Thomas Mitchell (actor)

Thomas John Mitchell (July 11, 1892 – December 17, 1962) was an American actor and writer. Among his most famous roles in a long career are those of Gerald O'Hara in Gone with the Wind, Doc Boone in Stagecoach, Uncle Billy in It's a Wonderful Life, Pat Garrett in The Outlaw, and Mayor Jonas Henderson in High Noon. Mitchell was the first male actor to win an Oscar, an Emmy, and a Tony Award, better known as the Triple Crown of Acting.[1]

Thomas Mitchell
Mitchell in 1953
Born
Thomas John Mitchell

(1892-07-11)July 11, 1892
DiedDecember 17, 1962(1962-12-17) (aged 70)
Resting placeChapel of the Pines Crematory
Occupation
  • Actor
  • writer
Years active1916–1962
Spouse(s)
Ann Stuart Breswer
(m. 1915; div. 1935)

(m. 1941)
Rachel Hartzell
(m. 1937; div. 1939)
RelativesJames P. Mitchell (nephew)

Mitchell was nominated for two Academy Awards, for Best Supporting Actor for his work in the films, The Hurricane (1938), and Stagecoach (1939), winning for the latter. He was nominated three times for the Primetime Emmy Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series in 1952 and 1953, for his role in the medical drama The Doctor, and won in 1953. While he was nominated again in 1955, for an appearance on a weekly anthology series, he did not win. Mitchell won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical, in 1953, for his role as Dr Downer in the musical comedy Hazel Flagg, based on the 1937 Paramount comedy film Nothing Sacred, rounding out the Triple Crown of Acting. In addition to being an actor, he was also a director, playwright, and screenwriter.

Early life

Mitchell was born to Irish immigrants in Elizabeth, New Jersey. He came from a family of journalists and civic leaders. Both his father and brother were newspaper reporters, and his nephew, James P. Mitchell, later served as Dwight Eisenhower's Secretary of Labor.[2] Later on, in the 1952 presidential election, Mitchell, a Republican himself, would go on to support Eisenhower's campaign.[3] The younger Mitchell also became a newspaper reporter after graduating from St. Patrick High School in Elizabeth. However, Mitchell soon found that he enjoyed writing comic theatrical skits much more than chasing late-breaking scoops. In 1927 Mitchell joined The Lambs.[4]

Acting career

He became an actor in 1913, at one point touring with Charles Coburn's Shakespeare Company. Even while playing leading roles on Broadway into the 1920s Mitchell would continue to write. One of the plays he co-authored, Little Accident, was eventually made into a film (three times) by Hollywood. Mitchell's first credited screen role was in the 1923 film Six Cylinder Love.

Portraying Tom Blue in The Black Swan (1942)

Mitchell's breakthrough role was as the embezzler in Frank Capra's film Lost Horizon (1937).

Following this performance, he was much in demand in Hollywood.[5] That same year, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in The Hurricane, directed by John Ford.

Over the next few years, Mitchell appeared in many significant films. Forty-three of the fifty-nine films in which he acted were made in the 10-year period from 1936 to 1946. Considered one of the finest character actors in film,[6] in 1939 alone he had key roles in Stagecoach, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Only Angels Have Wings, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Gone with the Wind.[6] While probably better remembered as Scarlett O'Hara's loving but doomed father in Gone with the Wind, it was for his performance as the drunken Doc Boone in Stagecoach, co-starring John Wayne (in Wayne's breakthrough role), that Mitchell won the Best Supporting Actor Academy Award. In his acceptance speech, he quipped, "I didn't know I was that good". Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, Mitchell acted in a wide variety of roles in productions such as 1940's Swiss Family Robinson, 1942's Moontide, 1944's The Keys of the Kingdom (as an atheist doctor) and High Noon (1952) as the town mayor. He is probably best known to audiences today for his role as sad sack Uncle Billy in Capra's Christmas classic It's a Wonderful Life (1946) with James Stewart.

Mitchell (right) with Tyrone Power in trailer for The Black Swan (1942)

From the 1950s and into the early 1960s, Mitchell worked primarily in television, appearing in a variety of roles in some of the most well-regarded early series of the era, including Playhouse 90, Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater (in a pilot episode that became the CBS series Johnny Ringo), and Hallmark Hall of Fame productions. In 1954, he starred in the television version of the radio program, Mayor of the Town. In 1955, he played Kris Kringle in The 20th Century-Fox Hour version of The Miracle on 34th Street opposite Teresa Wright and MacDonald Carey. In 1957 he hosted The O. Henry Playhouse. In 1959, he starred in thirty-nine episodes of the syndicated television series, Glencannon, which had aired two years earlier in the United Kingdom.

