Walter Catlett: Biography, Career, Personal Life

2024 Author: Mabel Warren | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 16:20

Walter Catlett is an American television and stage comedian actor. His role is - excitable semi-official braggart, annoying, temperamental and dignified assholes.

Biography

Walter Catlett was born on February 4, 1889 in San Francisco, California, USA. Father - Leland Catlett, American actor, native of Leland.

He first married actress Rath Verney. The second wife of the actor was Zanetta Wetrous.

Catlett died on November 14, 1960 in Woodland Hills, California, USA. The cause of death is a cerebral hemorrhage. Buried in Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City.

Career

Walter's acting career began with vaudeville - comedy plays with verses and dances. In a duet with the American character actor Hobart Cavanaugh, Walter appeared on the stage in 1906 and after a while achieved great success.

Catlett's most successful roles were in The Prince of Plze (1911) and So Long (1916), staged at the Broadway theater.

The actor was involved in the then popular operettas and musicals "Siegfeld Fallis" (1917) and the original production of Jerome Kern "Sally" (1920). In John Gershwins' play “Lady Be Kind” (1924) at the Fred Astaire Theater, Walter presented his own song “Oh Lady, Be Kind!”.

Walter played with opera for a while. In cinema, he regularly began acting in 1924, although he first appeared on the screen in 1912 in an unknown film. Walter's first cinematic role took place in 1924 in Albert Park's love comedy Second Youth.

At first, Catlett starred in silent films, but this did not bring him popularity. But with the advent of sound films, the actor was able to realize his entire comic repertoire on the screen. His most popular roles were:

• theater manager at Yankee Doodle Dandy;
• the local constable in Howard Hawks's classic comedy Sunrise;
• drunk poet in a restaurant at Mr. Deeds Goes to Town ".

Critics from The New York Times wrote about him that "this witty comedian always escapes with eye-popping laurels."

In 1938, in the film Leopard Kissing One, Catlett taught future actress Katharine Hepburn to kiss a live leopard in front of a movie camera.

In 1935, Walter played John Barsard in David Selznick's A Tale of Two Cities, starring Ronald Coleman. Voiced Lisa - the main villain in the 1940 Disney cartoon "Pinocchio".

In the 1950s, he took part in the filming of the films "Here Comes the Bride", "Friendly Persuasion" and "Beau James", as well as on the Walt Disney series "Devi Crockett".

Until 1957, Walter played roles in 150 silent and talkie films, specializing in comic characters. He played pompous and fussy heroes, fools and braggart.

Until his death, Walter played roles in theater and cinema. Only after 1957 he retired a little and began filming only for television programs.

On February 8, 1960, shortly after Walter's death, he received a personal star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located at 1713 Vine Street (Grape Street).

Theatrical and cinematic creativity

Walter Catlett played his best roles in the theater in the following productions:

1. The Prince of Pilsen (1911).
2. So Long Letty (1916).
3. Siegfeld Fallis (1918).
4. Little Miss SimpleCity (1918).
5. Sally (1920).
6. Lady Be Kind (1924).
7. Rio Rita (1927).

In 1931, Walter starred in Lewis Milestone's eccentric black-and-white comedy Front Page, an adaptation of the Broadway play of the same name. The film won three Academy Awards, and in 2010 was included in the US National Film Register as a painting of aesthetic, cultural and historical significance.

In the same year, Catlett starred in another famous film "Platinum Blonde". This 1931 romantic comedy was Frank Capra's first sound film. Lead actor Robert Williams passed away just three days after the film's premiere.

In 1936, Walter played a role in another notable film, Mr. Deeds Moves to Town. This comedy with elements of social drama directed by Frank Capra was awarded an Oscar and a special prize at the 1936 Venice Film Festival.

In 1940, Catlett tried himself as a voice actor for the first time. He voices Lisa in the cartoon "Pinocchio" based on the fairy tale "The Adventures of Pinocchio". This animated feature is the second film to be produced by Walt Disney Studios. In the credits for this film, Walter's name is not indicated.

In 1942, a musical and biographical film "Yankee Doodle Dandy" was released, telling about the actor, dancer, singer, playwright, producer, poet, director and owner of the theater George Kohan. It was said of this man that "he owns Broadway." The film premiered just six months before the death of Kohan himself.

Additionally, Catlett starred in a number of lesser-known films from the 20s, 30s and 40s:

1. Second Youth (1924).
2. "Summer Bachelors" (1926).
3. The Music Teacher (1927).
4. "Married in Hollywood" (1929).
5. "Girl from Florodora" (1930).
6. "Educator of Real Men" (1931).
7. Air Rooster (1932).
8. Rain (1933).
9. Mom Loves Dad (1934).
10. "A History of Two Cities" (1935).
11. "Careful, love at work" (1937).
12. Raising Baby (1938) is an eccentric comedy by Howard Hawks.
13. Zaza (1939).
14. Half Sinner (1940).
15. "Girl in a Million" (1941).
16. The Stars and Stripes Rhythm (1942).
17. His Butler's Sister (1943) is an American comedy musical.
18. "The man who walked by himself" (1945).
19. "I'll Be Yours" (1947).
20. The Boy with Silver Hair (1948).
21. The Inspector General (1949) is a musical comedy by Henry Koster based on the play of the same name by Gogol.
22. The Groom Returns (1951) directed by Frank Capra, based on a short story by Robert Riskin and Liam O'Brien.
23. A Friendly Exhortation (1956).
24. Handsome James (1957).

During his 33-year professional film career, Walter starred in 155 films, 32 of which were short films, and 4 of them did not feature Catlett's name in the credits. Voiced one cartoon and four episodes in four different TV series.