Walter Connolly (April 8, 1887 – May 28, 1940) was an American actor. While some film historians complain that a number of his performances were annoying or overbaked, he was for the most part applauded for his zesty contributions to a number of comedy classics. Frank Capra's Lady for a Day (1933), Broadway Bill (1934) and It Happened One Night (1934), as well as the Carole Lombard/Fredric March screwball farce Nothing Sacred (1937) as news reporter March's hot-headed editor boss are sure-fire examples. The son of the head of the Western Union relay office, he attended St. Xavier College and the University of Dublin in Ireland before making his New York debut in 1910 in an outdoor presentation of "As You Like It". For the next year or so he was a member of E.H. Sothern's touring company and played supporting roles in a number of Shakespearean shows on the road. After a few silent pictures left him unimpressed with film-making, he turned to the Broadway stage in the 1920s and scored quite well. Somewhat short and tubby, it was not difficult for the jowly, mustachioed actor to seize laughs and he found his share in such outings as "The Talking Parrot" (1923), "Applesauce" (1925), "The Springboard" (1927), "The Happy Husband" (1928), "Stepping Out" (1929), "Your Uncle Dudley" (1930), "Anatol" (1931), "Six Characters in Search of an Author" (1931), "The Good Fairy" (1932) and "The Late Christopher Bean" (1932). With his talents as a stage farceur firmly established, it was time to make a second attempt at a film career and Hollywood (specifically, Columbia) wisely opened their doors to him. Interestingly, his debut in a full-length talking picture came at age 45 in the form of a drama, Washington Merry-Go-Round (1932), where he was third-billed as a rather benign senator. For the next seven years Connolly, often playing older than he really was, could be found everywhere giving good fluster to the greatest and glossiest of stars -- Janet Gaynor, Carole Lombard, Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, Myrna Loy, Paul Muni, Spencer Tracy, and Ginger Rogers, among hordes of others. His hobbies were collecting old books and theatre programmes. Connolly was married to actress Nedda Harrigan from 1923 to his death. They had one daughter, Ann (1924–2006). Connolly suffered a fatal stroke on May 28, 1940, and was buried in New St. Joseph Cemetery in Cincinnati.

Фільмографія

• 1939Bridal Suite — Dr. Theodore Grauer
• 1939Coast Guard — Tobias Bliss
• 1939Fifth Avenue Girl — Mr. Borden
• 1939Good Girls Go to Paris — Olaf Brand
• 1939The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn — The 'King'
• 1939The Great Victor Herbert — Victor Herbert
• 1939Those High Grey Walls — Dr. MacAuley
• 1938Breakdowns of 1938 — Carter Hibbard (archive footage) (uncredited)
• 1938Four's a Crowd — John P. Dillingwell
• 1938Penitentiary — Dist. Atty. Thomas Mathews
• 1938Start Cheering — Sam Lewis
• 1938The Girl Downstairs — Mr. Brown
• 1938Too Hot to Handle — Gabby MacArthur
• 1937First Lady — Carter Hibbard
• 1937Let's Get Married — Joe Quinn
• 1937Nancy Steele Is Missing! — Michael Steele
• 1937Nothing Sacred — Oliver Stone
• 1937The Good Earth — Uncle
• 1937The League of Frightened Men — Nero Wolfe
• 1936Libeled Lady — Mr. Allenbury
• 1936Soak the Rich — Humphrey Craig
• 1936The King Steps Out — Maximilian, Duke of Bavaria
• 1936The Music Goes 'Round — Hector Courtney
• 1935One Way Ticket — Captain Bourne
• 1935She Couldn't Take It — Daniel Van Dyke
• 1935So Red the Rose — Malcolm Bedford
• 1935White Lies — John Mitchell
• 1934Broadway Bill — J.L. Higgins
• 1934Eight Girls in a Boat — Storm
• 1934Father Brown, Detective — Father Brown
• 1934Hollywood on Parade No. B-1
• 1934Lady by Choice — Judge Daly
• 1934Once to Every Woman — Dr. Selby
• 1934Servants' Entrance — Viktor Nilsson
• 1934The Captain Hates the Sea — Captain Helquist
• 1934Twentieth Century — Oliver Webb
• 1934Whom the Gods Destroy — John Forrester aka Eric Jann aka Peter Korotoff
• 1934Це сталося якось вночі — Alexander Andrews
• 1933East of Fifth Avenue — John Lawton
• 1933Lady for a Day — Count Romero
• 1933Man's Castle — Ira
• 1933Master of Men — Sam Parker
• 1933Paddy the Next Best Thing — Major Adair
• 1933The Bitter Tea of General Yen — Jones
• 1932Man Against Woman — Mossie Ennis
• 1932No More Orchids — Bill Holt
• 1932Washington Merry-Go-Round — Senator Wylie
• 1915A Soldier's Oath — Raoul de Reyntiens

Ток-шоу, премії та інші появи (1)

• 1975Black Shadows on a Silver Screen — Self (archive footage)