Jack Oakie
| Jack Oakie | |
|---|---|
Jack Oakie in 1941
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| Born |
Lewis Delaney Offield November 12, 1903 Sedalia, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | January 23, 1978 (aged 74) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1923–1971 |
| Spouse(s) | Victoria Horne (1950–1978) Venita Varden (1936–1945) |
Jack Oakie (November 12, 1903 – January 23, 1978) was an American actor, starring mostly in films, but also working on stage, radio and television. He is best remembered for portraying Napaloni in Chaplin's The Great Dictator (1940), receiving a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Jack Oakie was born as Lewis Delaney Offield in Sedalia, Missouri at 522 w 7th Street. His father was a grain dealer and his mother a psychology teacher. When he was five years old the Offield family moved to Muskogee, Oklahoma, the source of his "Oakie" nickname. His adopted first name, Jack, was the name of the first character he played on stage. Young Lewis/Jack grew up mostly in Oklahoma but also lived for periods of time with his grandmother in Kansas City, Missouri. While there he attended Woodland Elementary and made spending money as a paperboy for The Kansas City Star. He recalled years later that he made especially good money selling "extras" in November, 1916 during the reelection of President Woodrow Wilson.
Oakie worked as a runner on Wall Street, New York City, and narrowly escaped being killed in the Wall Street bombing of September 16, 1920. While in New York, he also started appearing in amateur theatre as a mimic and a comedian, finally making his professional debut on Broadway in 1923 as a chorus boy in a production of Little Nellie Kelly by George M. Cohan.
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