Frank Faylen

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Frank Faylen

Born December 8, 1905
St. Louis, Missouri
Died August 2, 1985
Burbank, California

Frank Faylen (December 8, 1905 – August 2, 1985) was an American movie and television actor.

Born Frank Ruf in St. Louis, Missouri, he began his acting career as an infant appearing with his vaudeville performing parents on stage. After traveling with his showbiz parents through his childhood, Faylen became a stage actor at 18, and eventually began working in movies in the 1930s. He began playing a number of unmemorable bit parts for Warner Brothers, then freelanced for other studios in gradually larger character roles. He appears as Walt Disney's musical conductor in The Reluctant Dragon, and as a stern railroad official in the Laurel and Hardy comedy A-Haunting We Will Go. Faylen and L & H supporting player Charlie Hall were teamed briefly by Monogram Pictures.

Faylen's breakthrough came in 1945, where he was cast as Bim, the cynical male nurse at Bellevue's alcoholic ward in The Lost Weekend. His most familiar movie appearance is as Ernie Bishop, the friendly taxi driver in Frank Capra's 1946 film It's a Wonderful Life. Faylen appeared in almost 200 films.

Faylen's career also stretched to television, playing long-suffering grocer Herbert T. Gillis on the 1950s television sitcom The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. In 1968 he had a small part in the Barbra Streisand film Funny Girl. Faylen was married to Carol Hughes, also a movie actress.

Faylen died from pneumonia in 1985. He was interred in the San Fernando Mission Cemetery in Mission Hills, Los Angeles, California.

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Persondata
NAME Faylen, Frank
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION Actor
DATE OF BIRTH December 8, 1905
PLACE OF BIRTH St. Louis, Missouri
DATE OF DEATH August 2, 1985
PLACE OF DEATH Burbank, California