He made his stage debut in London in the 1929 "Coquette".
His first major film role was as D'Artagnan in RKO Pictures's 1935 The Three Musketeers.[3] Abel went on to play in more than sixty films. Abel was a vice president of the Screen Actors' Guild.[5]
Abel also appeared as a concert narrator or reader with Eugene Ormandy the Philadelphia Orchestra in Aaron Copland's Portrait of Lincoln in 1951, and in Dylan Thomas' Under Milkwood in 1953. [5]
Death
Abel died March 26, 1987, of a myocardial infarction in Essex, Connecticut. He was survived by two sons, John and Michael.[2]
Filmography
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- The Three Musketeers (1935) as d'Artagnan
- The Lady Consents (1936) as Stanley Ashton
- Two in the Dark (1936) as Ford 'Jitney' Adams
- The Witness Chair (1936) as James 'Jim' Trent
- Fury (1936) as Adams, the district attorney
- We Went to College (1936) as Philip Talbot
- Second Wife (1936) as Kenneth Carpenter
- Portia on Trial (1937) as Dan Foster
- Wise Girl (1937) as Karl Stevens
- Law of the Underworld (1938) as Rogers
- Men With Wings (1938) as Nick Ranson
- King of the Turf (1939) as Robert Barnes
- Miracle on Main Street (1940)
- Dance, Girl, Dance (1940) as the Judge
- Arise, My Love (1940) as Mr Phillips
- Michael Shayne, Private Detective (1940) as Elliott Thomas
- Who Killed Aunt Maggie? (1940) as Dr George Benedict
- Hold Back the Dawn (1941) as Inspector Hammock
- Skylark (1941) as George Gore
- Glamour Boy (1941) as A. J. Colder
- Beyond the Blue Horizon (1942) as Professor Thornton
- Star Spangled Rhythm (1942) as B.G. DeSoto
- Holiday Inn (1942) as Danny Reed, Ted Hanover's manic manager
- Wake Island (1942) as Cmdr. Roberts
- So Proudly We Hail! (1943) as the Chaplain
- Fired Wife (1943) as Chris McClelland
- An American Romance (1944) as Howard Clinton
- Mr. Skeffington (1944) as George Trellis
- The Affairs of Susan (1945) as Richard Aiken
- Duffy's Tavern (1945) as The Director
- Kiss and Tell (1945) as Harry Archer
- The Kid From Brooklyn (1946) as Gabby Sloan
- 13 Rue Madeleine (1946) as Charles Gibson
- Dream Girl (1948) as George Allerton
- That Lady in Ermine (1948) as Maj. Horvath
- So This Is Love (1953) as Col. James Moore
- Island in the Sky (1953) as Col. Fuller
- Night People (1954) as Maj. Foster, MD
- Twelve Angry Men (1954) (TV) as Juror #4
- The Indian Fighter (1955) as Capt. Trask
- The Steel Jungle (1956) as Warden Keller
- Bernardine (1957) as Mr. Beaumont
- Raintree County (1957) as T.D. Shawnessy
- Handle With Care (1958) as Prof. Bowdin
- Mirage (1965) as Charles Stewart Calvin
- Quick, Let's Get Married (1966) as The Thief
- The Man without a Country (1974) (TV) as Col. A.B. Morgan
- Silent Night, Bloody Night (1974) as Mayor Adams
- Grace Quigley (1984) as Homer Morrison
Radio appearances
| Year | Program | Episode/source |
|---|---|---|
| 1941 | Gulf Screen Guild Theatre | No Time for Comedy[6] |
| 1944 | Lady Esther Screen Guild Theatre | Phantom Lady[6] |
| 1945 | Lady Esther Screen Guild Theatre | Double Indemnity[6] |
| 1947 | Theatre Guild on the Air | No Time for Comedy[6] |
| 1947 | Suspense | Quiet Desperation[6] |
| 1952 | Theatre Guild on the Air | The Bishop Misbehaves[6] |
References
- ^ Walter Abel Biography (1898-1987)
- ^ a b c Gerard, Jeremy (March 28, 1987). "Walter Abel, 88, Actor in Theater and Films". New York Times. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
- ^ a b c "Walter Abel", Turner Classic Movies
- ^ "Veteran Stage, Screen Actor Walter Abel Dies at 88". Los Angeles Times. March 29, 1987. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
- ^ a b "Walter Abel papers, 1900-1976, 1916-1975", the Billy Rose Theatre Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
- ^ a b c d e f "Abel, Walter". radioGOLDINdex. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
External links
- Walter Abel at IMDb
- Walter Abel at the Internet Broadway Database
- Walter Abel at AllMovie
- Photo Gallery at NYPL
- Walter Abel at Find a Grave
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