Walter Connolly
Walter Connolly is known for It Happened One Night (1934), Libeled Lady (1936), Nothing Sacred (1937).
Biography
Walter Connolly (April 8, 1887 – May 28, 1940) was an American actor. While some film historians complain that a number of his performances were annoying or overbaked, he was for the most part applauded for his zesty contributions to a number of comedy classics. Frank Capra's Lady for a Day (1933), Broadway Bill (1934) and It Happened One Night (1934), as well as the Carole Lombard/Fredric March screwball farce Nothing Sacred (1937) as news reporter March's hot-headed editor boss are sure-fire examples.
The son of the head of the Western Union relay office, he attended St. Xavier College and the University of Dublin in Ireland before making his New York debut in 1910 in an outdoor presentation of "As You Like It". For the next year or so he was a member of E.H. Sothern's touring company and played supporting roles in a number of Shakespearean shows on the road. After a few silent pictures left him unimpressed with film-making, he turned to the Broadway stage in the 1920s and scored quite well. Somewhat short and tubby, it was not difficult for the jowly, mustachioed actor to seize laughs and he found his share in such outings as "The Talking Parrot" (1923), "Applesauce" (1925), "The Springboard" (1927), "The Happy Husband" (1928), "Stepping Out" (1929), "Your Uncle Dudley" (1930), "Anatol" (1931), "Six Characters in Search of an Author" (1931), "The Good Fairy" (1932) and "The Late Christopher Bean" (1932).
With his talents as a stage farceur firmly established, it was time to make a second attempt at a film career and Hollywood (specifically, Columbia) wisely opened their doors to him. Interestingly, his debut in a full-length talking picture came at age 45 in the form of a drama, Washington Merry-Go-Round (1932), where he was third-billed as a rather benign senator. For the next seven years Connolly, often playing older than he really was, could be found everywhere giving good fluster to the greatest and glossiest of stars -- Janet Gaynor, Carole Lombard, Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, Myrna Loy, Paul Muni, Spencer Tracy, and Ginger Rogers, among hordes of others.
His hobbies were collecting old books and theatre programmes. Connolly was married to actress Nedda Harrigan from 1923 to his death. They had one daughter, Ann (1924–2006). Connolly suffered a fatal stroke on May 28, 1940, and was buried in New St. Joseph Cemetery in Cincinnati.
Questions about Walter Connolly
How many Walter Connolly films are in the catalogue?
The CineQuiz catalogue has 39 films with Walter Connolly, from 1932 to 1975.
What is the best rated Walter Connolly film?
The best rated Walter Connolly film in the catalogue is It Happened One Night (1934), rated 7.8.
What was the first Walter Connolly film?
The first Walter Connolly film in the catalogue is The Bitter Tea of General Yen, from 1932.
Who has Walter Connolly worked with the most?
In the catalogue, Walter Connolly shares the most credits with Frank Capra (3 films), Gene Havlick (3 films) and Joseph Walker (3 films).
People data: TMDb.
Known for
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7.8 It Happened One Night
1934
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7.3 Libeled Lady
1936
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6.9 Start Cheering
1938
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6.8 Twentieth Century
1934
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6.3 Nothing Sacred
1937
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6.3 The Bitter Tea of General Yen
1932
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6.3 The Good Earth
1937
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7.1 Lady for a Day
1933
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6.0 Broadway Bill
1934
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6.7 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
1939
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7.0 Fifth Avenue Girl
1939
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6.8 Man's Castle
1933
Trivia
- Spouse
- Nedda Harrigan
Trivia from Wikidata, licensed CC0.
Full filmography
49 films — 39 in the catalogue
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Black Shadows on a Silver Screen
1975 · Self (archive footage)
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5.4 The Great Victor Herbert
1939 · Victor Herbert
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7.0 Fifth Avenue Girl
1939 · Mr. Borden
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6.4 Those High Grey Walls
1939 · Dr. MacAuley
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6.0 Coast Guard
1939 · Tobias Bliss
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7.1 Good Girls Go to Paris
1939 · Olaf Brand
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5.4 Bridal Suite
1939 · Dr. Theodore Grauer
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6.7 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
1939 · The 'King'
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5.8 Breakdowns of 1938
1938 · Carter Hibbard (archive footage) (uncredited)
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4.7 The Girl Downstairs
1938 · Mr. Brown
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6.0 Too Hot to Handle
1938 · Gabby MacArthur
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5.5 Four's a Crowd
1938 · John P. Dillingwell
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6.9 Start Cheering
1938 · Sam Lewis
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7.0 Penitentiary
1938 · Dist. Atty. Thomas Mathews
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6.6 First Lady
1937 · Carter Hibbard
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6.3 Nothing Sacred
1937 · Oliver Stone
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6.3 The Good Earth
1937 · Uncle
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6.2 The League of Frightened Men
1937 · Nero Wolfe
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6.5 Let's Get Married
1937 · Joe Quinn
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6.7 Nancy Steele Is Missing!
1937 · Michael Steele
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7.3 Libeled Lady
1936 · Mr. Allenbury
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6.0 The King Steps Out
1936 · Maximilian, Duke of Bavaria
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7.0 The Music Goes 'Round
1936 · Hector Courtney
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8.0 Soak the Rich
1936 · Humphrey Craig
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7.5 White Lies
1935 · John Mitchell
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7.8 So Red the Rose
1935 · Malcolm Bedford
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6.0 One Way Ticket
1935 · Captain Bourne
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5.3 She Couldn't Take It
1935 · Daniel Van Dyke
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6.5 Father Brown, Detective
1934 · Father Brown
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6.0 Broadway Bill
1934 · J.L. Higgins
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6.4 The Captain Hates the Sea
1934 · Captain Helquist
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6.9 Lady by Choice
1934 · Judge Daly
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8.0 Servants' Entrance
1934 · Viktor Nilsson
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6.0 Whom the Gods Destroy
1934 · John Forrester aka Eric Jann aka Peter Korotoff
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6.8 Twentieth Century
1934 · Oliver Webb
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6.1 Once to Every Woman
1934 · Dr. Selby
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7.3 Hollywood on Parade No. B-1
1934
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7.8 It Happened One Night
1934 · Alexander Andrews
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10.0 Eight Girls in a Boat
1934 · Storm
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6.3 East of Fifth Avenue
1933 · John Lawton
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9.0 Master of Men
1933 · Sam Parker
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6.8 Man's Castle
1933 · Ira
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7.1 Lady for a Day
1933 · Count Romero
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3.0 Paddy the Next Best Thing
1933 · Major Adair
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6.3 The Bitter Tea of General Yen
1932 · Jones
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6.7 No More Orchids
1932 · Bill Holt
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5.0 Man Against Woman
1932 · Mossie Ennis
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7.5 Washington Merry-Go-Round
1932 · Senator Wylie
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A Soldier's Oath
1915 · Raoul de Reyntiens
People data: TMDb.
Cast