George Mathews (actor)
George Mathews | |
|---|---|
 Cast portrait of George Mathews in the 1937 Broadway production of Processional | |
| Born | October 10, 1911 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Died | November 7, 1984 (aged 73) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1933–1972 |
| Height | 6' 1.5" |
| Spouse | Mary Haynsworth |
George Mathews (October 10, 1911 – November 7, 1984)[1] was an American actor whose film career stretched from an uncredited appearance in Stage Door Canteen in 1943 to Going Home in 1971.[citation needed]
Biography
[edit]
Mathews was born in Brooklyn, New York.[2]
Matthews's stage career began during the Great Depression when he became manager of an Italian stock theater company. Athough he knew no Italian and had no experience as a stage manager, he took the job to end his jobless status. At one point the actor who portrayed the good cop in the play was sick, and Mathews was drafted to fill in for him. Mathews said the impresario "thought I made such a good cop that he turned the role over to me permanently. That was the beginning of my acting career."[3]
Mathews was often cast as heavies or hardened military types. He appeared in both the stage (1942–43) and film version (1944) of The Eve of St. Mark, as Sergeant Ruby. He also portrayed a comedic thug in Pat and Mike (1952).
He appeared on Broadway in the Garson Kanin-directed musical comedy Do Re Mi (1960–62), as Fatso O'Rear. He later appeared on Broadway in Catch Me If You Can in 1965.[1]
In 1962, he appeared in Have Gun – Will Travel, Season 6, Episode 6. That same year, he played ex-fighter, “Champ”, in the Season 7 Episode 28 of Gunsmoke, “The Dealer”.[4] He demonstrated his comedic talent in the short-lived television comedy series Glynis (1963), playing ex-cop Chick Rogers, who assists a mystery writer and amateur sleuth, played by Glynis Johns, in solving "whodunnits".
Perhaps his most memorable role was as the bully "Harvey" in 'The Bensonhurst Bomber' episode of The Honeymooners. He retired from the screen in 1972.
Personal life and death
[edit]Mathews died from heart disease in Caesars Head, South Carolina, aged 73, in 1984.[5] He was married to stage actress Mary (Haynsworth) Mathews from 1951 until his death in 1984.[6]
Filmography
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1943 | Stage Door Canteen | Marine Sergeant with Ray Bolger | Uncredited |
| 1944 | Up in Arms | Blackie | |
| 1944 | The Eve of St. Mark | Sergeant Ruby | |
| 1944 | Wing and a Prayer | Dooley | |
| 1944 | Wilson | Army Sergeant | Uncredited |
| 1945 | The Corn Is Green | Trap Driver | Uncredited |
| 1945 | The Great John L. | John Flood | |
| 1952 | Pat and Mike | Spec Cauley | |
| 1952 | Sally and Saint Anne | Father Kennedy | |
| 1952 | Yankee Buccaneer | Chief Petty Officer Link | |
| 1953 | Last of the Comanches | Romany O'Rattigan | |
| 1953 | City Beneath the Sea | Captain Meade aka Ralph Sorensen | |
| 1953 | Act of Love | Henderson | |
| 1954 | The Great Diamond Robbery | Duke Fargoh | |
| 1955 | The Man with the Golden Arm | Williams | |
| 1956 | The Proud Ones | Dillon | |
| 1956 | The Last Wagon | Sheriff Bull Harper | |
| 1957 | Gunfight at the O.K. Corral | John Shanssey | |
| 1958 | The Buccaneer | Pyke | |
| 1960 | Heller in Pink Tights | Sam Pierce | |
| 1962 | The Hole | Construction Worker | (winner of the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film) |
| 1971 | Going Home | Malloy | (final film role) |
Selected Television
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | Death Valley Days | Season 2, Episode 14, "Husband Pro-Tem" | |
| 1956 | The Phil Silvers Show | Beast | Season 1, Episode 28 "Bilko and the Beast" |
| 1956 | The Honeymooners | Harvey | Episode "The Bensonhurst Bomber" |
| 1956 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Sam Dunleavy / Mac McGurk | Season 1 Episode 15: "The Big Switch" as Sam Dunleavy
Season 2 Episode 6: "Toby" as Mac McGurk |
| 1959 | The Rifleman | Abel MacDonald | Season 1, Episode 31, "The Angry Man" |
| 1960 | Have Gun - Will Travel | Clerk | Season 3, Episode 21 "The Night the Town Died" |
| 1953 | The Lone Ranger | Bill Adams | Episode "The Devil's Bog" |
| 1961 | Wanted Dead or Alive | Krebs | Season 3, Episode 20 "The Long Search" |
| 1962 | Gunsmoke | Champ | Season 7 Episode 28 “The Dealer” |
References
[edit]- ^ a b "George Mathews". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on April 21, 2021. Retrieved August 31, 2024.
- ^ "George Mathews, actor who played gangsters". The Courier News. New Jersey, Bridgewater. Associated Press. November 13, 1984. p. 23. Retrieved February 8, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Mathews Scores in 'Great White Hope'". Fort Lauderdale News. February 24, 1969. p. 11 B. Retrieved August 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Have Gun - Will Travel - Episodes (1957–1963)".
- ^ "George Mathews, 73, Actor On Broadway And In Movies", The New York Times, November 13, 1984.
- ^ Obituary of Mary H. Matthews, The Greenville News, May 7, 2011 (reprinted at legacy.com).
External links
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