Frank Orth

Frank Orth

Personal Info

Known For
Acting
Born
1880-02-20
Died
1962-03-17 (aged 82)
Place of Birth
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Frank Orth

Biography

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.

Known For

The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet
6.2

The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet

Uncle John

1952
Boston Blackie
4.0

Boston Blackie

Inspector Faraday

1951
Sergeant York
7.2

Sergeant York

Drummer (uncredited)

1941
The Strawberry Blonde
7.0

The Strawberry Blonde

Baxter - Livery Stable Owner (uncredited)

1941
Wilson
5.6

Wilson

Smith (uncredited)

1944
His Girl Friday
7.4

His Girl Friday

Duffy

1940
Double Dynamite
6.5

Double Dynamite

Mr. Kofer

1951
Thunder Afloat
6.1

Thunder Afloat

Old Sailor in Bilge Area (uncredited)

1939
Cheaper by the Dozen
6.4

Cheaper by the Dozen

Higgins (uncredited)

1950
Florian
4.5

Florian

Detective

1940
The Lost Weekend
7.6

The Lost Weekend

Opera Cloak Room Attendant

1945
The Strange Love of Martha Ivers
7.1

The Strange Love of Martha Ivers

Hotel Clerk

1946
Tall in the Saddle
6.6

Tall in the Saddle

'Shorty' Davis (uncredited)

1944
The Ox-Bow Incident
7.7

The Ox-Bow Incident

Larry Kinkaid (uncredited)

1943
Father of the Bride
7.0

Father of the Bride

Joe

1950
Young Mr. Lincoln
7.2

Young Mr. Lincoln

Loafer (uncredited)

1939
Summer Storm
5.7

Summer Storm

Cafe Maitre d' at End (uncredited)

1944
They Died with Their Boots On
6.7

They Died with Their Boots On

Barfly (uncredited)

1941
Houdini
6.6

Houdini

Mr. Hunter

1953
Missing Witnesses
7.0

Missing Witnesses

Gordon (uncredited)

1937
Broadway Serenade
6.6

Broadway Serenade

Mr. Fellows

1939
Brother Orchid
6.6

Brother Orchid

Waiter at Fat Dutchy's (uncredited)

1940
Dust Be My Destiny
6.5

Dust Be My Destiny

Wedding Witness on Stage (uncredited)

1939
Doll Face
4.6

Doll Face

Peters

1945
Hot Money
7.0

Hot Money

Hank Ford

1936
Tales of Manhattan
6.5

Tales of Manhattan

Secondhand Clothes Dealer

1942
Orchestra Wives
6.5

Orchestra Wives

Rex Willet

1942
The Hoodlum Saint
5.5

The Hoodlum Saint

Chronicle Editor (uncredited)

1946
Lady in the Lake
6.1

Lady in the Lake

Floyd Greer (Uncredited)

1946
Boom Town
6.9

Boom Town

Barber

1940
Stanley and Livingstone
6.4

Stanley and Livingstone

Newspaperman with Pills

1939
Tell No Tales
5.4

Tell No Tales

Vic - Bartender (uncredited)

1939
Here Come the Girls
4.6

Here Come the Girls

Mr. Hungerford

1953
Roger Touhy, Gangster
7.0

Roger Touhy, Gangster

. Comic in Theater (uncredited)

1944
Nancy Drew... Reporter
6.0

Nancy Drew... Reporter

Captain Tweedy (uncredited)

1939
Fast and Loose
5.9

Fast and Loose

Detective Hendricks (uncredited)

1939
Broadway Limited
5.0

Broadway Limited

Lou, Cafe Proprietor

1941
San Quentin
6.6

San Quentin

Convict in Bunkhouse (uncredited)

1937
At the Circus
6.4

At the Circus

Chef in Diner (uncredited)

1939
The Patient in Room 18
5.1

The Patient in Room 18

Joe Higgins - Night Watchman

1938
Frank Orth - Movies & TV Shows | KissKH