Occupation Actor Role Actor | Name Bernard Punsly Years active 1937–1943 | |
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Born July 11, 1923 ( 1923-07-11 ) New York, New York, U.S.A. Movies Dead End, Crime School, Hell's Kitchen, The Angels Wash Their Faces, On Dress Parade Similar People Gabriel Dell, Billy Halop, David Gorcey, Ford Beebe, Lewis Seiler | ||
Bernard Punsly (July 11, 1923 – January 20, 2004) was a New York City-born American actor who later left show business to become a physician.
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His last name was often spelled incorrectly in film credits as Punsley.
Career and personal life
Punsly auditioned for a part in the play Dead End in 1935, because he thought it might be fun. The success of the play led to a series of film appearances for the cast, including Punsly. The first film of the "Dead End Kids" (or Bowery Boys) series was Dead End (1937) with Joel McCrea and Humphrey Bogart. Punsly played the parts of "Milt" and later "Ape". He appeared with actors such as Ronald Reagan, James Cagney, Pat O'Brien, John Garfield, and Humphrey Bogart.
He continued with similar film parts until he joined the army. Even as an actor, he was known to read medical books in his spare time. After receiving medical training in the army, Punsley entered the Medical College of the University of Georgia, subsequently obtaining his medical degree. He returned to the west to set up a medical practice in Torrance, California, never returning to show business.
He became chief of staff in the South Bay Hospital in Redondo Beach, California. He was married to Lynne and had two children, Bryan and Richard.
Death
On January 20, 2004, at age 80, he died of cancer in a hospital in Torrance, California.