Biography for
John Litel More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

30 December 1892, Albany, Wisconsin, USA

Date of Death

3 February 1972, Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA

Birth Name

John Beach Litel

Mini Biography

John Litel's tough, no-nonsense demeanor on screen was not entirely due to his skill as an actor--when World War I broke out, not wanting to wait until the U.S. entered, he enlisted in the French army and was twice decorated for bravery. Returning to the U.S. after the war, he enrolled in the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and toured with various stage companies, making his film debut in 1929. He was one of what was called the "Warner Bros. Stock Company" in the 1930s - with such character actors as Ward Bond, Frank McHugh, Joan Blondell, George Tobias, Henry O'Neill and Alan Hale, among others - and he appeared in dozens of films there, often as a tough police captain, hard-nosed district attorney, no-nonsense business executive, and other such authority figures. Always a solid, dependable character actor, during wartime (WWII) , he was the evil "Scorpion" in the classic matinee serial "Don Winslow and The Navy" (1942). Litel appeared in more than 200 films, sometimes playing leads, but mainly as a supporting actor. From 1952-53 he played Bob Cummings brooding boss Mr. Thackery in the NBC TV sitcom "My Hero".

IMDb Mini Biography By: frankfob2@yahoo.com

Spouse

Beatrice West	(1955 - 3 February 1972) (his death)
Ruth Pichens	(1920 - 1955) (her death)

Trivia

Portrayed a number of famous historical figures in several Warner Bros. shorts during his long career, including Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson and Robert E. Lee. The film Give Me Liberty (1936) with Litel as Henry won an Accademy Award for best short. In it he managed to recite a long and complicated speech in one take. His short film on Jefferson entitled The Declaration of Independence (1938) also won an Oscar.

Retired in 1967 due to ill health.

50s TV Sitcom fans will remember him as Bob Cummings' boss Mr. Thackery in "My Hero" (1952).

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