Gene Sheldon
| Gene Sheldon | |
|---|---|
Gene Sheldon as Bernardo.
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| Born |
Eugene Hume February 1, 1908 Columbus, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | May 1, 1982 (aged 74) Tarzana, California, U.S. |
| Years active | 1934–1970 |
| Spouse(s) | Margaret McCann (1944-?) |
| Children | David Tracy |
Gene Sheldon (February 1, 1908 – May 1, 1982) was an American film and television actor and musician. He is remembered as the mute servant Bernardo on Walt Disney's live-action TV series Zorro (1957-1959).
Born Eugene Hume in Columbus, Ohio, he began acting at an early age, serving as stage assistant to his father Earl, a magician. His tasks included appearing as a girl, dressed appropriately but not speaking. Sheldon also gained experience as a radio announcer at age 17, broadcasting on Toledo, Ohio radio in 1925.
His film debut was in the 1934 movie Susie's Affairs, as Slug the Banjoist. The next year, he had a small part in the early Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers musical Roberta as a banjo player in the film's band: In the musical number "Let's Begin" he had a short comedy scene tuning the banjo and afterwards dancing in the comedy dance number with Fred Astaire and Candy Candido.
Sheldon appeared in the Broadway revue Priorities of 1942, performing a comedy banjo act in which he did not speak, wearing an outfit resembling the costume of silent film comedian Harry Langdon and mimicking some of Langdon's distinctive gestures.
He appeared in speaking roles as the genie Ali in 20th Century Fox's 1945 films Where Do We Go From Here? and the seal trainer, Professor Winnup in The Dolly Sisters.
In the 1950s and 1960s, most of Sheldon's work was on various Walt Disney programs. An often-seen act, in the "Golden Horseshoe Revue" episode of the Walt Disney anthology television series, was as a banjo player who kept getting his fingers stuck in the strings. After several minutes he would finally get them "un-stuck" and play a vigorous riff on his banjo.
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