Frank Mitchell (actor)
| Frank Mitchell | |
|---|---|
| Born |
May 13, 1905 New York City, New York U.S. |
| Died | January 21, 1991 (aged 85) North Hollywood, California U.S. |
| Years active | 1920–1980 |
| Spouse(s) | Jane Fields (Gilbert) (1926–1979) |
Frank Mitchell (May 13, 1905 – January 21, 1991) was an American film actor. He appeared in over 70 films between 1920 and 1980.
Frank Mitchell was a short, stocky, mischievous-looking comic and acrobat who got his start in entertainment by entering contests imitating Charles Chaplin. From there he broke into Vaudeville with a comedy acrobatic troupe and later toured with the International Seven in Europe. Aside from the stage, Mitchell also worked circuses performing stunts on horses as a trick rider. It was in the Vaudeville circuit that he met comic Jack Durant. The two formed the comedy duo "Mitchell & Durant". Their success led them in to films, most notably providing comic relief in several Alice Faye musicals such as She Learned About Sailors, 365 Nights in Hollywood and Music Is Magic.
After Mitchell and Durant split, Mitchell found minor comedy roles throughout the 1940s and 1950s films. Because of his experience as a trick-rider, Mitchell found himself working in several westerns. One of his more famous characters was in a series of Westerns for Columbia Pictures playing the role of "Cannonball" (originally played by Dub Taylor). As television became more previlant, Mitchell transitioned to smaller and often uncredited parts on television shows such as The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour and The Red Skelton Hour. During this time in his career he was usually playing gangsters and straight-man roles. His last picture was a television movie titled Miracle of the Heart: A Boys Town Story in which he played a police officer.
At a few different times in his career Mitchell was a member of the Three Stooges. His first tenure with the team was in 1929, replacing Shemp Howard in the Broadway revue George's White Sandals alongside Ted Healy and Stooges main-stays Moe Howard and Larry Fine.
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