Billy De Wolfe
| Billy De Wolfe | |
|---|---|
De Wolfe as the radio station manager in Good Morning, World, 1967.
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| Born |
William Andrew Jones February 18, 1907 Quincy, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | March 5, 1974 (aged 67) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | lung cancer |
| Resting place | Mt. Wollaston Cemetery, Quincy, MA GPS (lat/lon): 42.25755, -70.99756 |
| Years active | 1943-1974 |
Billy De Wolfe (February 18, 1907 – March 5, 1974) was an American character actor. He was active in films from the mid-1940s until his death in 1974.
Born William Andrew Jones in the Wollaston neighborhood of Quincy, Massachusetts, DeWolfe was the son of a Welsh bookbinder who encouraged him to become a Baptist minister. Instead, Billy developed an interest in the theatre. He found work as an usher before becoming a dancer with the Jimmy O'Connor Band. It was at this point that he changed his last name to De Wolfe, which was the last name of the manager of the Massachusetts theatre where he worked. He went on to tour Europe with a dance team, appearing in a London revue called "Revels in Rhythm" and "danced before royalty on nine continents." At some point during World War II, he served in the United States Navy until he was discharged for medical reasons in 1944.
He signed with Paramount Pictures in 1943 and became a reliable comedian. His pencil-mustached and often pompous character contrasted humorously with the films' romantic leads. His best-known role of his Paramount tenure is probably the ham actor-turned-silent movie villain in the 1947 fictionalizedPearl White biography The Perils of Pauline. De Wolfe became known for his portrayal of fussy, petty men ("Never touch!," he would say imperiously whenever someone accosted him physically). A New York Times review of his 1948 film Isn't It Romantic? strongly criticized the way the other actors' material limited their performances, contrasting their performances with his: "But Mr. De Wolfe is nothing daunted. He rips up the place with great delight. The material is at his mercy. Likewise the scenery. And he chews it to bits."
After his Paramount contract lapsed, DeWolfe returned to the stage. He appeared in the revue John Murray Anderson's Almanac in 1953 and 1954, and starred in the last edition of the Ziegfeld Follies, in 1957.
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