In the early 1960s, Mitchell originated the stage role "Columbo", later made famous on NBC and ABC television by Peter Falk (Bert Freed played the part on live television before Mitchell portrayed Columbo on stage); Columbo was Mitchell's last role.

Death

Mitchell died at age 70 from peritoneal mesothelioma in Beverly Hills, California. He was cremated at the Chapel of the Pines Crematory and his ashes are in vaultage.[7]

Work

Films

YearTitleRoleDirector
1923Six Cylinder LoveBertram Rogers (film debut)Elmer Clifton
1936Craig's WifeFergus PassmoreDorothy Arzner
1936Adventure in ManhattanPhil BaneEdward Ludwig
1936Theodora Goes WildJed WaterburyRichard Boleslawski
1937Man of the PeopleWilliam J. GradyEdwin L. Marin
1937When You're in LoveHank MillerRobert Riskin
Harry Lachman
1937Lost HorizonHenry BarnardFrank Capra
1937I Promise to PayDistrict Attorney J.E. CurtisD. Ross Lederman
1937Make Way for TomorrowGeorge CooperLeo McCarey
1937The HurricaneDr. KersaintJohn Ford
1938Love, Honor and BehaveDan PainterStanley Logan
1938Trade WindsCommissioner BlacktonTay Garnett
1939StagecoachDoc Josiah BooneJohn Ford
1939Only Angels Have WingsKid DabbHoward Hawks
1939Mr. Smith Goes to WashingtonDiz MooreFrank Capra
1939Gone with the WindGerald O'HaraVictor Fleming
1939The Hunchback of Notre DameClopinWilliam Dieterle
1940Swiss Family RobinsonWilliam RobinsonEdward Ludwig
1940Three Cheers for the IrishPeter CaseyLloyd Bacon
1940Our TownDr. GibbsSam Wood
1940Angels Over BroadwayGene GibbonsBen Hecht
Lee Garmes
1940The Long Voyage HomeDriscollJohn Ford
1941Flight from DestinyProf. Henry TodhunterVincent Sherman
1941Out of the FogJonah GoodwinAnatole Litvak
1942Joan of ParisFather AntoineRobert Stevenson
1942Song of the IslandsDennis O'BrienWalter Lang
1942MoontideTinyArchie Mayo
1942This Above AllMontyAnatole Litvak
1942Tales of ManhattanJohn HallowayJulien Duvivier
1942The Black SwanTommy BlueHenry King
1943Immortal SergeantSgt. KellyJohn M. Stahl
1943The OutlawPat GarrettHoward Hughes
1943BataanCpl. Jake FeingoldTay Garnett
1943Flesh and FantasySeptimus PodgersJulien Duvivier
1944The Fighting SullivansMr. Thomas F. SullivanLloyd Bacon
1944Buffalo BillNed BuntlineWilliam A. Wellman
1944WilsonJoseph TumultyHenry King
1944Dark WatersMr. SydneyAndre DeToth
1944The Keys of the KingdomDr. Willie TullochJohn M. Stahl
1945Captain EddieIke HowardLloyd Bacon
1945Within These WallsWarden Michael HowlandH. Bruce Humberstone
1945AdventureMudginVictor Fleming
1946Three Wise FoolsTerence Alaysius O'DavernEdward Buzzell
1946The Dark MirrorPolice Lt. StevensonRobert Siodmak
1946It's a Wonderful LifeUncle BillyFrank Capra
1947High BarbareeCapt. Thad VailJack Conway
1947The Romance of Rosy RidgeGill MacBeanRoy Rowland
1948Silver RiverJohn Plato BeckRaoul Walsh
1949Alias Nick BealJoseph FosterJohn Farrow
1949The Big WheelRed StanleyEdward Ludwig
1951Journey Into LightGandyStuart Heisler
1952High NoonMayor Jonas HendersonFred Zinnemann
1954Secret of the IncasEd MorganJerry Hopper
1954DestryRags BarnabyGeorge Marshall
1956While the City SleepsJon Day GriffithFritz Lang
1958Handle With CareMayor Dick WillistonDavid Friedkin
1960Too Young to LoveJudge BentleyMuriel Box
1961By Love Possessed Noah TuttleJohn Sturges
1961Pocketful of MiraclesJudge Henry G. Blake (final film)Frank Capra

Writer

  • Little Accident (1928) – play Little Accident
  • Papa Sans le Savoir (1932) – play Little Accident
  • All of Me (1934) - Dialogue Director
  • All of Me (1934) - Screenplay
  • Life Begins with Love (1937) - Screenplay
  • Little Accident (1939) – play Little Accident
  • Casanova Brown (1944) – play Little Accident
  • Peter's Baby (1961) – play Little Accident (uncredited)

