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Paul Ford

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Occupation  Actor
Resting place  Cremation
Role  Character actor

Name  Paul Ford
Years active  1945–1974
Ex-spouse  Eva Brown
Paul Ford wwwnndbcompeople581000132185paulford5size

Full Name  Paul Ford Weaver
Born  November 2, 1901 (1901-11-02) Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Died  April 12, 1976, Mineola, New York, United States
Nominations  Tony Award for Best Lead Actor in a Play
Movies and TV shows  The Phil Silvers Show, The Teahouse of the Au, The Music Man, The Russians Are Comi, It's a Mad - Mad - Mad - Mad World
Similar People  Nat Hiken, Harvey Lembeck, Andy Devine, Madlyn Rhue, Fielder Cook

What s my line paul ford panel henry morgan mary lindsay mar 6 1966


Paul Ford (November 2, 1901 – April 12, 1976) was an American character actor who came to specialize in authority figures whose ineptitude and pompous demeanor were played for comic effect, notably as Mayor Shinn in The Music Man and as Colonel John T. Hall in The Phil Silvers Show.

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Paul Ford What39s My Line Paul Ford Peter Cook panel Jul 14

What s my line paul ford peter cook panel jul 14 1963


Early years

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Ford was born Paul Ford Weaver in Baltimore, Maryland. His father was described as "a well-to-do businessman" who lost his fortune when his investment in a soft drink company failed.

Paul Ford Paul Ford 1901 1976 Find A Grave Memorial

At an early age, he showed an adept talent for performance, but was discouraged when directors thought he was tone-deaf.

Paul Ford Paul Ford Bio Facts Family Famous Birthdays

After attending Dartmouth College for one year, Ford was a salesman before he became an entertainer.

Paul Ford

He took his middle birth name, which was his mother's maiden name, as his stage last name. The change occurred after he failed an audition as Paul Weaver but was successful when he auditioned again as Paul Ford.

Career

In later years, Ford made his hollow, reverberating voice one of the most recognized of his era. His success was long in the making, and he did little acting, but instead raised his family during the Great Depression.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Public Works programs provided Ford with work, and to the day he died, he was a passionate Democrat. He first ventured into entertainment, however, in a puppet theater project that the Works Progress Administration sponsored. Years later, he said of that opportunity: "I got on the puppet project of the W.P.A. and helped write and put on shows for the Federal Theater. We did puppet shows at the World's Fair in 1939 and 1940, and 1 served as narrator, a kind of Hoosier cornball in beard."

Following his experience with puppets, Ford worked as an attendant at a gas staton before turning to acting for a career. His first professional acting job was in an Off-Broadway production in 1939.

In 1955, Ford played the bank president in the NBC comedy series Norby. He became an "overnight" success at age 54 when he played Colonel John T. Hall opposite Phil Silvers on Silvers' The Phil Silvers Show TV show (often known as Sergeant Bilko or just Bilko).:830

His signature role may well be the part of Mayor George Shinn, a befuddled politico in the film adaptation of the Broadway show The Music Man. Ford played the role straight and received glowing reviews. The other role he is most identified with is that of Horace Vandergelder opposite the Dolly Levi of Shirley Booth in the 1958 screen version of The Matchmaker. Ford had an active career in both films and television until his retirement in the early 1970s.

Despite being a respected Broadway character actor, Ford was notorious for being unable to remember his lines. This would alternately cause difficulty forcing him and those around him to improvise. This became especially notable on The Phil Silvers Show.

He appeared in the 1962–1963 season in the CBS anthology The Lloyd Bridges Show. He starred in The Baileys of Balboa, which lasted only one season (1964–1965).

His stage credits include Another Part of the Forest (1946), Command Decision (1947), The Teahouse of the August Moon (1953), Whoop-Up (1958), replacing David Burns as Mayor Shinn in The Music Man (1957), A Thurber Carnival (1960), Never Too Late (1962), 3 Bags Full (1966), and What Did We Do Wrong? (1967).

Most actors who worked with Ford claimed he was a kindly and very funny man. He was known for his quotes about the Depression in later years, including, "My kids used to think everyone lived on peanut butter sandwiches."

His final role prior to his death was a Washington doctor in Richard.

Death

In 1976, Ford died of a heart attack at Nassau Hospital in Mineola, New York. He was 74. He was buried in Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City, California. He was survived by his wife, two daughters, and two sons.

Recognition

Ford was nominated for three Emmy Awards: Best Supporting Performance by an Actor (1957), Best Continuing Supportwpprging Performance by an Actor in a Dramatic or Comedy Series (1958) and Outstanding Performance in a Supporting Role by an Actor (1963). The first two were for his work on The Phil Silvers Show; the third was for a role on the Hallmark Hall of Fame.

Ford's obituary in The New York Times noted, "In 1967 Mr. Ford was cited by the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures as the best supporting actor for his role in The Comedians."

Partial filmography

  • The House on 92nd Street (1945) - Police Sergeant (uncredited)
  • The Naked City (1948) - Henry Fowler (uncredited)
  • Lust for Gold (1949) - Sheriff Lynn Early
  • All the King's Men (1949) - leader of the opposition in the state Senate (uncredited)
  • The Kid from Texas (1950) - Sheriff Copeland
  • Perfect Strangers (1950) - Judge James Byron
  • The Teahouse of the August Moon (1956) - Col. Wainwright Purdy III
  • The Missouri Traveler (1958) - Finas Daugherty
  • The Matchmaker (1958) - Horace Vandergelder
  • Advise and Consent (1962) - Senator Stanley Danta
  • The Music Man (1962) - Mayor George Shinn
  • Who's Got the Action? (1962) - Judge Boatwright
  • It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) - Col. Wilberforce (which also starred Phil Silvers, although they shared no scenes)
  • Never Too Late (1965) - Harry M. Lambert
  • The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming (1966) - Fendall Hawkins
  • A Big Hand for the Little Lady (1966) - C.P. Ballinger
  • The Spy with a Cold Nose (1966) - American General
  • The Comedians (1967) - Smith
  • Twinky (1969) - Mr. Wardman, Scott's Father
  • Richard (1972) - Washington Doctor
  • Journey Back to Oz (1974) - Uncle Henry (voice) (voice recorded in 1962)
  • References

    Paul Ford Wikipedia