Warren Hull | |
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in 1937
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|
Born |
John Warren Hull January 17, 1903 Gasport, New York, U.S. |
Died | September 14, 1974 Waterbury, Connecticut, U.S. |
(aged 71)
Cause of death | Congestive heart failure |
Resting place | North Cemetery |
Nationality | American |
Other names | J. Warren Hull |
Education | Lockport High School |
Alma mater |
New York University Eastman School of Music |
Occupation | Actor, radio and television personality |
Years active | 1923–1964 |
Spouse(s) |
Agnes Briggs (m. 1926; div. 1928) Dorothy Daye (m. 1929; div. 1944) Elouise Gilmore Shea (m. 1945; div. 1950) Susan Fossum Stevens (m.?; 1974) |
Children | 4 |
John Warren Hull (January 17, 1903 – September 14, 1974), known professionally as Warren Hull, was an American actor and television personality active from the 1930s through the 1960s. He was one of the most popular serial actors in the action-adventure field.
Born in Gasport, New York, Hull was one of three children born to John and Laura (nee Shafer) Hull. Both of his parents were Quakers. Hull attended Lockport High School, graduating in 1922. He then attended New York University with the intention of pursuing a career in business. He later decided to pursue a career in music and enrolled at the Eastman School of Music, where he studied voice. After completing his studies, he moved to New York City, where he became a chorus boy in Shubert operas and operettas. This eventually led to Hull working in Broadway musicals. In 1923, he began working as a radio announcer. Hull was the master of ceremonies for the first Your Hit Parade radio program and also worked as an announcer for The Bea Lillie Show.
In the mid 1930s, Hull moved to Los Angeles to pursue a screen career. He made his screen debut in 1934 for Educational Pictures, a short-subject studio. He co-starred opposite singer Sylvia Froos in the Young Romance series of musical comedies filmed in New York; Hull often joined Froos in song. In 1935 Hull was signed to a contract by Warner Bros., and spent the next few years playing leading men both in dramas and musicals. One of Hull's better-known appearances of this period came in The Walking Dead (1936), a horror movie starring Boris Karloff and directed by Michael Curtiz. Some of Hull's early appearances have him billed as "J. Warren Hull."