Thelma Todd
Personal Info
Known for
Acting
Gender
Female
Birthday
1906-07-29
Day of Death
1935-12-16 (29 years old)
Place of Birth
Lawrence, Massachusetts, USA
Thelma Todd
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Thelma Alice Todd (July 29, 1906 – December 16, 1935) was an American actress. Appearing in about 120 pictures between 1926 and 1935, she is best remembered for her comedic roles in films such as Marx Brothers' Monkey Business and Horse Feathers, a number of Charley Chase's short comedies, and co-starring with Buster Keaton and Jimmy Durante in Speak Easily. She also had roles in Wheeler and Woolsey farces, several Laurel and Hardy films, the last of which (The Bohemian Girl) featured her in a part that was truncated by her suspicious death at the age of 29.
During the silent film era, Todd appeared in numerous supporting roles that made full use of her beauty but gave her little chance to act. With the advent of the talkies, Todd was given opportunity to expand her roles when producer Hal Roach signed her to appear with such comedy stars as Harry Langdon, Charley Chase, and Laurel and Hardy.
In 1931, Roach cast Todd in her own series of slapstick comedy shorts, running 17 to 27 minutes each. In an attempt to create a female version of Laurel and Hardy, Roach teamed Todd with ZaSu Pitts for 17 shorts, from "Let's do Things" (June 1931) through "One Track Minds" (May 1933). When Pitts left in 1933, she was replaced by Patsy Kelly, appearing with Todd in 21 shorts, from "Beauty and the Bus" (September 1933) through "An All American Toothache" (January 1936). These Roach shorts often cast Todd as a working girl having all sorts of problems, and trying her best to remain poised and charming despite the embarrassing antics of her sidekick.
Todd also appeared successfully in such dramas as the original 1931 film version of The Maltese Falcon starring Ricardo Cortez as Sam Spade, in which she played Miles Archer's treacherous widow. During her career she appeared in 119 films although many of these were short films, and was sometimes publicized as "The Ice Cream Blonde."
Todd continued her short-subject series through 1935, and was featured in the full-length Laurel and Hardy comedy The Bohemian Girl. This was her last film; she died after completing all of her scenes, but most of them were re-shot. Producer Roach deleted all of Todd's dialogue and limited her appearance to one musical number.
Known For
Acting
(1989)
(1987)
Hollywood's Hidden Secrets
as (archive footage)
(1953)
Yesterday and Today
as (archive footage)
(1942)
Screen Snapshots (Series 22, No. 10)
as Self (archive footage)
(1936)
The Bohemian Girl
as Gypsy Queen's Daughter
(1936)
An All American Toothache
as Thelma Alice Todd
(1935)
After the Dance
as Mabel Kane
(1935)
Two for Tonight
as Lilly
(1935)
Twin Triplets
as Thelma
(1935)
Top Flat
as Thelma Todd
(1935)
The Tin Man
as Thelma Todd
(1935)
Sing Sister Sing
as Thelma
(1935)
Slightly Static
as Thelma
(1935)
Hot Money
as Miss Thelma Todd
(1935)
Treasure Blues
as Thelma
(1935)
The Misses Stooge
as Thelma Todd
(1934)
Hips, Hips, Hooray!
as Miss Amelia Frisby
(1934)
Lightning Strikes Twice
as Judy Nelson
(1934)
Palooka
as Trixie
(1934)
Maid in Hollywood
as Thelma
(1934)
Bottoms Up
as Judith Marlowe
(1934)
Cockeyed Cavaliers
as Lady Genevieve
(1934)
Three Chumps Ahead
as Thelma Todd
(1934)
The Poor Rich
as Gwendolyn Fetherstone
(1934)
I'll Be Suing You
as Miss Todd
(1934)
Take the Stand
as Miss Sally Oxford
(1934)
One-Horse Farmers
as Thelma
(1934)
Soup and Fish
as Miss Thelma Todd
(1934)
Bum Voyage
as Thelma
(1934)
Babes in the Goods
as Thelma Todd
(1934)
Opened by Mistake
as Thelma
(1934)
Done in Oil
as Thelma Todd aka Mlle. La Todd
(1933)
Mary Stevens, M.D.
