William Demarest

Paul, Minnesota, he was a very prolific film and TV actor, having worked on over 40 films. 1944 The Rats of Tobruk, & Red Sky at Morning. Born in St. 1946 A Son Is Born. William Demarest (February 27, 1892 - December 28, 1983) was an American character actor. 1949 Train of Events & Eureka Stockade. When the Wife's Away (1926). 1950 The Miniver Story & The Wooden Horse.

Finger Prints (1927). 1952 The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men. Don't Tell the Wife (1927). 1953 The Heart of the Matter & The Story of Gilbert and Sullivan. The Gay Old Bird (1927). 1954 Father Brown & Elephant Walk. Matinee Ladies (1927). 1955 Josephine and Men, Make Me an Offer, Passage Home, Simon and Laura & The Dark Avenger.

A Million Bid (1927). 1956 The Battle of the River Plate & A Town Like Alice. Simple Sis (1927). 1957 Windom's Way, Robbery Under Arms & The Shiralee. The Black Diamond Express (1927). 1959 The Nun's Story & Operation Amsterdam. What Happened to Father? (1927). 1960 The Trials of Oscar Wilde & Kidnapped.

The First Auto (1927). 1961 No Love for Johnnie & The Sins of Rachel Cade. The Bush Leaguer (1927). 1962 I Thank a Fool. A Sailor's Sweetheart (1927). 1963 In the Cool of the Day. The Jazz Singer (1927) (uncredited). 1964 First Men in the Moon, Girl with Green Eyes & The Pumpkin Eater.

Amateur Night (1927). 1965 The Flight of the Phoenix. A Reno Divorce (1927). 1966 10:30 P.M. Summer & Judith. Sharp Shooters (1928). 1967 Far from the Madding Crowd. A Girl in Every Port (1928) (uncredited). 1968 The Legend of Lylah Clare.

The Escape (1928). 1971 Sunday, Bloody Sunday & Krasnaya palatka. Pay as You Enter (1928). 1972 Something to Hide. Five and Ten Cent Annie (1928). 1973 England Made Me, A Bequest to the Nation & Lost Horizon. The Butter and Egg Man (1928). 1974 The Abdication.

The Crash (1928). 1976 Network. The Broadway Melody (1929) (uncredited). 1977 Raid On Entebbe (TV movie). The Run Around (1932). When his real identity was later revealed, some commentators made the incorrect assumption that William Mitchell must have been his legal name. Fog Over Frisco (1934). He was once arrested for drunkenness in Rome and, when asked for his name, he gave a fictitious one in order to protect his professional reputation.

Many Happy Returns (1934). This is not correct. Gunfire (1934) (uncredited). Some references say his original name was William Mitchell. Fugitive Lady (1934). He is interred in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood, California. After Office Hours (1935) (uncredited). He had four children from his three marriages.

The Casino Murder Case (1935) (uncredited). His third wife was Eletha Finch. The Murder Man (1935). Both marriages ended in divorce. Bright Lights (1935). His fist wife was Tamara Tchinarova and his second wife Yolande Turner. Diamond Jim (1935). Peter Finch was married three times.

Hands Across the Table (1935). Finch also won five Awards of the British Film Academy. White Lies (1935). It was accepted by his widow. The Great Ziegfeld (1936) (uncredited). He died of a stroke during a promotional tour for the film. He nevertheless won the Oscar, the first time the Best Actor award had been made posthumously, and he was the first Australian actor to win the award. Wedding Present (1936). He also won an Oscar nomination for his over-the-top portrayal of a crazed television anchor man in the 1976 film Network.

Love on the Run (1936). In 1972, his role of the homosexual Jewish doctor in Sunday Bloody Sunday earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role. Charlie Chan at the Opera (1936). Finch's Hollywood debut was in The Miniver Story in 1950, but his first major role was 1956 in A Town Like Alice. Mind Your Own Business (1936). His first role in a British-made film was in Eureka Stockade 1949 (set in Australia). Time Out for Romance (1937). Despite his stage experience, Finch suffered from stage fright and turned to films.

