George Mathews (actor)
George Mathews (October 10, 1911 – November 7, 1984) was an American actor whose career stretched from an uncredited appearance in Stage Door Canteen in 1943 to Going Home in 1971.[1] Burly, heavy-featured, and tall (6' 1.5") he had an extensive career on stage which began in the early 1930s, when he failed to get a job with the U.S. Mail. He joined the W.P.A. Theatre, and landed a key role in the play Processional (1937) as Dynamite Jim.
George Mathews | |
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Mathews in the 1956 film The Last Wagon | |
Born | New York City, U.S. | October 10, 1911
Died | November 7, 1984 73) Caesars Head, South Carolina, U.S. | (aged
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1933–1972 |
Spouse(s) | Mary Hayneworth |
With his broad face, strong eyebrows, pug nose, and jutting lower lip, Mathews was often cast as heavies or hardened military types. He appeared in both the stage (1942–43) and film version (1944) of The Eve of St. Mark, as Sergeant Ruby. He also succeeded in effectively portraying comic thugs, which he did in Pat and Mike (1952), starring Katharine Hepburn, and in the Garson Kanin-directed musical comedy Do Re Mi (1960–62), as Fatso O'Rear, starring Phil Silvers. In 1962 he played Stryker in Have Gun - Will Travel, Season 6, Episode 6.[2] He also demonstrated his comedic talent in the short-lived television comedy series Glynis (1963), playing ex-cop Chick Rogers, who assists a mystery writer and amateur sleuth, played by Glynis Johns, in solving "whodunnits", He was also in the Broadway play Catch Me If You Can in 1965. Perhaps his most memorable role was as Harvey in The Bensonhurst Bomber episode of The Honeymooners. He also played the bar owner, John Shanssey, who helped Doc Holiday from hanging in "Gunfight At The OK Corral".
Mathews retired from the screen in 1972 and died from heart disease in Caesars Head, South Carolina in November 1984.[3] He was married to stage actress Mary (Haynsworth) Mathews from 1951 until his death in 1984.[4]
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1943 | Stage Door Canteen | Marine Sergeant with Ray Bolger | Uncredited |
1944 | Up in Arms | Blackie | |
1944 | The Eve of St. Mark | Sgt. Ruby | |
1944 | Wing and a Prayer | Dooley | |
1944 | Wilson | Army Sergeant | Uncredited |
1945 | The Corn Is Green | Trap Driver | Uncredited |
1945 | The Great John L. | John Flood | |
1952 | Pat and Mike | Spec Cauley | |
1952 | Sally and Saint Anne | Father Kennedy | |
1952 | Yankee Buccaneer | Chief Petty Officer Link | |
1953 | Last of the Comanches | Romany O'Rattigan | |
1953 | City Beneath the Sea | Capt. Meade aka Ralph Sorensen | |
1953 | Act of Love | Henderson | |
1954 | The Great Diamond Robbery | Duke Fargoh | |
1955 | The Man with the Golden Arm | Williams | |
1956 | The Proud Ones | Dillon | |
1956 | The Last Wagon | Sheriff Bull Harper | |
1957 | Gunfight at the O.K. Corral | John Shanssey | |
1958 | The Buccaneer | Pyke | |
1960 | Heller in Pink Tights | Sam Pierce | |
1971 | Going Home | Malloy | (final film role) |
References
- George Mathews on IMDb
- http://transgalaxy.com/tvshows/HaveGunWillTravel/
- "George Mathews, 73, Actor On Broadway And In Movies", The New York Times, November 13, 1984.
- Obituary of Mary H. Matthews, The Greenville News, May 7, 2011 (reprinted at legacy.com).