
Frank Orth
Personal Info
Known for
Acting
Gender
Male
Birthday
1880-02-20
Day of Death
1962-03-17 (82 years old)
Place of Birth
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Frank Orth
Biography
Frank Orth was an American actor born in Philadelphia. He is probably best remembered for his portrayal of Inspector Faraday in the 1951-1953 television series “Boston Blackie”. By 1897, Orth was performing in vaudeville with his wife, Ann Codee, in an act called “Codee and Orth.” In 1909, he expanded into song writing, with songs such as “The Phone Bell Rang” and “Meet Me on the Boardwalk, Dearie.” His first contact with motion pictures was in 1928, when he was part of the first foreign-language shorts in sound produced by Warner Bros. He and his wife also appeared together in a series of two-reel comedies in the early 1930s. Orth's first major screen credit was in “Prairie Thunder,” a Dick Foran western, in 1937. From then on, he was often cast as bartenders, pharmacists, and grocery clerks, and always distinctly Irish. He had a recurring role in the Dr. Kildare series of films and also in the Nancy Drew series as the befuddled Officer Tweedy. Among his better roles were the newspaper man Cary Grant telephones early in “His Girl Friday,” one of the quartet singing “Gary Owen” in “They Died with Their Boots On” (thereby giving Errol Flynn as Gen. Custer the idea of associating the tune with the 7th Cavalry), and as the little man carrying the sign reading “The End Is Near” throughout Colonel Effingham's Raid. However, Orth is probably best remembered for his portrayal of Inspector Faraday in the 1951-1953 television series “Boston Blackie.” A short, plump, round-faced man, often smoking a cigar, Orth as Faraday wore his own dark-rimmed spectacles, though rarely in feature films. In 1959, Orth retired from show business after throat surgery. His wife died in 1961 after around fifty years of marriage. Orth died on March 17, 1962. He is buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery in the Hollywood Hills next to his wife.
Known For
Acting
(1953)
Houdini
as Mr. Hunter
(1953)
Here Come the Girls
as Mr. Hungerford
(1952)
Something to Live For
as Waiter (uncredited)
(1951)
Double Dynamite
as Mr. Kofer
(1950)
Father of the Bride
as Joe
(1950)
The Great Rupert
as Mr. Frank Dingle
(1950)
Cheaper by the Dozen
as Higgins (uncredited)
(1950)
The Petty Girl
as Moody (process server)
(1949)
Red Light
as Wallace 'Wally' Stoner
(1949)
Bride for Sale
as Police Sergeant
(1948)
The Big Clock
as Burt
(1948)
The Girl from Manhattan
as Oscar Newsome
(1948)
Blondie's Secret
as Mr. Philpotts
(1947)
The Guilt of Janet Ames
as Danny
(1947)
It Had to Be You
as Conductor Brown
(1947)
The Gas House Kids in Hollywood
as Police Captain
(1947)
Heartaches
as Mike Connelly, Vic's Agent
(1947)
Born to Speed
as Breezy Bradley
(1946)
Lady in the Lake
as Floyd Greer (Uncredited)
(1946)
The Strange Love of Martha Ivers
as Hotel Clerk
(1946)
The Hoodlum Saint
as Chronicle Editor (uncredited)
(1946)
Murder in the Music Hall
as Henderson
(1946)
The Bride Wore Boots
as Judge (uncredited)
(1946)
Wake Up and Dream
as Milkman
(1946)
It's Great to Be Young
as Franklin Johnson
(1945)
The Lost Weekend
as Opera Cloak Room Attendant
(1945)
Doll Face
as Peters
(1945)
Pillow to Post
as Clayfield Taxi Driver
(1945)
Tell It to a Star
as Augustus T. Goodman
(1945)
She Went to the Races
as Skelly
(1944)
Wilson
as Smith (uncredited)
(1944)
Summer Storm
as Cafe Maitre d' at End (uncredited)
(1944)
Roger Touhy, Gangster
as . Comic in Theater (uncredited)
(1944)
The Impatient Years
as Counterman
(1944)
Greenwich Village
as Ordway
(1944)
Storm Over Lisbon
as Murgatroyd
(1943)
The Ox-Bow Incident
as Larry Kinkaid (uncredited)
(1943)
The Meanest Man in the World
as Bartender
(1943)
