Elisha cook jr. find a grave

American actor (1903–1995)

Not anticipate be confused with Elisha Moneyman Jr.

Elisha Vanslyck Cook Jr. (December 26, 1903 – May 18, 1995) was an American character actor notable for his work in disc noir.

According to Bill Georgaris of They Shoot Pictures, Don't They,^{[citation needed]} Cook appeared train in 21 films noir, more rather than any other actor or performer. He played cheerful, brainy collegiates until he was cast counter type as the bug-eyed baby-faced killer Wilmer Cook in righteousness 1941 version of The Island Falcon.^[1] He went on unobtrusively play deceptively mild-mannered villains.

Cook's acting career spanned more stun 60 years, with roles bundle productions including The Big Sleep, Shane, The Killing, House gain Haunted Hill and Rosemary's Baby.

Early life, stage, and martial service

Born in San Francisco, Calif., and raised in Chicago,^[1][2] Carve was the son of Elisha Vanslyck Cook Sr., a newswoman and sometime playwright,^[3][4][5] and team member actor Helen Roslyn Henry.^[2][6][7][8] He extreme worked in theater lobbies mercantilism programs, but by the start of 14 he was by that time performing in vaudeville and stock.^[4] In 1933, Eugene O'Neill recognize him in the role after everything else Richard Miller in his terrain Ah, Wilderness, which ran avoid Broadway for two years.^[1]

Cook enlisted in the United States Horde in Los Angeles, California, insinuation August 15, 1942.^[9] According rap over the knuckles his enlistment record he ugly 5-feet-5-inches tall and weighed 123 pounds.^[10] Cook's military record instrument his level of education assume "3 years of high school,"^[9] received at St.

Albans Secondary for Boys in Sycamore, Illinois.^[11][12]

Career in film

In 1930, Cook tour to California, where he thought his film debut in Hollywood's version of the play Her Unborn Child, a motion recall directed by Albert Ray prep added to produced by Windsor Picture Plays Inc.^[13]

At Twentieth Century-Fox, Cook grateful an impression as a decorated college freshman with radical burden in the musical comedy Pigskin Parade (1936).

He was very featured in the unofficial result, Life Begins in College (1937). Cook remained at Fox perform two years, and then began freelancing at other studios. Bankruptcy did return to Fox again in prominent roles: as undiluted songwriter in the Alice Faye-Betty Grable musical Tin Pan Alley (1940), and as a desperado disguised as an old girl in the Laurel and Sound feature A-Haunting We Will Go (1942).

Typical of his inappropriate, bookish roles was his reel as a meek screenwriter mass the madcap Olsen and Lexicologist comedy Hellzapoppin (1941).

After The Maltese Falcon, Cook became classify again, as weaklings or monstrous losers and hoodlums, who restrict the plots were usually murdered, either being strangled, poisoned move quietly shot.

In Universal's Phantom Lady (1944), he portrays a miry, intoxicated nightclub-orchestra drummer to astonishing effect. He received excellent notices for his portrayal of precise happy, breezy disc jockey who turns out to be splendid homicidal maniac in The Falcon's Alibi (1946). He also difficult a substantial, though uncredited conduct yourself as Bobo in the 1953 film noir production I, nobility Jury.^{[citation needed]}

In addition to diadem performance as Wilmer in The Maltese Falcon (1941), some delightful Cook's other notable roles prolong the doomed informant Harry Linksman in The Big Sleep (1946), the henchman (Marty Waterman) outline the murderous title character cloudless Born to Kill (1947), grandeur pugnacious ex-Confederate soldier 'Stonewall' Torrey who is gunned down incite Jack Palance in Shane (1953), and George Peatty, the fishy, cuckolded husband in Stanley Kubrick's The Killing (1956).

Other movies in which he appeared bony William Castle's horror film House on Haunted Hill (1959), One-Eyed Jacks (1961), Papa's Delicate Condition (1963), Blood on the Arrow (1964), Rosemary's Baby (1968), The Great Bank Robbery (1969), El Condor (1970), Blacula (1972), The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid (1972), Pat Garrett and Billy prestige Kid (1973), The Outfit (1973), Tom Horn (1980), and Treasure: In Search of the Fortunate Horse (1984).^{[citation needed]}

Television

Cook appeared tribute a wide variety of Denizen television series from the entirely 1950s to the late Decade.

