Frank Orth
127 movies · 2 TV shows
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- Feb 20, 1880
- Died
- Mar 17, 1962 (age 82)
- Place of birth
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Also known as
- Frank Kaiser Orth
Biography
Frank Orth was an American actor born in Philadelphia. He is probably best remembered for his portrayal of Inspector Faraday in the 1951-1953 television series “Boston Blackie”. By 1897, Orth was performing in vaudeville with his wife, Ann Codee, in an act called “Codee and Orth.” In 1909, he expanded into song writing, with songs such as “The Phone Bell Rang” and “Meet Me on the Boardwalk, Dearie.” His first contact with motion pictures was in 1928, when he was part of the first foreign-language shorts in sound produced by Warner Bros. He and his wife also appeared together in a series of two-reel comedies in the early 1930s. Orth's first major screen credit was in “Prairie Thunder,” a Dick Foran western, in 1937. From then on, he was often cast as bartenders, pharmacists, and grocery clerks, and always distinctly Irish. He had a recurring role in the Dr. Kildare series of films and also in the Nancy Drew series as the befuddled Officer Tweedy. Among his better roles were the newspaper man Cary Grant telephones early in “His Girl Friday,” one of the quartet singing “Gary Owen” in “They Died with Their Boots On” (thereby giving Errol Flynn as Gen. Custer the idea of associating the tune with the 7th Cavalry), and as the little man carrying the sign reading “The End Is Near” throughout Colonel Effingham's Raid. However, Orth is probably best remembered for his portrayal of Inspector Faraday in the 1951-1953 television series “Boston Blackie.” A short, plump, round-faced man, often smoking a cigar, Orth as Faraday wore his own dark-rimmed spectacles, though rarely in feature films. In 1959, Orth retired from show business after throat surgery. His wife died in 1961 after around fifty years of marriage. Orth died on March 17, 1962. He is buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery in the Hollywood Hills next to his wife.
Profiles IMDb
Known for
Frank Orth: movies and TV shows
Acting (128)
- 1953 Here Come the Girls
as Mr. Hungerford
- 1953 Houdini
as Mr. Hunter
- 1952
- 1952 Something to Live For
as Waiter (uncredited)
- 1951 Double Dynamite
as Mr. Kofer
- 1951
- 1950 The Petty Girl
as Moody (process server)
- 1950 Father of the Bride
as Joe
- 1950 Cheaper by the Dozen
as Higgins (uncredited)
- 1950 The Great Rupert
as Mr. Frank Dingle
- 1949 Bride for Sale
as Police Sergeant (uncredited)
- 1949 Red Light
as Wallace 'Wally' Stoner
- 1948 Blondie's Secret
as Mr. Philpotts
- 1948 The Girl from Manhattan
as Oscar Newsome
- 1948 So This Is New York
as AJ Gluskoter
- 1948 The Big Clock
as Burt
- 1947 It Had to Be You
as Conductor Brown
- 1947 The Gas House Kids in Hollywood
as Police Captain
- 1947 Heartaches
as Mike Connelly, Vic's Agent
- 1947 The Guilt of Janet Ames
as Danny
- 1947 Born to Speed
as Breezy Bradley
- 1946 Lady in the Lake
as Floyd Greer (Uncredited)
- 1946 Wake Up and Dream
as Milkman
- 1946 It's Great to Be Young
as Franklin Johnson
- 1946 The Strange Love of Martha Ivers
as Hotel Clerk
- 1946 The Bride Wore Boots
as Judge (uncredited)
- 1946 Murder in the Music Hall
as Henderson
- 1946 The Hoodlum Saint
as Chronicle Editor (uncredited)
- 1945 Doll Face
as Peters
- 1945 The Lost Weekend
as Opera Cloak Room Attendant
- 1945 She Went to the Races
as Skelly
- 1945 Tell It to a Star
as Augustus T. Goodman
- 1945 Pillow to Post
as Clayfield Taxi Driver
- 1944 Storm Over Lisbon
as Murgatroyd
- 1944 Tall in the Saddle
as 'Shorty' Davis (uncredited)
- 1944 Greenwich Village
as Ordway
- 1944 The Impatient Years
as Counterman
- 1944 Wilson
as Smith (uncredited)
- 1944 Summer Storm
as Cafe Maitre d' at End (uncredited)
- 1944 Roger Touhy, Gangster
as . Comic in Theater (uncredited)
- 1943 Sweet Rosie O'Grady
as Taxi Driver
- 1943 Coney Island
as Bartender
- 1943 Hello, Frisco, Hello
