Edward Everett Horton

Edward Everett Horton

Biography: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Edward Everett Horton Jr. (March 18, 1886 – September 29, 1970) was an American character actor. He had a long career in film, theater, radio, television, and voice work for animated cartoons. Horton began his stage career in 1906, singing and dancing and playing small parts in vaudeville and in Broadway productions. In 1919, he moved to Los Angeles, California, where he began acting in Hollywood films. His first starring role was in the comedy Too Much Business (1922), but he portrayed the lead role of an idealistic young classical composer in the drama Beggar on Horseback (1925). In the late 1920s, he starred in two-reel silent comedies for Educational Pictures, and made the transition to talking pictures with Educational in 1929. As a stage-trained performer, he found more film work easily, and appeared in some of Warner Bros.' early talkies, including The Terror (1928) and Sonny Boy (1929). Horton initially used his given name, Edward Horton, professionally. His father persuaded him to adopt his full name professionally, reasoning that other actors might be named Edward Horton, but only one named Edward Everett Horton. Horton soon cultivated his own special variation of the time-honored double take (an actor's reaction to something, followed by a delayed, more extreme reaction). In Horton's version, he would smile ingratiatingly and nod in agreement with what just happened; then, when realization set in, his facial features collapsed entirely into a sober, troubled mask. Horton starred in many comedy features in the 1930s, usually playing a mousy fellow who put up with domestic or professional problems to a certain point, and then finally asserted himself for a happy ending. He is best known, however, for his work as a character actor in supporting roles. These include The Front Page (1931), Trouble in Paradise (1932), Alice in Wonderland (1933), The Gay Divorcee (1934, the first of several Astaire/Rogers films in which Horton appeared), Top Hat (1935), Danger - Love at Work (1937), Lost Horizon (1937), Holiday (1938), Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941), Arsenic and Old Lace (1944), Pocketful of Miracles (1961), It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963), and Sex and the Single Girl (1964). His last role was in the comedy film Cold Turkey (1971), in which his character communicated only through facial expressions.

Place of Birth: Not available

Birthday: March 17, 1886

Deathday: September 29, 1970

Popularity:

5.259

Known For

Trouble in Paradise
Trouble in Paradise

1932-10-30

Arsenic and Old Lace
Arsenic and Old Lace

1944-09-01

Pocketful of Miracles
Pocketful of Miracles

1961-12-18

Top Hat
Top Hat

1935-08-29

Lost Horizon
Lost Horizon

1937-03-03

Take the Heir
Take the Heir

1930-01-15

Lady on a Train
Lady on a Train

1945-08-03

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

1963-11-07

The Emperor's Oblong Pancake
The Emperor's Oblong Pancake

1964-06-01

Shall We Dance
Shall We Dance

1937-05-07

Once a Gentleman
Once a Gentleman

1930-09-01

Bluebeard's Eighth Wife
Bluebeard's Eighth Wife

1938-03-25

Reaching for the Moon
Reaching for the Moon

1930-12-29

Alice in Wonderland
Alice in Wonderland

1933-12-18

Sex and the Single Girl
Sex and the Single Girl

1964-12-25

The Gay Divorcee
The Gay Divorcee

1934-10-12

Cold Turkey
Cold Turkey

1971-02-19

The Front Page
The Front Page

1931-04-04

The Devil Is a Woman
The Devil Is a Woman

1935-05-03

The Story of Mankind
The Story of Mankind

1957-11-08

Forever and a Day
Forever and a Day

1943-01-21

Springtime in the Rockies
Springtime in the Rockies

1942-11-06

The Merry Widow
The Merry Widow

1934-11-02

Angel
Angel

1937-10-29

To the Ladies
To the Ladies

1924-10-06

Holiday
Holiday

1938-05-26

Here Comes Mr. Jordan
Here Comes Mr. Jordan

1941-08-07

The Whole Town's Talking
The Whole Town's Talking

1926-12-26

Down to Earth
Down to Earth

1947-08-21

The Gang's All Here
The Gang's All Here

1943-12-24

The Ghost Goes Wild
The Ghost Goes Wild

1947-08-08

Summer Storm
Summer Storm

1944-07-14

Ladies Should Listen
Ladies Should Listen

1934-08-10

San Diego I Love You
San Diego I Love You

1944-09-29

Kiss and Make-Up
Kiss and Make-Up

1934-07-13

Design for Living
Design for Living

1933-12-29

Hitting a New High
Hitting a New High

1937-12-24

Holiday
Holiday

1930-07-03

Little Big Shot
Little Big Shot

1935-09-07

A Bedtime Story
A Bedtime Story

1933-04-22

2000 Years Later
2000 Years Later

1969-03-11

The Perfect Specimen
The Perfect Specimen

1937-10-23

College Swing
College Swing

1938-04-29

Lonely Wives
Lonely Wives

1931-02-15

Danger – Love at Work
Danger – Love at Work

1937-09-30

Sunny
Sunny

1941-05-30

The Great Garrick
The Great Garrick

1937-10-30

Ruggles of Red Gap
Ruggles of Red Gap

1923-10-07

The King and the Chorus Girl
The King and the Chorus Girl

1937-03-27

The Singing Kid
The Singing Kid

1936-04-10

Ask Dad
Ask Dad

1929-02-16

Going Highbrow
Going Highbrow

1935-07-06

Biography of a Bachelor Girl
Biography of a Bachelor Girl

1935-01-04

Smart Woman
Smart Woman

1931-09-12

It's a Boy
It's a Boy

1934-06-07

Easy to Love
Easy to Love

1934-01-13

The Perils of Pauline
The Perils of Pauline

1967-08-02

But the Flesh Is Weak
But the Flesh Is Weak

1932-04-09

Hearts Divided
Hearts Divided

1936-06-20

Helen's Babies
Helen's Babies

1924-10-11

The Poor Rich
The Poor Rich

1934-02-25

Sing and Like it
Sing and Like it

1934-04-20

Wide Open
Wide Open

1930-02-01

The Night Is Young
The Night Is Young

1935-01-11

The Town Went Wild
The Town Went Wild

1944-12-15

The Great Junction Hotel
The Great Junction Hotel

1931-10-26

Smarty
Smarty

1934-05-19

Brazil
Brazil

1944-11-30

In Caliente
In Caliente

1935-05-25

$10 Raise
$10 Raise

1935-05-04

Success at Any Price
Success at Any Price

1934-03-16

Weekend for Three
Weekend for Three

1941-12-12

One Got Fat
One Got Fat

1963-12-01

Paris Honeymoon
Paris Honeymoon

1939-01-27

All the King's Horses
All the King's Horses

1935-02-22

Kiss Me Again
Kiss Me Again

1931-01-07

Six Cylinder Love
Six Cylinder Love

1931-05-10

Roar of the Dragon
Roar of the Dragon

1932-07-08

The Age for Love
The Age for Love

1931-10-17

His Night Out
His Night Out

1935-10-01

Flapper Wives
Flapper Wives

1924-02-23

The Magnificent Dope
The Magnificent Dope

1942-07-01

The Gang's All Here
The Gang's All Here

1939-03-04

Ziegfeld Girl
Ziegfeld Girl

1941-04-25

La Bohème
La Bohème

1926-03-13

Beggar on Horseback
Beggar on Horseback

1925-06-05

Faithful in My Fashion
Faithful in My Fashion

1946-08-21

The Sap
The Sap

1929-11-09

Her Primitive Man
Her Primitive Man

1944-05-29

Her Master's Voice
Her Master's Voice

1936-01-17

Cinderella Jones
Cinderella Jones

1946-03-09

I Married an Angel
I Married an Angel

1942-07-09

The Man in the Mirror
The Man in the Mirror

1936-10-15

That's Right – You're Wrong
That's Right – You're Wrong

1939-11-24

Dad's Choice
Dad's Choice

1928-01-07

Little Tough Guys in Society
Little Tough Guys in Society

1938-11-01

Steppin' in Society
Steppin' in Society

1945-07-09

Earl Carroll Sketchbook
Earl Carroll Sketchbook

1946-08-22

The Aviator
The Aviator

1929-12-14

Her Husband's Affairs
Her Husband's Affairs

1947-11-12

Thank Your Lucky Stars
Thank Your Lucky Stars

1943-09-25

Wild Money
Wild Money

1937-07-09

Nobody's Fool
Nobody's Fool

1936-06-01

Oh, Doctor
Oh, Doctor

1937-03-31

The Hottentot
The Hottentot

1929-08-10

The Private Secretary
The Private Secretary

1935-08-26

The Man Who Fights Alone
The Man Who Fights Alone

1924-09-15

The Body Disappears
The Body Disappears

1941-11-22

The Right Bed
The Right Bed

The Way to Love
The Way to Love

1933-10-20

Behind the Counter
Behind the Counter

1928-03-03

Try and Get It
Try and Get It

The Terror
The Terror

1928-09-06

Soldiers of the King
Soldiers of the King

1933-03-13

Your Uncle Dudley
Your Uncle Dudley

1935-12-13

Things You Never See on the Screen
Things You Never See on the Screen

1935-12-01

Bachelor Daddy
Bachelor Daddy

1941-06-04

You're the One
You're the One

1941-02-19

The Silver Screen: Color Me Lavender
The Silver Screen: Color Me Lavender

1997-11-01

Poker Faces
Poker Faces

1926-09-05

No Publicity
No Publicity

1927-08-01

Find the King
Find the King

1927-11-05

Horse Shy
Horse Shy

1928-05-19

Vacation Waves
Vacation Waves

1928-09-15

Let's Make a Million
Let's Make a Million

1936-09-01

Sonny Boy
Sonny Boy

1929-04-18

The Wonderful World of Trains
The Wonderful World of Trains

1960-01-01

Scrambled Weddings
Scrambled Weddings

1928-01-01

Call Again
Call Again

1928-01-01

Saturday Spectacular: Manhattan Tower
Saturday Spectacular: Manhattan Tower

1956-10-27

Taxi! Taxi!
Taxi! Taxi!

1927-04-24