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Grant Mitchell

 
Actor: Grant Mitchell
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  • Born: Jun 17, 1875 in Columbus, Ohio
  • Died: May 01, 1957
  • Occupation: Actor
  • Active: '30s-'40s
  • Major Genres: Comedy, Drama
  • Career Highlights: The Great Lie, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Gold Diggers of 1935
  • First Major Screen Credit: Man to Man (1931)

Biography

The son of a general and a graduate of Yale College and Harvard Law School, Ohioan Grant Mitchell was a lawyer (he certainly looked the part) for several years before going into acting. He made his stage bow at the age of 27, and spent the next quarter of a century as a leading player, often billed above the title of the play. Mitchell was a special favorite of showman George M. Cohan, who wrote a vehicle specifically tailored to Mitchell's talents, The Baby Cyclone, in 1927. Though he reportedly appeared in a 1923 film, Mitchell's movie career officially began in 1932, first in bits (the deathhouse priest in If I Had a Million), then in sizeable supporting roles at Warner Bros. Often cast as the father of the heroine, Mitchell socked across his standard dyspeptic-papa lines with a delivery somewhat reminiscent of James Cagney (leading one to wonder if the much-younger Cagney didn't take a few pointers from Mitchell during his own formative years). While he sparkled in a variety of secondary roles as businessmen, bank clerks and school principals, Mitchell was occasionally honored with a B-picture lead, as in 1939's Father is a Prince. With years of theatrical experience behind him, Mitchell was shown to best advantage in Warners' many adaptations of stage plays, notably A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935) and The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942). Freelancing in the mid '40s, Grant Mitchell occasionally showed up in unbilled one-scene cameos (Leave Her to Heaven [1945]) and in reprises of his small-town bigwig characterizations in such B-films as Blondie's Anniversary (1947) and Who Killed Doc Robbin? (1948). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
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Wikipedia: Grant Mitchell (actor)
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For other persons named John Mitchell, see John Mitchell.
Grant Mitchell
Born John Grant Mitchell, Jr.
June 17, 1874(1874-06-17)
Columbus, Ohio, U.S.
Died May 1, 1957 (aged 82)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation Actor
Years active 1902 – 1948

Grant Mitchell (June 17, 1874 – May 1, 1957) was an American stage actor on Broadway and character actor in B films of the 1930s and 1940s. He appeared on Broadway from 1902 to 1939 and appeared in more than 125 films between 1930 and 1948.

Biography

Mitchell was born John Grant Mitchell, Jr. in Columbus, Ohio, the only son of American Civil War general John G. Mitchell. Like his father, he became an attorney, graduating from the Harvard Law School. However by his mid-to-late 20s, he tired of his legal practice and turned a long term dream into a reality by becoming an actor on Broadway. He played lead roles in plays such as It Pays to Advertise, The Whole Town's Talking, The Champion, and The Baby Cyclone.

Grant Mitchell was a brother of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity (Phi chapter).

In film he initially made an appearance in 1916 and one or two other silents amidst his extensive theatre work but Mitchell's screen career really took off with the advent of sound. Most of his appearances were in B films of the 1930s and 1940s, but he made many notable appearances in high profile films such as A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942), and Arsenic and Old Lace (1944).

He died a bachelor on May 1, 1957.

Partial filmography

External links and sources

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