Already accomplished in his homeland, Irish actor Colin Kenny came to
the US in 1917 to make his bid for film stardom. To the best of his
memory, there would be over 150 of them. Silent movies were more
generous in ladling out cast credit. He had steady roles from 1918 to
the late 1920s. One of his best opportunities had been as Cecil
Greystoke in
Tarzan of the Apes (1918) and
its sequel,
The Romance of Tarzan (1918).
When sound arrived the studios got stingy about giving credits, and
handed the out in the most efficient way they could--to as few actors
as possible. That, however, was the lot of many a character actor of
the time, as well as some production people. Kenny found the parts most
varied just the same. He was the Talking Clock in
Alice in Wonderland (1933).
His opening line (one of the few he actually had) as Lord Chester Dyke
in Captain Blood (1935), "Ahh,
guilty!" in a distinctively clipped aristocratic attitude during the
courtroom scene in England, sets him apart.
Small parts of all sorts would be his sole acting fare in that era, for he was already in his late 40s. Yet he would average five or six parts each year from 1934 to 1947, and the list would include many a major film. His busiest year would be 1952, with parts in such films as The Quiet Man (1952) and Limelight (1952). After that the bit parts became scarcer and he started doing uncredited extra work. Yet Colin Kenny kept working. He joined a whole crowd of fellow elder British expatriates for a choice bit part in My Fair Lady (1964). His last movie was the Steve McQueen vehicle The Cincinnati Kid (1965).
Small parts of all sorts would be his sole acting fare in that era, for he was already in his late 40s. Yet he would average five or six parts each year from 1934 to 1947, and the list would include many a major film. His busiest year would be 1952, with parts in such films as The Quiet Man (1952) and Limelight (1952). After that the bit parts became scarcer and he started doing uncredited extra work. Yet Colin Kenny kept working. He joined a whole crowd of fellow elder British expatriates for a choice bit part in My Fair Lady (1964). His last movie was the Steve McQueen vehicle The Cincinnati Kid (1965).
