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Bernard Punsly

 
Actor: Bernard Punsly
Home > Library > Entertainment & Arts > Actors
  • Born: Jul 11, 1922 in New York
  • Died: 2004 in Torrance, California
  • Occupation: Actor
  • Active: '30s-'40s
  • Major Genres: Drama, Crime
  • Career Highlights: The Angels Wash Their Faces, Mob Town, You're Not So Tough
  • First Major Screen Credit: Crime School (1938)

Biography

Bernard Punsly (sometimes misspelled Punsley) was 13 years old when he landed his very first acting job in the Broadway play Dead End. Young Punsly played Milty, the gormless new inductee into the street gang which figures so prominently in the play's proceedings. When Dead End was filmed by Sam Goldwyn in 1937, Punsly was brought to Hollywood to repeat his role, along with his fellow Dead End Kids Billy Halop, Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Gabriel Dell, and Bobby Jordan. Unlike the others, who strived to uphold their tough-guy images in real life, Punsly was of a gentler nature, insisting that he was a "punk" only when the cameras were rolling. He also wasn't all that interested in pursuing a show-business career; outside of his work in the Dead End Kids and Little Tough Guys spin-off films, he made only one other movie appearance, playing a caddy in The Big Broadcast of 1938. His last film was the Little Tough Guys entry Mug Town. Punsly left movies behind permanently when he joined the Army medical corps in WWII. Completing his internal-medicine studies at the University of Georgia, he became Bernard Punsly, M.D., which he remained until his retirement in the late '80s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
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Wikipedia: Bernard Punsly
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Bernard Punsly

Bernard Punsly was an American film actor.
Born Bernard Punsly
July 11, 1923(1923-07-11)
New York, New York, U.S.A.
Died January 20, 2004 (aged 80)
Torrance, California
Occupation Actor
Years active 1937 — 1943

Bernard Punsly, (July 11, 1923 – January 20, 2004), was an American actor who left show business to become a physician. He was born in New York City.

Punsly auditioned for a part in the play Dead End in 1937 because he thought it might be fun. The success of the play led to a series of film appearances for the cast, including Punsly. The first film of the "Dead End Kids" (or Bowery Boys) series was Dead End, also produced in 1937. Punsly played the parts of "Milt" and later "Ape." He appeared on the silver screen with actors such as Ronald Reagan, James Cagney, Pat O'Brien, John Garfield, and Humphrey Bogart.

He continued with similar film parts until he joined the army. Even as an actor, he was known to read medical books in his spare time. After receiving medical training in the army, Punsley entered the Medical College of the University of Georgia, subsequently obtaining his medical degree. He returned to the west to set up a medical practice in Torrance, California, never returning to show business. He became chief of staff in the South Bay Hospital in Redondo Beach, California. He was married to Lynne and had two children, Brian and Richard.

When Huntz Hall died in 1999, Punsly became the last surviving cast member of the Dead End Kids.

On January 20, 2004, age 80, he died of cancer in Torrance, California.

Surname

His last name was often spelled incorrectly in film credits as Punsley.

Complete filmography

External links


This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 

 

Copyrights:

Actor. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Bernard Punsly".  Read more