Joseph Cawthorn
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- March 27, 1868
- Died
- January 21, 1949 (aged 80)
- Birthplace
- New York City, New York, USA
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Joseph Cawthorn (March 29, 1868, New York City, New York – January 21, 1949, Beverly Hills, California) was an American stage and film comic actor. Cawthorn started out in show business as a child, debuting at Robinson's Music Hall in his hometown of New York in 1872. He appeared in minstrel shows and vaudeville as a "Dutch" comic, employing a thick German dialect. He later worked in British music halls and American touring companies. Cawthorn made his Broadway debut in 1895, 1897 or 1898, and embarked on a long career lasting over two decades. His first success was playing Boris in Victor Herbert's 1898 operetta The Fortune Teller. Other notable Broadway roles included the title character in Mother Goose (1903) and inventor Dr. Pill in the fantasy musical Little Nemo (1908). In the latter, he was called upon to ad lib to buy time during one performance. As "the scene called for him to describe imaginary animals he had hunted", he invented the "whiffenpoof" on the spot. Yale students in the audience appropriated it for the name of their glee club. When his Broadway stardom waned, Cawthorn moved to Hollywood in 1927 and started a second prolific career, appearing in over 50 films, the last in 1942. He played Gremio in the first sound adaptation of The Taming of the Shrew in 1929, starring Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks; Schultz in Gold Diggers of 1935; and Florenz Ziegfeld's father in The Great Ziegfeld (1936). Cawthorn died peacefully on January 21, 1949. He was survived by his wife, actress Queenie Vassar.
Known For
Filmography
The Postman Didn't Ring
Movie · as Silas Harwood
So Ends Our Night
Movie · as Leopold Potzloch
Scatterbrain
Movie · as Nicholas Raptis
Lillian Russell
Movie · as Leopold Damrosch
The Great Ziegfeld
Movie · as Dr. Ziegfeld
One Rainy Afternoon
Movie · as Monique's Father
Brides Are Like That
Movie · as Fred Schultz
Hot Money
Movie · as Max Dourfuss
Freshman Love
Movie · as Wilson, Sr.
Crime Over London
Movie · as Mr. Sherwood / Reilly
Naughty Marietta
Movie · as Herr 'Schumie' Schuman
Sweet Music
Movie · as Sidney Selzer
Harmony Lane
Movie · as Professor Henry Kleber
Page Miss Glory
Movie · as Mr. Freischutz
Maybe It's Love
Movie · as Adolph Sr.
Smart Girl
Movie · as Karl Krausemeyer
Bright Lights
Movie · as Oscar Schlemmer
Gold Diggers of 1935
Movie · as August Schultz
Beautiful Dreamer
Movie
Sweet Adeline
Movie · as Oscar Schmidt
Young and Beautiful
Movie · as Herman Cline
The Last Gentleman
Movie · as Dr. Wilson
Housewife
Movie · as Krueger (as Joe Cawthorne)
Twenty Million Sweethearts
Movie · as Herbert Brokman
Lazy River
Movie · as Mr. Julius Ambrose
Music in the Air
Movie · as Hans Uppman
The Human Side
Movie · as Fritz Speigal
Blondie Johnson
Movie · as Jewelry Store Manager (as Joe Cawthorn)
Best of Enemies
Movie · as Gus Schneider
Broken Dreams
Movie · as Pop
Whistling in the Dark
Movie · as Barfuss
Grand Slam
Movie · as Alex Alexandrovitch
Made on Broadway
Movie · as Maxie Schultz
Love Me Tonight
Movie · as Dr. Armand de Fontinac
White Zombie
Movie · as Dr. Bruner
They Call It Sin
Movie · as Mr. Hollister
Men Are Such Fools
Movie · as Werner (as Joseph Cawthorne)
Peach-o-Reno
Movie · as Joe Bruno
Kiki
Movie · as Alfred Rapp
The Runaround
Movie · as Lou
A Tailor-Made Man
Movie · as Huber
Dixiana
Movie · as Cornelius Van Horn, Carl's Father
The Princess and the Plumber
Movie · as Merkl
Dance Hall
Movie · as Bremmer
Jazz Heaven
Movie · as Herman Kemple
Street Girl
Movie · as Keppel - Cafe Owner
The Taming of the Shrew
Movie · as Gremio
Speakeasy
Movie · as Yokel
Hold 'Em Yale
Movie · as Professor George Bradbury
Silk Legs
Movie · as Ezra Fulton
Very Confidential
Movie · as Donald Allen
Two Girls Wanted
Movie · as Philip Hancock
The Secret Studio
Movie · as Pa Merton