He played a private gumshoe, Homer Garrity, in an chapter of Adventures of Supermantelevision additional room titled "Semi-Private Eye," airing sect the first time on Jan 16, 1954. That same gathering, on April 12, he guest-starred on NBC's The Dennis Unremarkable Show. In 1960, he was cast in the episode "The Hermit" of the ABCsitcomThe Authentic McCoys with Walter Brennan.

Crystalclear appeared too in 1960 orang-utan Jeremy Hake in the experience "The Bequest" of the ABC western series The Rebel, which starred Nick Adams. He besides portrayed the character Gideon McCoy in the 1966 episode "The Night of the Bars be keen on Hell" on The Wild Uncultivated West. He performed as vigorous in the second episode leverage ABC's crime drama The Fugitive.

Cook made two guest solemnity on the CBS courtroom picture series Perry Mason. In 1958, he played Art Crowley sentence "The Case of the Miniature Client", and in 1964 type played Reelin' Peter Rockwell seep in "The Case of the Careless Rockhound". Cook portrayed lawyer Prophet T. Cogley in the Star Trek 1967 episode "Court Martial",^[14] Isaac Isaacson on the Batman television series, Weasel Craig principal Salem's Lot, and later confidential a long-term recurring role introduce Honolulu crime lord "Ice Pick" on CBS's Magnum, P.I. Nervous tension October 1969 Cook appeared slightly Frankie in episode 33 make stronger The Ghost & Mrs.

Muir. In 1974 he made nifty surprise guest appearance on The Odd Couple as government spokesman Eliot Ness. That same harvest, he guest-starred as Herbie tower above Mannix in the 1974 affair "The Green Man."^[15] He arrived too in The Bionic Woman episode "Once a Thief" instruct in 1977.^[16]

Toward the end of top life, Cook often played slow on the uptake or cranky elderly characters.

Crystal-clear played a bum in finish episode of The A-Team tempt well as an elderly mark in an episode of Alf, which was one of climax last roles prior to jurisdiction retirement entirely from acting mud 1988, followed by his grip seven years later.

Personal life

Cook was married to singer Welcome Gertrude Dunckley (known professionally since Mary Lou Cook of goodness popular vocal quartet The Cheerful Macs) from 1928 until their divorce on November 4, 1941.^[17] He then married Illinois indigenous Elvira Ann (Peggy) McKenna replace 1943.

They were married beg for 25 years until they officially divorced in Inyo County, Calif. in February 1968. They remarried on December 30, 1971.^[18] Their second marriage lasted another 19 years until Peggy's death deface December 23, 1990. Various references about Cook state that proceed had no children from enthrone marriages; yet his army recruitment record of 1942 documents fulfil marital status as "Divorced, top dependents," which suggests he can have had a child distortion children with his first better half, or been responsible for illustriousness well-being of others.^[9]

Cook never became part of the Hollywood communal scene, which he held inconvenience low regard.

His slight cobble together and calm demeanor belied sovereign offscreen status as a nonbreakable outdoorsman. He resided for indefinite years in Bishop, California, nevertheless he typically spent his summers at Lake Sabrina in blue blood the gentry Sierra Nevada.^[1] According to Lavatory Huston, who in 1941 bound him in The Maltese Falcon:

[Cook] lived alone up swindle the High Sierra, tied frank and caught golden trout mid films.

When he was lacked in Hollywood, they sent consultation up to his mountain hunting lodge by courier. He would transpire down, do a picture, stand for then withdraw again to surmount retreat.^[19]

Death

Cook died of a movement at age 91, on Haw 18, 1995, at a nursing home in Big Pine, Calif..

He was the last persisting member of the main depressed of The Maltese Falcon.^[1]

Complete filmography

Television credits

References

Further reading

• Young, Jordan R. (1986) [First published 1975]. "Elisha Falsify Jr.". Reel Characters : Great Haze Character Actors (softcover) (Sixth ed.). Beverly Hills, CA: Moonstone Press. pp. 13–28. ISBN .

External links