Hardie Albright is a name that few people remember today, although he was a familiar face among supporting players in movies of the 1930s-'40s and TV series of the 1960s. Albright also had several Broadway plays to his credit and, during a break from acting in the late 1940s and early '50s, served as a drama instructor at UCLA and wrote books on acting and directing.

He was born Hardie Hunter Albrecht in Charleroi, PA, on December 16, 1903. His parents were vaudeville performers and with them, he made his debut at seven years old. After graduating from Carnegie Tech with a degree in drama, he joined a repertory company headed by Eva Le Gallienne. His Broadway credits include Twelfth Night, John Gabriel Borkman, The Merchant of Venice and The Greeks Had a Word for It.

Albright made his film debut in Fox's Young Sinners in 1931 and would appear in about 50 movies. He had roles in two Bette Davis films of 1932: The Cabin in the Cotton and Three on a Match; as well as the Gary Cooper vehicle The Pride of the Yankees (1942).

Although uncredited for the role, Albright may be best remembered for voicing the adolescent deer in the animated Disney film Bambi (1942). The numerous TV series in which he appeared included Perry Mason, Rawhide, Leave It to Beaver and Gunsmoke.

Albright was married to two actresses: Martha Sleeper (1934-39) and Arnita Wallace (1944-his death). He died on December 7, 1975, from congestive heart failure. His ashes were spread in his native Pennsylvania.

Five of the films in the TCM salute are from 1932: So Big! and The Purchase Price, both starring Barbara Stanwyck; Jewel Robbery, starring William Powell and Kay Francis; The Match King, starring Warren William; and A Successful Calamity, starring George Arliss.

The others are The House On 56th Street (1933), starring Kay Francis; The Working Man (1933), starring George Arliss with Bette Davis in support; Two Heads on a Pillow (1934), starring Neil Hamilton; and Angel on My Shoulder (1946), starring Paul Muni and Anne Baxter.

by Roger Fristoe