Don't Tell the Wife (1937). Finch returned the favor by having an affair with Olivier's wife, Vivien Leigh. Oh Doctor (1937). Thereafter he played again on stage, where he was noticed by Laurence Olivier and encouraged to return to London. Hit Parade of 1937 (1937). He began in 1935 playing theater roles, and also working in radio. In 1938, he appeared in his first movie, Dad and Dave Come to Town. The Great Hospital Mystery (1937). After finishing school, he worked in several badly-paid jobs until he tried acting.

The Great Gambini (1937). There he grew up in Sydney. Easy Living (1937). Born Frederick George Peter Ingle-Finch in London, England, he lived as a child in France and India, and finally in Australia, his parent's native country. Blonde Trouble (1937). Peter Finch (September 28, 1916 - January 14, 1977) was an English-born actor with strong Australian connections. Wake Up and Live (1937).

Big City (1937). Rosalie (1937). Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1938). Romance on the Run (1938).

One Wild Night (1938). Josette (1938). Peck's Bad Boy with the Circus (1938) (uncredited). While New York Sleeps (1938).

The Great Man Votes (1939). King of the Turf (1939). The Gracie Allen Murder Case (1939). Cowboy Quarterback (1939).

Wolf of New York (1940). The Farmer's Daughter (1940). The Great McGinty (1940). The Golden Fleecing (1940).

Comin' Round the Mountain (1940). Christmas in July (1940). Little Men (1940). The Lady Eve (1941).

Rookies On Parade (1941). Ride on Vaquero (1941). Country Fair (1941). The Devil and Miss Jones (1941).

Dressed to Kill (1941). Glamour Boy (1941). Sullivan's Travels (1941). All Through the Night (1942).

True to the Army (1942). My Favorite Spy (1942). Pardon My Sarong (1942). The Palm Beach Story (1942).

Behind the Eight Ball (1942). Life Begins at Eight-Thirty (1942). Johnny Doughboy (1942). Dangerous Blondes (1943).

True to Life (1943). The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1944). Nine Girls (1944). Once Upon a Time (1944).

Hail the Conquering Hero (1944). The Great Moment (1944). Salty O'Rourke (1945). Along Came Jones (1945).

Pardon My Past (1945). Our Hearts Were Growing Up (1946). The Jolson Story (1946). The Perils of Pauline (1947).

Variety Girl (1947). On Our Merry Way (1948). The Sainted Sisters (1948). Night Has a Thousand Eyes (1948).

Whispering Smith (1948). Sorrowful Jones (1949). Jolson Sings Again (1949). Red, Hot and Blue (1949).

When Willie Comes Marching Home (1950). Riding High (1950). He's a Cockeyed Wonder (1950). Never a Dull Moment (1950).

The First Legion (1951). Excuse My Dust (1951). The Strip (1951). Behave Yourself! (1951).

What Price Glory (1952). The Blazing Forest (1952). The Lady Wants Mink (1953). Dangerous When Wet (1953).

Here Come the Girls (1953). Escape from Fort Bravo (1954). The Yellow Mountain (1954). Jupiter's Darling (1955).

The Far Horizons (1955). The Private War of Major Benson (1955). Lucy Gallant (1955). Sincerely Yours (1955).

The Rawhide Years (1955). Hell on Frisco Bay (1955). The Mountain (1956). Pepe (1960).

King of the Roaring 20s - The Story of Arnold Rothstein (1961). Twenty Plus Two (1961). Gunfight at Black Horse Canyon (1961). Tales of Wells Fargo (1957).

Son of Flubber (1963). It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963). Viva Las Vegas (1964). That Darn Cat! (1965).

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (1973). The Wild McCullochs (1975). Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976). The Millionaire (1978).