Arthur Lake (actor)

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Arthur Lake in a promotional photograph released by Columbia Pictures in the mid-1940s

Arthur Lake (b. Arthur Silverlake, Corbin, Kentucky,April 17, 1905; d. January 9, 1987, Indian Wells, California) was an American actor known best for bringing Dagwood Bumstead, the stumbling husband of Blondie to life in film, radio, and television.

Lake appeared in films starting in the late 1920's, beginning as an adolescent character actor. By the sound era he was playing light romantic roles, usually with a comic "Mama's Boy" tone to them. He is best known for portraying the Blondie comic strip character of Dagwood Bumstead in the long-running series of Blondie films produced by Columbia Pictures from 1938 until 1950---the same length of time, practically, that a radio version was broadcast, with Lake again in the Dagwood role. He also portrayed the character in a 1957 Blondie television series, even though he was old enough by that time to be a grandfather. His work in the popular Blondie radio show earned him a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6646 Hollywood Blvd.

He died of a heart attack in Indian Wells, California on January 9, 1987 and was interred in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood.

He was the brother of actress Florence Lake and a son in law of Marion Davies and William Randolph Hearst (Lake's wife was thought to be Davies' niece, until she was revealed to be Davies' and Hearst's illegitimate daughter after Davies died).