Edward Brophy

Career

Edward Santree Brophy was born in New York City. His screen debut was in Yes or No (1920).

In 1928, with only a few minor film roles to his credit, Brophy was working as a junior production executive for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer when he was chosen to appear with Buster Keaton in one sequence of Keaton's film The Cameraman. As two clients in a bath-house, Brophy and Keaton attempt to undress and put on bathing suits while sharing a single tiny changing room. Each time Keaton attempts to hang his clothes on one hook, Brophy removes the clothes and hands them back to Keaton and gestures to the other hook. He manhandles the smaller, more slender Keaton, at one point picking him up by the feet and dumping him out of his trousers. Appearing only in this one brief scene, Brophy attracted enough attention to receive more and better roles. Though he did appear in a few theatre roles, most of his long and prolific career was in film and was spent at the studio's of MGM.

He played the main character's loyal manager in The Champ (1931), a Rollo Brother circus proprietor, with Matt McHugh in the movie Freaks (1932), Joe Morelli from The Thin Man (1934) and Nick Charles' friend Brogan from The Thin Man Goes Home (1944). Brophy made a lasting impression on Disney fans as the voice of Timothy the mouse in Dumbo, even though he was uncredited for this role (Brophy later reprised the role for the 1957 Disneyland Records adaptation). He also made several appearances in the films of director John Ford.

Death

Edward Brophy died on May 27, 1960 during the production of Ford's Two Rode Together. (One source says Brophy "died while watching a prizefight on television.") He was buried in Santa Monica's Woodlawn Cemetery next to his wife Ann S. Brophy. (Another source listed "widow, Ann" as a survivor.)