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Joseph Cawthorn
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Joseph Cawthorn (March 29, 1868, New York City, New York – January 21, 1949, Beverly Hills, California) was an American stage and film comic actor. Cawthorn started out in show business as a child, debuting at Robinson's Music Hall in his hometown of New York in 1872. He appeared in minstrel shows and vaudeville as a "Dutch" comic, employing a thick German dialect. He later worked in British music halls and American touring companies.
Cawthorn made his Broadway debut in 1895, 1897 or 1898, and embarked on a long career lasting over two decades. His first success was playing Boris in Victor Herbert's 1898 operetta The Fortune Teller. Other notable Broadway roles included the title character in Mother Goose (1903) and inventor Dr. Pill in the fantasy musical Little Nemo (1908). In the latter, he was called upon to ad lib to buy time during one performance. As "the scene called for him to describe imaginary animals he had hunted", he invented the "whiffenpoof" on the spot. Yale students in the audience appropriated it for the name of their glee club.
When his Broadway stardom waned, Cawthorn moved to Hollywood in 1927 and started a second prolific career, appearing in over 50 films, the last in 1942. He played Gremio in the first sound adaptation of The Taming of the Shrew in 1929, starring Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks; Schultz in Gold Diggers of 1935; and Florenz Ziegfeld's father in The Great Ziegfeld (1936).
Cawthorn died peacefully on January 21, 1949. He was survived by his wife, actress Queenie Vassar.
Known For | Acting |
---|---|
Most Rating | 1.187 |
Birthday | 1868-03-27 |
Place of Birth | New York City, New York, USA |
Also Known As | Joseph Bridger Cawthorn, Joseph Cawthorne, Joe Cawthorne, Joe Cawthorn, Джозеф Которн, |
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1934
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1933
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1935
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1934
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4.8/6
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1936
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1940
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6.1/9
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1932
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0/0
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1935
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4.5/4
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1929
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5.4/10
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1941
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So Ends Our Night
6/8
An anti-Nazi on the run and a young Jewish couple race across Europe trying to escape Hitler's ever powerful influence.
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So Ends Our Night
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1931
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A Tailor-Made Man
0/0
John Paul Bart is just a pants-presser in a tailor's shop, but he has big ambitions. One night, he borrows the clothes of a wealthy client and bluffs...
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A Tailor-Made Man
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1936
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Crime Over London
6/1
With the police on their tail, a gang of New York criminals decided to relocate to London where they plan a major robbery on a department store.
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Crime Over London
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1927
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Very Confidential
0/0
A young lady impersonates a famous sportswoman while trying to win over a man.
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Very Confidential
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1935
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Gold Diggers of 1935
6.4/49
Romance strikes when a vacationing millionairess and her daughter and son spend their vacation at a posh New England resort.
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Gold Diggers of 1935
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1929
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Speakeasy
5/1
Newspaper staffer Alice Woods persuades the editor to allow her to chase a story, that of prizefight contender Martin, who is about to fight for the c...
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Speakeasy
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1933
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Grand Slam
3.7/3
A Russian waiter in New York City becomes a national celebrity after he develops a "system" for winning at contract bridge.
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Grand Slam
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1930
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The Princess and the Plumber
0/0
A derogated prince hopes to restore his wealth and power by marrying off his daughter to royalty. Unfortunately, she has fallen in love with a young m...
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The Princess and the Plumber
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1934
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The Human Side
0/0
The story of a theatrical producer, his divorced wife and their four children.
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The Human Side
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1927
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Two Girls Wanted
0/0
Marianna Miller, who together with her sister Sarah pounds the pavements, looking for a job. After a period of starvation and deprivation Marianna is...
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Two Girls Wanted
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1933
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Made on Broadway
6.5/2
A satire about the power of publicity. Robert Montgomery plays Jeff Bidwell, a dashing Broadway press agent who has his own private club where he cul...
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