as Lois Cavanaugh
(1933)
The Devil's Brother
as Lady Pamela Rocburg
(1933)
Air Hostess
as Mrs. Sylvia C. Carleton
(1933)
The Bargain of the Century
as Thelma
(1933)
You Made Me Love You
as Pamela Berne
(1933)
Asleep in the Feet
as Thelma
(1933)
Beauty and the Bus
as Thelma
(1933)
Counsellor at Law
as Lillian La Rue
(1933)
Son of a Sailor
as The Baroness
(1933)
One Track Minds
as Thelma Todd
(1933)
Sitting Pretty
as Gloria Duval
(1933)
Cheating Blondes
as Anne Merrick / Elaine Manners
(1933)
Air Fright
as Thelma
(1933)
Maids a la Mode
as Miss Todd
(1933)
Backs to Nature
as Thelma
(1932)
Call Her Savage
as Sunny De Lane
(1932)
This Is the Night
as Claire Mathewson
(1932)
Horse Feathers
as Connie Bailey
(1932)
The Old Bull
as Thelma
(1932)
Red Noses
as Miss Todd
(1932)
Alum and Eve
as Thelma
(1932)
Klondike
as Klondike
(1932)
Speak Easily
as Eleanor Espere
(1932)
The Nickel Nurser
as Thelma Todd
(1932)
Show Business
as Thelma
(1932)
Strictly Unreliable
as Miss Thelma Todd
(1932)
The Big Timer
as Kay Mitchell
(1932)
Deception
as Lola Del Mont
(1932)
Sealskins
as Thelma Todd
(1932)
The Soilers
as Thelma
(1932)
Sneak Easily
as Miss Thelma Todd - Attorney for the Defense
(1931)
Monkey Business
as Lucille Briggs
(1931)
The Maltese Falcon
as Iva Archer
(1931)
Chickens Come Home
as Mrs. Hardy
(1931)
The Pip from Pittsburg
as Thelma
(1931)
Corsair
as Alison Corning
(1931)
The Hot Heiress
as Lola
(1931)
Let's Do Things
as Thelma Todd
(1931)
On the Loose
as Thelma
(1931)
Rough Seas
as Antoinette
(1931)
Aloha
as Winifred Bradford
(1931)
Catch-As Catch-Can
as Thelma
(1931)
No Limit
as Betty Royce
(1931)
War Mamas
as Thelma
(1931)
The Pajama Party
as Thelma
(1931)
Command Performance
as Lydia
(1931)
Love Fever
as Thelma Todd
(1931)
Broadminded
as Gertie Gardner
(1931)
Swanee River
as Caroline
(1930)
Another Fine Mess
as Lady Plumtree (uncredited)
(1930)
Dollar Dizzy
as Thelma Todd
(1930)
Follow Thru
as Ruth Van Horn
(1930)
Whispering Whoopee
as Miss Todd
(1930)
Her Man
as Nelly
(1930)
Looser Than Loose
as Thelma, Charley's Fiancee
(1930)
The King
as The Queen
(1930)
All Teed Up
as Thelma
(1930)
The Real McCoy
as Thelma
(1930)
The Fighting Parson
as The Blonde Dance Hall Girl
(1930)
The Shrimp
as Jim's Girlfriend
(1930)
High C's
as Antoinette
(1930)
The Head Guy
as The Star
(1929)
Unaccustomed as We Are
as Mrs. Kennedy
(1929)
Stepping Out
as Charley's Wife
(1929)
House of Horror
as Thelma
(1929)
Crazy Feet
as Dancer
(1929)
Her Private Life
as Mrs. Leslie
(1929)
(1929)
(1929)
Careers
as Hortense
(1929)
Snappy Sneezer
as Mary White
(1929)
(1929)
Trial Marriage
as Grace Logan
(1929)
Look out Below
as Thelma
(1929)
The Bachelor Girl
as Gladys
(1929)
Hurdy Gurdy
as Blondie
(1929)
Hal Roach Presents Harry Langdon
as The Woman
(1928)
The Noose
as Phyllis
(1928)
Heart to Heart
as Ruby Boyd
(1928)
Naughty Baby
as Bonnie Le Vonne
(1928)
Vamping Venus
as Madame Vanezlos the Dancer / Venus
(1928)
The Crash
as Daisy McQueen
(1928)
The Haunted House
as The Nurse
(1927)
Nevada
as Hettie Ide
(1927)
The Shield of Honor
as Rose aka Flora Fisher
(1927)
The Gay Defender
as Ruth Ainsworth
(1927)
Rubber Heels
as Princess Aline
(1927)
Fireman, Save My Child
as (uncredited)
(1926)
Fascinating Youth
as Lorraine Lane
(1926)
God Gave Me Twenty Cents
as Dance-Hall Girl (uncredited)