Bert Wheeler
| Bert Wheeler | |
|---|---|
 Dressed in white tie and tails, Bert Wheeler (left) and Robert Woolsey (right) stand and smile for a publicity photo. An inscription appears in the top left corner. | |
| Born |
April 7, 1895 Paterson, New Jersey |
| Died |
January 18, 1968 (aged 72) New York City |
| Nationality | United States |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Known for | Wheeler & Woolsey |
Albert Jerome "Bert" Wheeler (April 7, 1895–January 18, 1968) was an American comedian who performed in Broadway theatre, American comedy feature films, and vaudeville acts. He was the comedy partner of Robert Woolsey, and together they formed a successful double act called Wheeler & Woolsey.
Wheeler was born in Paterson, New Jersey in 1895. He worked with Robert Woolsey on Broadway until their film debut in 1929, Rio Rita, established them in the Hollywood film industry.
In the early 1940s, after Robert Woolsey had died, Bert Wheeler struggled to restart his career. Their friend and former film costar Dorothy Lee agreed to tour with him for a vaudeville act.
He continued to work off and on through the 1960s. His later appearances were mostly on American television; his last theatrical films were two slapstick short films for Columbia Pictures, filmed in 1950 and produced by Jules White. In 1955 Wheeler co-starred with Keith Larsen in the CBS western series Brave Eagle; Wheeler played the "half-breed" Smokey Joe, known for his tall tales and tribal wisdom.
Wheeler was married five times, twice to actresses – Bernice Speer and then Sally Haines. His longest union was with Olga Desmondae Rieman, a former vaudevillian singer,[1] from 1951 to her death in 1966. His only child, with Speer, was Patricia Anne Wheeler, who died of cancer, the same year as her father.[2]
Bert Wheeler died of emphysema in New York City in 1968.
Nine of Wheeler's 21 movies with his famous partner were released in a DVD collection entitled "Wheeler & Woolsey: RKO Comedy Classics Collection" in March 2013 by Warner Archive.[3]
References
- ↑ Anderson, John C. "Olga Desmondae "Des" Rieman Wheeler (1899- 1966) Find A Grave Memorial". Ancestry.com. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
- ↑ Bert Wheeler at the Internet Movie Database
- ↑ Kehr, Dave (2 March 2013). "DVD Ribaldry Before the Code". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 March 2013.