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1950Showtime, U.S.A.PerformerEpisode: American Red Cross Drive
1951Celanese TheatreUncle SidEpisode: Ah, Wilderness!
1951Armstrong Circle TheatrePerformerEpisode: The Long View
1952Robert Montgomery PresentsPerformerEpisode: The Farmer's Hotel
1951-52Tales of TomorrowProf. Frederick Vaneck/Captain Nemo3 episodes
1951-52Betty Crocker Star MatineePerformer2 episodes
1951-52Pulitzer Prize PlayhouseMr. Antrobus2 episodes
1951-52Studio One in HollywoodVarious Roles4 episodes
1952Lights OutPerformerEpisode: The Eyes from San Francisco
1952Gulf PlayhousePerformerEpisode: Mr. Nothing
1952SuspenseHenry Brown/Dr. Paul Morgan2 episodes
1953The DoctorMatthew DayEpisode: Desk of Matthew Day
1953The Backbone of AmericaFred TuppleTelevision Movie
1953Of Time and the RiverWilliam Olivier GrantTelevision Movie
1953Of Time and the River Part IITelevision Movie
1954OmnibusShark WicksEpisode: Nobody's Fool
1954Medallion TheatrePerformerEpisode: The Gentle Deception
1954Fireside TheatrePerformerEpisode: Afraid to Live
1954-55General Electric TheatreMender McClure2 episodes
1954-57The Ford Television TheatreVarious Roles6 episodes
1954-55The United States Steel HourScotty/Silas Lapham2 episodes
1954-55Mayor of the TownMayor Thomas Russell39 episodes
1955Damon Runyon TheaterSylvesterEpisode: It Comes Up Money
1955The Adventures of Huckleberry FinnPap FinnTelevision Movie
1955Screen Directors PlayhouseDr. Joseph H. WaltonEpisode: The Final Tribute
1955The Alcoa HourCap. JarvisEpisode: Undertow
1955The 20th Century Fox HourKris KringleEpisode: The Miracle on 34th Street
1955-56The Star and the StoryVarious Roles3 episodes
1955-56Schlitz Playhouse of StarsCarl Smith/Sam Hawkins2 episodes
1951-56Lux Video TheatreVarious Roles6 episodes
1956Celebrity PlayhouseCal LoganEpisode: They Flee By Night
1956Chevron Hall of StarsPerformer2 episodes
1956Telephone TimeAndrew Hamilton2 episodes
1957The O. Henry PlayhouseO. Henry45 episodes
1958Shirley Temple's StorybookEmperorEpisode: The Nightingale
1958Kraft Television TheatreWhitehallEpisode: The Velvet Trap
1958Playhouse 90Mr. CarsonEpisode: Natchez
1959LaramieJudge Matthew HedrickEpisode: Dark Verdict
1959Goodyear TheatreSargeEpisode: The Lady Bug
1959GlencannonCapt. Colin Glencannon
Sgt. Harry Mork
39 episodes
1959The UntouchablesMilo SullivanEpisode: The Underworld Bank
1960Sunday ShowcasePerformerEpisode: The Secret of Freedom
1960The Right ManGrover ClevelandTelevision Movie
1961The Joke and the ValleyTruman WintersTelevision Movie
1961Adventures in ParadiseHubert WillisEpisode: A Penny a Day
1958-61Zane Grey TheaterVarious Roles3 episodes
1961Stagecoach WestEthan BlountTelevision Movie
1961Our American HeritageJoseph MurrayEpisode: The Invisible Teddy

