Tommy Noonan

Tommy Noonan
Born Thomas Patrick Noone
April 29, 1921
Bellingham, Washington, U.S.
Died April 24, 1968 (aged 46)
Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California. U.S.
Cause of death
 brain tumor
Resting place
 San Fernando Mission Cemetery
Mission Hills
California
Plot: Section B, Lot 1048, Grave 7
Years active 1938-1967
Spouse(s) Carole Langley
(m.1952-1968; his death; 4 children)
Lucile Barnes
(m.1947-1952; divorced; 2 children )

Tommy Noonan (April 29, 1921 – April 24, 1968) was a comedy genre film performer, screenwriter and producer. He acted in a number of 'A' and 'B' pictures from the 1940s through the 1960s, and he is best known for his supporting performances as Gus Esmond, Marilyn Monroe's wealthy boyfriend in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), and as the musician Danny McGuire in A Star Is Born (1954).

Life and career

Noonan was the half-brother of actor John Ireland, and the two made their stage debuts with a New York-based experimental theater. They would later appear together in three films, including I Shot Jesse James (1949).

He teamed with Peter Marshall to form a comedy team in the late 1940s. Working as Noonan and Marshall, they appeared on television, nightclubs, and in the films Starlift (1951), a brief appearance in FBI Girl (1951), The Rookie (1959) and Swingin' Along (1962). The duo went their separate ways after the release of Swingin' Along.

In 1961 Noonan appeared on the CBS courtroom drama Perry Mason as the title character and defendant, comedian Charlie Hatch, in "The Case of the Crying Comedian."

In the early 1960s. Noonan appeared in a few B movies including Promises! Promises! (1963) with Jayne Mansfield and Three Nuts in Search of a Bolt (1964) with Mamie Van Doren, which he also directed, wrote and produced. His last effort as a producer was Cottonpickin' Chickenpickers (1967), which was also Sonny Tufts' last movie. Not long after the release of the film, Noonan was diagnosed with a brain tumor. He died just a few days shy of his 47th birthday. He was survived by his wife, Pokie Noonan, and his four children: Vince, Susan, Kathleen, and Timothy. Tommy is also survived by his son from his first marriage to Lucille Barnes, Tom Huntington, and grandchildren Matthew and Claire.

External links

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