Hello, Frisco, Hello
as Lou, Bartender at Sharkey's
(1943)
Coney Island
as Bartender
(1943)
Sweet Rosie O'Grady
as Taxi Driver
(1942)
Tales of Manhattan
as Secondhand Clothes Dealer (Rogers sequence)
(1942)
Springtime in the Rockies
as Bickel (uncredited)
(1942)
My Gal Sal
as McGuiness
(1942)
Orchestra Wives
as Rex Willet
(1942)
Rings on Her Fingers
as Kellogg
(1942)
Footlight Serenade
as Mike
(1942)
Roxie Hart
as Bar Client #2 (uncredited)
(1942)
Over My Dead Body
as Detective
(1942)
Blue, White, and Perfect
as Mr. Toby
(1942)
The Magnificent Dope
as Messenger
(1942)
Dr. Gillespie's New Assistant
as Mike Ryan
(1942)
Dr. Kildare's Victory
as Mike Ryan
(1942)
Henry and Dizzy
as Joe McGuire
(1941)
Sergeant York
as Drummer (uncredited)
(1941)
They Died with Their Boots On
as Barfly (uncredited)
(1941)
I Wake Up Screaming
as Cemetery Caretaker
(1941)
Broadway Limited
as Lou, Cafe Proprietor
(1941)
Ride on Vaquero
as Auctioneer
(1941)
Respect the Law
as Peter Brennan
(1941)
The People Vs. Dr. Kildare
as Mike Ryan
(1941)
Come Live with Me
as Jerry
(1940)
His Girl Friday
as Duffy
(1940)
Boom Town
as Barber
(1940)
Father Is A Prince
as Drugstore Proprieter
(1940)
The Doctor Takes a Wife
as New York Editor (uncredited)
(1940)
Brother Orchid
as Waiter at Fat Dutchy's (uncredited)
(1940)
(1940)
La Conga Nights
as Dennis O'Brien
(1940)
Florian
as Detective
(1940)
Dr. Kildare's Strange Case
as Mike Ryan, Sullivan's Hospital Cafe
(1940)
Pier 13
as Dead Pan Charlie
(1940)
'Til We Meet Again
as Hong Kong Bartender (uncredited)
(1940)
Dr. Kildare's Crisis
as Mike Ryan, Cafe Owner
(1940)
Dr. Kildare Goes Home
as Mike Ryan (uncredited)
(1940)
Gold Rush Maisie
as Harris
(1940)
Know Your Money
as Tobacconist (uncredited)
(1940)
Gallant Sons
as Newspaper Foreman (uncredited)
(1940)
Mexican Spitfire Out West
as Window Washer
(1940)
You, the People
as Soda Jerk
(1940)
Buyer Beware
as Smith (uncredited)
(1939)
At the Circus
as Chef in Diner (uncredited)
(1939)
Nancy Drew... Reporter
as Captain Tweedy (uncredited)
(1939)
Young Mr. Lincoln
as Loafer (uncredited)
(1939)
Idiot's Delight
as Benny Zinsser
(1939)
Stanley and Livingstone
as Newspaperman with Pills
(1939)
Fast and Furious
as Captain Joe Burke
(1939)
Broadway Serenade
as Mr. Fellows
(1939)
Calling Dr. Kildare
as Mike Sullivan - Hospital Cafe Owner (uncredited)
(1939)
Dust Be My Destiny
as Wedding Witness on Stage (uncredited)
(1939)
Thunder Afloat
as Old Sailor in Bilge Area (uncredited)
(1939)
Tell No Tales
as Vic - Bartender (uncredited)
(1939)
Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase
as Captain Tweedy
(1939)
The Secret of Dr. Kildare
as Mike Sullivan
(1939)
Burn 'Em Up O'Connor
as Tim McKelvy
(1939)
Fast and Loose
as Detective Hendricks (uncredited)
(1939)
Within the Law
as Jim Jenks
(1938)
Young Dr. Kildare
as Mike Ryan (uncredited)
(1938)
The Patient in Room 18
as Joe Higgins - Night Watchman
(1938)
Torchy Blane in Panama
as First Leopard (uncredited)
(1938)
Comet Over Broadway
as Cab Driver (uncredited)
(1938)
Mr. Chump
as Sheriff Frank Hinton
(1938)
Nancy Drew… Detective
as Captain Tweedy
(1938)
Think It Over
as Brown, Clothing Store Owner
(1937)
San Quentin
as Convict in Bunkhouse (uncredited)
(1937)
Land Beyond the Law
as Shorty Long
(1937)
The Devil's Saddle Legion
as Judge Barko
(1937)
Ever Since Eve
as Cocktail Waiter (uncredited)
(1937)
Marry the Girl
as Bar owner
(1937)
Missing Witnesses
as Gordon (uncredited)
(1937)
Prairie Thunder
as Wichita
(1937)
Talent Scout
as Burlesque Theatre Manager (uncredited)
(1937)
The Footloose Heiress
as Justice Abner Cuttler
(1936)
Two Against the World
as Tommy - Bartender
(1936)
Polo Joe
as Bert
(1936)
Hot Money
as Hank Ford
(1935)
Unwelcome Stranger
as Jackson
(1935)
The Payoff
as Porter (uncredited)
(1930)
(1929)
Crew
(1944)
The Mummy's Curse
Songs