Nat Pendleton
Acting
Born August 7, 1895, Davenport, Iowa, USA
Nathaniel Greene 'Nat' Pendleton was an American former Olympic wrestler turned actor. Two-time Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) champion (1914-1915) in the 175-lb. class at Columbia University, Pendleton graduated Class of 1916. He wrestled for the United States at the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp, Belgium, earning a silver medal, losing only one match due to a controversial point decision. After the Games he became a professional wrestler and was a big fan favorite, which led to Hollywood. In the 1920 census he was living in Manhattan with his first wife Juanita Alfonzo (age 22) and her brother Ramon Alfonso (age 13). He was working as a sports manager. Pendleton was usually cast as a circus strongman, brutish thug, dumb cop, or dense buffoon, but he had a college degree and in 1933 wrote the script for Deception (1932), in which he starred - not surprisingly - as a wrestler. Upon his death from a heart attack, his remains were interred at Cypress View Mausoleum and Crematory in San Diego, California. Nat Pendleton was inducted into the Columbia University Athletics Hall of Fame inaugural class in 2006.
Filmography
- 1991Dracula: A Cinematic Scrapbook — Bill Raymond (archive footage)
- 1965The World of Abbott and Costello — Sergeant Michael Collins in Buck Privates (archive footage)
- 1964The Big Parade of Comedy — William T. Magiz in 'The Gay Bride' (archive footage)
- 1947Buck Privates Come Home — Sgt. Michael Collins
- 1947Scared to Death — Bill 'Bull' Raymond
- 1946Death Valley — Jim Ward
- 1943Dr. Gillespie's Criminal Case — Joe Weyman
- 1943Swing Fever — 'Killer' Kennedy
- 1942Calling Dr. Gillespie — Joe Weyman
- 1942Dr. Gillespie's New Assistant — Joe Weyman
- 1942Jail House Blues — Sonny McGann
- 1942The Mad Doctor of Market Street — Red Hogan
- 1941Buck Privates — Sgt. Michael Collins
- 1941Top Sergeant Mulligan — Top Sgt. Herman Mulligan
- 1940Dr. Kildare Goes Home — Joe Wayman
- 1940Dr. Kildare's Crisis — Joe Wayman
- 1940Dr. Kildare's Strange Case — Wayman
- 1940Flight Command — C.P.O. 'Spike' Knowles
- 1940New Moon — Bondsman
- 1940Northwest Passage — 'Cap' Huff
- 1940Phantom Raiders — 'Gunboat' Jacklin
- 1940The Ghost Comes Home — Roscoe
- 1940The Golden Fleecing — 'Fatso' Werner
- 19396,000 Enemies — Socks Martin
- 1939Another Thin Man — Lieutenant Guild
- 1939At the Circus — Goliath
- 1939Burn 'Em Up O'Connor — Buddy Buttle
- 1939Calling Dr. Kildare — Joe Wayman
- 1939It's a Wonderful World — Sergeant Fred Koretz
- 1939On Borrowed Time — Mr. Grimes
- 1939The Secret of Dr. Kildare — Wayman
- 1938Arsène Lupin Returns — Joe Doyle
- 1938Breakdowns of 1938 — Joe (archive footage) (uncredited)
- 1938Fast Company — Paul Terison
- 1938Swing Your Lady — Joe Skopapolous
- 1938The Chaser — Floppy Phil
- 1938The Crowd Roars — 'Pug' Walsh
- 1938The Shopworn Angel — 'Dice'
- 1938Young Dr. Kildare — Joe Wayman
- 1937Gangway — Smiles Hogan
- 1937Life Begins in College — George Black
- 1937Song of the City — Benvenuto Romandi
- 1937Under Cover of Night — Police Sgt. Lucks
- 1936Sing Me a Love Song — Rocky
- 1936Sworn Enemy — 'Steamer' Krupp
- 1936The Garden Murder Case — Sergeant Ernest Heath
- 1936The Great Ziegfeld — Sandow
- 1936The Luckiest Girl in the World — Dugan
- 1936Trapped by Television — Rocky O'Neil
- 1936Two in a Crowd — Flynn
- 1935Baby Face Harrington — Rocky
- 1935Calm Yourself — Knuckles Benedict
- 1935Here Comes the Band — 'Piccolo Pete'
- 1935It's in the Air — Henry Potke
- 1935Murder in the Fleet — 'Spud' Burke
- 1935Reckless — Blossom
- 1935Times Square Lady — Mack
- 1934Death on the Diamond — John 'Truck' Hogan
- 1934Fugitive Lovers — Legs Caffey
- 1934Lazy River — Alfred 'Tiny' Smith
- 1934Manhattan Melodrama — Spud
- 1934Sing and Like It — T. Fenny Sylvester
- 1934Straight Is the Way — Skippy
- 1934The Cat's-Paw — Strozzi
- 1934The Defense Rests — Rocky
- 1934The Gay Bride — William T. 'Shoots' Magiz
- 1934The Girl from Missouri — Life Guard
- 1934The Thin Man — Inspector Guild
- 1933Baby Face — Stolvich - Laborer (uncredited)
- 1933Child of Manhattan — Spyrene - Dance Hall Bouncer
- 1933College Coach — Petrowski
- 1933Goldie Gets Along — Motorcycle Officer Cassidy
- 1933I'm No Angel — Harry (uncredited)
- 1933Lady for a Day — Shakespeare
- 1933Parachute Jumper — Motorcycle Policeman (uncredited)
- 1933Penthouse — Tony Gazotti
- 1933The Chief — Big Mike
- 1933The Nuisance — Aloysius P. McCarthy (uncredited)
- 1933Whistling in the Dark — Joe
- 1932A Fool's Advice — Kelly - Naughty Boy
- 1932Attorney for the Defense — Mugg Malone
- 1932By Whose Hand? — 'Killer' Delmar
- 1932Deception — Bucky O'Neill, Story
- 1932Exposure — Maniac Killer
- 1932Flesh — Wrestler (uncredited)
- 1932Hell-Fire Austin — Bouncer
- 1932Horse Feathers — MacHardie (uncredited)
- 1932Taxi! — Bull Martin (uncredited)
- 1932The Beast of the City — Abe Gorman (uncredited)
- 1932The Big Timer — Kid Melrose (uncredited)
- 1932The Night Club Lady — Mike McDougal
- 1932The Sign of the Cross — Strabo
- 1932The Tenderfoot — Joe (uncredited)
- 1931Blonde Crazy — Hank aka Pete
- 1931Fair Warning — Purvis
- 1931Manhattan Parade — Lady Godiva's Husband
- 1931Seas Beneath — 'Butch' Wagner (uncredited)
- 1931The Ruling Voice — Board Member (uncredited)
- 1931The Secret Witness — Gunner - Bodyguard
- 1931The Spirit of Notre Dame — Assistant Coach
- 1931The Star Witness — Big Jack
- 1930Crazy House — Chef (uncredited)
- 1930The Big Pond — Pat O'Day
- 1930The Last of the Duanes — Bossamer
- 1930The Sea Wolf — Smoke
- 1929The Laughing Lady — James Dugan
- 1926Let's Get Married — Jimmy
- 1924The Hoosier Schoolmaster — Bud Means
Appearances as themselves (3)
- 2003Complicated Women — Self (archive footage)
- 1994Abbott and Costello Meet Jerry Seinfeld — Self (archive footage)
- The George Gobel Show — Self