Mitchell, Thomas (1895–1962), character actor. Born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, he made his debut in Ben Greet's company in 1913 and then played Shakespeare roles under the aegis of Charles Coburn. His best early performances were dreamer Charles Bemis in The Wisdom Tooth (1926) and Norman Overback in Little Accident (1928), which he co‐authored. After a long career in films, Mitchell enjoyed success in the title role of An Inspector Calls (1947), as Willy Loman in the road company of Death of a Salesman, and in the musical Hazel Flagg (1953).

The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. Copyright © 2004 by Oxford University Press, Inc. All rights reserved.