Jack Haley

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Publicity photo of Jack Haley and Patricia Ellis from the film Here Comes the Groom (1934).
Publicity photo of Jack Haley and Patricia Ellis from the film Here Comes the Groom (1934).

Jack Haley (August 10, 1898June 6, 1979)--born John Joseph Haley, Jr.--was an American film actor best known for his portrayal of "The Tin Man" (and farmworker "Hickory") in The Wizard of Oz, a role he got because actor Buddy Ebsen had a near-fatal reaction from inhaling the aluminum dust makeup used with the costume. The makeup was switched to a paste, to avoid risking the same reaction by Haley. (The new makeup did cause an eye infection which caused Haley to miss four days of filming, but he received treatment in time to prevent permanent damage.[1])

Haley's natural voice (which he used for the "Hickory" character) was moderately gruff. For the Tin Man, he spoke more softly, a la "Mr. Rogers", which he later said was the tone of voice he used when reading stories to his children.

He married Florence McFadden on February 25, 1921, and they remained married until his death. The couple had one son, Jack Haley Jr., and one daughter, Gloria.[2] Jack Jr. married Liza Minnelli, daughter of his father's Oz co-star Judy Garland, briefly in the 1970s.

In 1972, Haley made his daughter, Gloria, the sole owner of his written memoirs. In 1978, she published them in the form of the hardcover book Heart of the Tin Man.

Haley died of a heart attack on June 6, 1979 in Los Angeles, California at the age of 80. He is buried in Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City, California.[3] Buddy Ebsen, ten years younger than Haley, outlived him by 24 years.

[edit] Filmography

Features:

Short Subjects:

  • Then Came the Yawn (1932)
  • Wrongorilla (1933)
  • Hollywood on Parade No. A-9 (1933)
  • Salt Water Daffy (1933)
  • Screen Snapshots: Famous Fathers and Sons (1946)
  • Screen Snapshots: The Skolsky Party (1946)

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