Theatre

YearTitleRolePlaywrightVenue
1916Under SentencePerformerRoi Cooper Megrue
Irvin S. Cobb
Harris Theatre, Broadway
1917NjuPerformerOsip DymovBandbox Theatre, Broadway
1918Crops and CroppersPerformerTheresa HelburnBelmont Theatre, Broadway
1918RedemptionArtyomyeffLeo TolstoyPlymouth Theatre, Broadway
1919Dark RosaleenPerformerW. D. Hepenstall
Whitford Kane
Belasco Theatre, Broadway
1920Not So Long AgoSam RobinsonArthur RichmanBooth Theatre, Broadway
1921The Playboy of the Western WorldChristy MahonJohn Millington SyngeBramhall Playhouse, Broadway
1923KikiAdolpheDavid BelascoBelasco Theatre, Broadway
1926The Wisdom ToothBemisMarc ConnellyLittle Theatre, Broadway
1926Glory HallelujahN/AThomas MitchellBroadhurst Theatre, Broadway
1927Blood MoneyJames BoltonGeorge MiddletonHudson Theatre, Broadway
1927-28NightstickTommy GlennonJohn Wray, J.C. Nugent
Elliott Nugent
Elaine Sterne Carrington
Selwyn Theatre, Broadway
1928-29Little AccidentNorman OverbeckThomas MitchellMorosco Theatre, Broadway
1931Cloudy with ShowersPeter HammillThomas Mitchell
1932Riddle Me ThisMcKinleyDaniel N. RubinJohn Golden Theatre, Broadway
1932Clear All WiresBuckley Joyce ThomasBella Spewack
& Sam Spewack
Times Square Theatre, Broadway
1933HoneymoonBob TaylorSamuel Chotzinoff
& George Backer
Little Theatre, Broadway
Vanderbilt Theatre, Broadway
1935Fly Away HomeJames MastersDorothy Bennett
& Irving White
48th Street Theatre, Broadway
1935Stick-in-the-MudPaw MeriwetherFrederick Hazlitt Brennan
1941Crazy with the HeatPerformerSam E. Werris, Mack Davis,
Max Liebman, Don Herold
& Arthur Sheekman,
44th Street Theatre, Broadway
1947-49An Inspector CallsInspector GooleJ.B. PriestlyBooth Theatre, Broadway
1949The Biggest Thief in TownBert HutchinsDalton TrumboMansfield Theatre, Broadway
1949-50Death of a SalesmanWilly Loman (replacement)Henry MillerMorosco Theatre, Broadway
1953Hazel FlaggDr. DownerBen HechtMark Hellinger Theatre, Broadway
1960Cut of the AxeRollie EvansSheppard KermanAmbassador Theatre, Broadway

Staged by

YearTitleVenue
1931Cloudy with Showers Morosco Theatre, Broadway
1932-33HoneymoonLittle Theatre, Broadway
Vanderbilt Theatre, Broadway
1933Forsaking All OthersTimes Square Theatre, Broadway
1933Twenty-five Dollars an HourTheatre Masque, Broadway
1935Fly Away Home48th Street Theatre, Broadway
1935Something GayMorosco Theatre, Broadway
1935-36At Home AbroadWinter Garden Theatre, Broadway
1935Stick-in-the-Mud48th Street Theatre, Broadway

Radio

YearProgramEpisode/source
1953Theatre Guild on the AirA Square Peg[8]
1945 Suspense 1945-02-22 John Barby and Son

Awards and Nominations

In 1953, Mitchell became the first man to win the "triple crown" of acting awards (Oscar, Emmy, Tony). He remains one of only a handful of individuals to have won each of these awards.

YearAwardCategoryProjectResult
1937Academy AwardsBest Supporting ActorThe HurricaneNominated
1939StagecoachWon
1939National Board of ReviewBest ActorNominated
1940New York Film Critics CircleBest ActorThe Long Voyage HomeNominated
1940National Board of ReviewBest ActorWon
1942MoontideWon
1952Primetime Emmy AwardsBest ActorN/ANominated
1953Best ActorN/AWon
1955Best Actor in a Single PerformanceThe Ford Television TheatreNominated
1953Tony AwardBest Actor in a MusicalHazel FlaggWon
  • He has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one for his work in television at 6100 Hollywood Boulevard, and a second star for his work in motion pictures at 1651 Vine Street.[9]

See also

References

  1. Riddle, Joe (May 8, 2020). "Thomas Mitchell's five-star career". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
  2. Life. October 19, 1953. "Labor gets a new secretary". p. 56.
  3. Motion Picture and Television Magazine, November 1952, page 34, Ideal Publishers
  4. "About The Lambs". The Lambs. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
  5. Monush, Barry. (2003) The Encyclopedia of Hollywood Film Actors: From the silent era to 1965. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 509. ISBN 1-55783-551-9.
  6. Wilson, Steve (2014). The Making of Gone With the Wind. University of Texas Press. p. 89. ISBN 978-0-292-76126-1.
  7. "Thomas Mitchell, Actor, Dead; Star of Stage and Screen, 70; Actor's Career in the Movies and in Theater Spanned a Half Century Appeared in Many Films". New York Times. 18 December 1962. p. 4. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
  8. Kirby, Walter (March 15, 1953). "Better Radio Programs for the Week". The Decatur Daily Review. p. 46. Retrieved June 25, 2015 via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Walk of Fame Stars-Thomas Mitchell". Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. Archived from the original on April 3, 2016. Retrieved October 13, 2016.

Further reading

  • Alistair, Rupert (2018). "Thomas Mitchell". The Name Below the Title : 65 Classic Movie Character Actors from Hollywood's Golden Age (softcover) (First ed.). Great Britain: Independently published. pp. 176–179. ISBN 978-1-7200-3837-5.
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