as Lou, Bartender at Sharkey's
- 1943 The Ox-Bow Incident
as Larry Kinkaid (uncredited)
- 1943 The Meanest Man in the World
as Bartender (uncredited)
- 1942 Springtime in the Rockies
as Bickel (uncredited)
- 1942 Dr. Gillespie's New Assistant
as Mike Ryan
- 1942 Orchestra Wives
as Rex Willet
- 1942 Tales of Manhattan
as Secondhand Clothes Dealer
- 1942 Footlight Serenade
as Mike
- 1942 The Magnificent Dope
as Messenger
- 1942 Henry and Dizzy
as Joe McGuire
- 1942 My Gal Sal
as McGuiness
- 1942 Rings on Her Fingers
as Kellogg
- 1942 Roxie Hart
as Bar Client #2 (uncredited)
- 1942 Dr. Kildare's Victory
as Mike Ryan
- 1942 Right to the Heart
as Pete
- 1942 Over My Dead Body
as Detective
- 1942 Blue, White and Perfect
as Mr. Toby
- 1941 They Died with Their Boots On
as Barfly (uncredited)
- 1941 I Wake Up Screaming
as Cemetery Caretaker
- 1941 Sergeant York
as Drummer (uncredited)
- 1941 Broadway Limited
as Lou, Cafe Proprietor
- 1941 The People Vs. Dr. Kildare
as Mike Ryan
- 1941 Ride on Vaquero
as Auctioneer
- 1941 The Strawberry Blonde
as Baxter - Livery Stable Owner (uncredited)
- 1941 Come Live with Me
as Jerry
- 1941 Let's Make Music
as Mr. Botts
- 1941 Respect the Law
as Peter Brennan
- 1940 Michael Shayne: Private Detective
as Steve
- 1940 You, the People
as Soda Jerk
- 1940 Dr. Kildare's Crisis
as Mike Ryan, Cafe Owner
- 1940 Father Is A Prince
as Drugstore Proprieter
- 1940 Gallant Sons
as Newspaper Foreman (uncredited)
- 1940 Mexican Spitfire Out West
as Window Washer
- 1940 Dr. Kildare Goes Home
as Mike Ryan (uncredited)
- 1940 Boom Town
as Barber
- 1940 Buyer Beware
as Smith (uncredited)
- 1940 Pier 13
as Dead Pan Charlie
- 1940 Gold Rush Maisie
as Harris
- 1940 Brother Orchid
as Waiter at Fat Dutchy's (uncredited)
- 1940 Florian
as Detective
- 1940 La Conga Nights
as Dennis O'Brien
- 1940 The Doctor Takes a Wife
as New York Editor (uncredited)
- 1940 'Til We Meet Again
as Hong Kong Bartender (uncredited)
- 1940 Dr. Kildare's Strange Case
as Mike
- 1940 Know Your Money
as Tobacconist (uncredited)
- 1940 His Girl Friday
as Duffy
- 1939 The Secret of Dr. Kildare
as Mike
- 1939 At the Circus
as Chef in Diner (uncredited)
- 1939 Fast and Furious
as Captain Joe Burke
- 1939 Dust Be My Destiny
as Wedding Witness on Stage (uncredited)
- 1939 Thunder Afloat
as Old Sailor in Bilge Area (uncredited)
- 1939 Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase
as Captain Tweedy
- 1939 Stanley and Livingstone
as Newspaperman with Pills
- 1939 Tell No Tales
as Vic - Bartender (uncredited)
- 1939 Young Mr. Lincoln
as Loafer (uncredited)
- 1939 Calling Dr. Kildare
as Mike Sullivan - Hospital Cafe Owner (uncredited)
- 1939 Broadway Serenade
as Mr. Fellows
- 1939 Within the Law
as Jim Jenks
- 1939 Nancy Drew... Reporter
as Captain Tweedy (uncredited)
- 1939 Fast and Loose
as Detective Hendricks (uncredited)
- 1939 Idiot's Delight
as Benny Zinsser
- 1939 Burn 'Em Up O'Connor
as Tim McKelvy
- 1938 Comet Over Broadway
as Cab Driver (uncredited)
- 1938 Nancy Drew… Detective
as Captain Tweedy
- 1938 Young Dr. Kildare
as Mike Ryan (uncredited)
- 1938 Mr. Chump
as Sheriff Frank Hinton
- 1938 Think It Over
as Brown, Clothing Store Owner
- 1938 Torchy Blane in Panama
as First Leopard (uncredited)
- 1938 The Patient in Room 18
as Joe Higgins - Night Watchman
- 1937 Missing Witnesses
as Gordon (uncredited)
- 1937 The Footloose Heiress
as Justice Abner Cuttler
- 1937 Prairie Thunder
as Wichita
- 1937 The Devil's Saddle Legion
as Judge Barko
- 1937 Talent Scout
as Burlesque Theatre Manager (uncredited)
- 1937 Ever Since Eve
as Cocktail Waiter (uncredited)
- 1937 Marry the Girl
as Bar owner
- 1937 San Quentin
as Convict in Bunkhouse (uncredited)
- 1937 Land Beyond the Law
as Shorty Long
- 1936 Polo Joe
as Bert
- 1936 Hot Money
as Hank Ford
- 1936 Two Against the World
as Tommy - Bartender
- 1935 Unwelcome Stranger
as Jackson
- 1935 The Payoff
as Porter (uncredited)
- 1931 The Victim
as The Husband
- 1930
- 1929
Behind the camera (1)
- 1944 The Mummy's Curse
Songs