Allen Jenkins
Born April 08, 1900 (Age: 126)
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Staten Island, New York City, New York, USA
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Allen Jenkins (April 9, 1900 – July 20, 1974) was an American character actor on stage, screen and television. He was born Alfred McGonegal on Staten Island, New York. He studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. In his first stage appearance, he danced next to James Cagney in a chorus line for an off-Broadway musical called Pitter-Patter. He made five dollars a week. He also appeared one thousand times in Broadway plays between 1924 and 1962, including The Front Page with Lee Tracy (1928). His big break came when he replaced Spencer Tracy for three weeks in the Broadway play The Last Mile. He was called to Hollywood by Darryl F. Zanuck and signed first to Paramount Pictures and shortly afterwards to Warner Bros. He originated the character of Frankie Wells in the Broadway production of Blessed Event and reprised the role in the film adaptation, both in 1932. With the advent of talking pictures, he made a career out of playing comic henchmen, stooges, policemen and other "tough guys" in numerous films of the 1930s and 1940s, especially for Warner Bros. He was labeled the "greatest scene-stealer of the 1930s" by the New York Times. He voiced the character of "Officer Dibble" on the Hanna-Barbera television cartoon Top Cat and was a regular on the 1956-1957 television situation comedy Hey, Jeannie! (1956), starring Jeannie Carson. He was also a guest star on The Red Skelton Show, I Love Lucy, Playhouse 90, The Ernie Kovacs Show, Zane Grey Theater, and The Sid Caesar Show. Eleven days before his death he made his final appearance, at the end of Billy Wilder's 1974 film adaptation of The Front Page. He went public with his alcoholism and was the first actor to speak in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate about it. He helped start the first Alcoholics Anonymous programs in California prisons for women. Jenkins, James Cagney, Pat O'Brien and Frank McHugh were the original members of the so-called "Irish Mafia". He was the seventh member of the Screen Actors Guild. Description above from the Wikipedia article Allen Jenkins, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Allen Jenkins (April 9, 1900 – July 20, 1974) was an American character actor on stage, screen and television. He was born Alfred McGonegal on Staten Island, New York.
He studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. In his first stage appearance, he danced next to James Cagney in a chorus line for an off-Broadway musical called Pitter-Patter. He made five dollars a week. He also appeared one thousand times in Broadway plays between 1924 and 1962, including The Front Page with Lee Tracy (1928). His big break came when he replaced Spencer Tracy for three weeks in the Broadway play The Last Mile.
He was called to Hollywood by Darryl F. Zanuck and signed first to Paramount Pictures and shortly afterwards to Warner Bros. He originated the character of Frankie Wells in the Broadway production of Blessed Event and reprised the role in the film adaptation, both in 1932. With the advent of talking pictures, he made a career out of playing comic henchmen, stooges, policemen and other "tough guys" in numerous films of the 1930s and 1940s, especially for Warner Bros. He was labeled the "greatest scene-stealer of the 1930s" by the New York Times. He voiced the character of "Officer Dibble" on the Hanna-Barbera television cartoon Top Cat and was a regular on the 1956-1957 television situation comedy Hey, Jeannie! (1956), starring Jeannie Carson. He was also a guest star on The Red Skelton Show, I Love Lucy, Playhouse 90, The Ernie Kovacs Show, Zane Grey Theater, and The Sid Caesar Show. Eleven days before his death he made his final appearance, at the end of Billy Wilder's 1974 film adaptation of The Front Page.
He went public with his alcoholism and was the first actor to speak in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate about it. He helped start the first Alcoholics Anonymous programs in California prisons for women.
Jenkins, James Cagney, Pat O'Brien and Frank McHugh were the original members of the so-called "Irish Mafia". He was the seventh member of the Screen Actors Guild.
Description above from the Wikipedia article Allen Jenkins, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Filmography
42nd Street: From Book to Screen to Stage
2006
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as Self (archive footage)
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Age: 105
James Stewart: A Wonderful Life
1987
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as Self (archive footage)
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Age: 86
The Front Page
1974
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as Telegrapher
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Age: 74
Getting Away from It All
1972
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as Doorman
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Age: 71
I'd Rather Be Rich
1964
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as Fred
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Age: 64
Robin and the 7 Hoods
1964
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as Vermin Witowski
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Age: 64
For Those Who Think Young
1964
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as Col. Leslie Jenkins
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Age: 64
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
1963
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as Cop (uncredited)
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Age: 63
Pillow Talk
1959
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as Harry
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Age: 59
Lady on a Train
1945
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as Danny (Waring chauffeur)
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Age: 45
Wonder Man
1945
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as Chimp
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Age: 45
Eyes in the Night
1942
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as Marty
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Age: 42
They All Kissed the Bride
1942
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as Johnny Johnson
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Age: 42
Maisie Gets Her Man
1942
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as 'Pappy' Goodring
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Age: 42
The Falcon Takes Over
1942
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as Jonathan 'Goldy' Locke
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Age: 42
Tortilla Flat
1942
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as Portagee Joe
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Age: 42
A Date with the Falcon
1942
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as Jonathan 'Goldy' Locke
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Age: 41
Ball of Fire
1941
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as Garbage Man
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Age: 41
Go West, Young Lady
1941
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as Hank
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Age: 41
The Gay Falcon
1941
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as Jonathan G. 'Goldie' Locke
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Age: 41
Dive Bomber
1941
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as Lucky James
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Age: 41
Time Out for Rhythm
1941
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as Off-Beat Davis
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Age: 41
Footsteps in the Dark
1941
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as Wilfred
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Age: 40
Lawyer Man
1932
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as Izzy Levine
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Age: 32
I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang
1932
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as Barney Sykes
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Age: 32
Three on a Match
1932
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as Dick
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Age: 32
Rackety Rax
1932
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as Mike Dumphy
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Age: 32
Blessed Event
1932
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as Frankie Wells
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Age: 32
Grand Hotel
1932
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as Hotel Meat Packer (uncredited)
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Age: 32
The Girl Habit
1931
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as Tony Maloney
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Age: 31