J. Carrol Naish

albatros1 ( 2008-01-23 )

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Joseph Patrick Carrol Naish (21 January 1897 – 24 January 1973) was an American character actor born in New York City, New York. Naish did many film roles, but they were eclipsed when he found fame in the title role of radio's Life with Luigi, topping Bob Hope in the 1950 ratings. He began as a member of Gus Edwards's vaudeville troupe of child performers. He was traveling the globe from Europe to Egypt to Asia, when his China-bound ship developed engine problems, leaving him in California in 1926. His uncredited bit role in What Price Glory (1926) launched his career in more than 200 films. He was twice nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, the first for his role in the 1943 film, Sahara, then for his performance in the 1945 film, A Medal for Benny, for which he won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture. He was of Irish descent, but he never used his dialect skills to play Irishmen, instead, he portrayed myriad other ethnic groups on screen: Latino, Native American, East Asian, Polynesian, South Asian, Eastern European and Mediterranean. Besides his film roles, he often appeared on television later in his career. Naish was married to actress Gladys Hearney. He spent many of his later years in San Diego studying philosophy and theology. He died from emphysema in La Jolla, California and was interred in the Calvary Cemetery, East Los Angeles.