Oscar Polk
Oscar Polk (December 25, 1899[1][2] – January 4, 1949) was an American actor, best known for his portrayal as the servant Pork in the film Gone with the Wind (1939).
Oscar Polk | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of Oscar Polk by Carl Van Vechten, Jan. 24, 1937 | |
| Born | December 25, 1899 |
| Died | January 4, 1949 (aged 49) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1927–1946 |
Career
His most memorable scene in that film comes when Pork discloses to Scarlett O'Hara, portrayed by Vivien Leigh, the back property taxes on Tara, are $300. He was married to Ivy V. Polk (née Ivy Parsons), who also had an uncredited role in Gone with the Wind.[3] Together they had a son, Oscar Polk Jr.
On January 4, 1949, Oscar Polk was fatally struck by a taxi cab as he stepped off a curb in Times Square in New York City ten days after his 49th birthday. At the time of his death, he was scheduled to have a major role in the play Leading Lady, and he was replaced by Ossie Davis. He is buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery, Maspeth, Long Island, New York.
Theatre credits
Broadway
- The Trial of Mary Dugan (1927)
- Once in a Lifetime (1930)
- Both Your Houses (1933)
- The Green Pastures (1935)
- You Can't Take It with You (1936)
- Swingin' The Dream (1939), a swing music adaptation of A Midsummer Night's Dream.
- Sunny River (1942)
- The Walking Gentleman (1942)
- Dark Eyes (1943)
Other stage credits
- Horses Are Like That (1943)
- Bigger Than Barnum (1946)
- The Magnificent Heel (1946)
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1935 | It's a Great Life | Lazy Bones | |
| 1936 | The Green Pastures | Gabriel | |
| 1937 | Underworld | Sam Brown | |
| 1939 | Big Town Czar | Arthur, Harlem Numbers Man | Uncredited |
| 1939 | Gone with the Wind | Pork - House Servant | |
| 1940 | The Notorious Elinor Lee | Blakely | |
| 1941 | Birth of the Blues | Man in Jail | Uncredited |
| 1942 | Reap the Wild Wind | Salt Meat | |
| 1942 | White Cargo | Umeela | |
| 1943 | Cabin in the Sky | The Deacon / Fleetfoot | (final film role) |
References
- National Archives and Records Administration. World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918.
- U.S. Census, April 1, 1930. State of New York, County of New York, enumeration district 1053, page 1-B.
- Svensk Filmdatabas - Gone with the Wind
External links
- Oscar Polk at IMDb
- Oscar Polk at the Internet Broadway Database
- Oscar Polk at Find a Grave
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