
Frank Orth was an American actor born in Philadelphia. He is probably best remembered for his portrayal of Inspector Faraday in the 1951-1953 television series “Boston Blackie”. By 1897, Orth was performing in vaudeville with his wife, Ann Codee, in an act called “Codee and Orth.” In 1909, he expanded into song writing, with songs such as “The Phone Bell Rang” and “Meet Me on the Boardwalk, Dearie.” His first contact with motion pictures was in 1928, when he was part of the first foreign-language shorts in sound produced by Warner Bros. He and his wife also appeared together in a series of two-reel comedies in the early 1930s. Orth's first major screen credit was in “Prairie Thunder,” a Dick Foran western, in 1937. From then on, he was often cast as bartenders, pharmacists, and grocery clerks, and always distinctly Irish. He had a recurring role in the Dr. Kildare series of films and also in the Nancy Drew series as the befuddled Officer Tweedy. Among his better roles were the newspaper man Cary Grant telephones early in “His Girl Friday,” one of the quartet singing “Gary Owen” in “They Died with Their Boots On” (thereby giving Errol Flynn as Gen. Custer the idea of associating the tune with the 7th Cavalry), and as the little man carrying the sign reading “The End Is Near” throughout Colonel Effingham's Raid. However, Orth is probably best remembered for his portrayal of Inspector Faraday in the 1951-1953 television series “Boston Blackie.” A short, plump, round-faced man, often smoking a cigar, Orth as Faraday wore his own dark-rimmed spectacles, though rarely in feature films. In 1959, Orth retired from show business after throat surgery. His wife died in 1961 after around fifty years of marriage. Orth died on March 17, 1962. He is buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery in the Hollywood Hills next to his wife.

Uncle John
1952
Inspector Faraday
1951
Drummer (uncredited)
1941
Baxter - Livery Stable Owner (uncredited)
1941
Smith (uncredited)
1944
Duffy
1940
Mr. Kofer
1951
Old Sailor in Bilge Area (uncredited)
1939
Higgins (uncredited)
1950
Detective
1940
Opera Cloak Room Attendant
1945
Hotel Clerk
1946
'Shorty' Davis (uncredited)
1944
Larry Kinkaid (uncredited)
1943
Joe
1950
Loafer (uncredited)
1939
Cafe Maitre d' at End (uncredited)
1944
Barfly (uncredited)
1941
Mr. Hunter
1953
Gordon (uncredited)
1937
Mr. Fellows
1939
Waiter at Fat Dutchy's (uncredited)
1940
Wedding Witness on Stage (uncredited)
1939
Peters
1945
Hank Ford
1936
Secondhand Clothes Dealer
1942
Rex Willet
1942
Chronicle Editor (uncredited)
1946
Floyd Greer (Uncredited)
1946
Barber
1940
Newspaperman with Pills
1939
Vic - Bartender (uncredited)
1939
Mr. Hungerford
1953
. Comic in Theater (uncredited)
1944
Captain Tweedy (uncredited)
1939
Detective Hendricks (uncredited)
1939
Lou, Cafe Proprietor
1941
Convict in Bunkhouse (uncredited)
1937
Chef in Diner (uncredited)
1939
Joe Higgins - Night Watchman
1938