Frank Orth
Frank Orth was an American actor born in Philadelphia. He is probably best remembered for his portrayal of Inspector Faraday in the 1951-1953 television series “Boston Blackie”. By 1897, Orth was performing in vaudeville with his wife, Ann Codee, in an act called “Codee and Orth.” In 1909, he expanded into song writing, with songs such as “The Phone Bell Rang” and “Meet Me on the Boardwalk, Dearie.” His first contact with motion pictures was in 1928, when he was part of the first foreign-language shorts in sound produced by Warner Bros. He and his wife also appeared together in a series of two-reel comedies in the early 1930s. Orth's first major screen credit was in “Prairie Thunder,” a Dick Foran western, in 1937. From then on, he was often cast as bartenders, pharmacists, and grocery clerks, and always distinctly Irish. He had a recurring role in the Dr. Kildare series of films and also in the Nancy Drew series as the befuddled Officer Tweedy. Among his better roles were the newspaper man Cary Grant telephones early in “His Girl Friday,” one of the quartet singing “Gary Owen” in “They Died with Their Boots On” (thereby giving Errol Flynn as Gen. Custer the idea of associating the tune with the 7th Cavalry), and as the little man carrying the sign reading “The End Is Near” throughout Colonel Effingham's Raid. However, Orth is probably best remembered for his portrayal of Inspector Faraday in the 1951-1953 television series “Boston Blackie.” A short, plump, round-faced man, often smoking a cigar, Orth as Faraday wore his own dark-rimmed spectacles, though rarely in feature films. In 1959, Orth retired from show business after throat surgery. His wife died in 1961 after around fifty years of marriage. Orth died on March 17, 1962. He is buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery in the Hollywood Hills next to his wife.
Acted in
Here Come the Girls
1953
as Mr. Hungerford
Houdini
1953
as Mr. Hunter
The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet
1952
as Uncle John
Something to Live For
1952
as Waiter (uncredited)
Double Dynamite
1951
as Mr. Kofer
The Adventures of Boston Blackie
1951
The Petty Girl
1950
as Moody (process server)
Father of the Bride
1950
as Joe
Cheaper by the Dozen
1950
as Higgins (uncredited)
The Great Rupert
1950
as Mr. Frank Dingle
Bride for Sale
1949
as Police Sergeant
Red Light
1949
as Wallace 'Wally' Stoner
Blondie's Secret
1948
as Mr. Philpotts
The Girl from Manhattan
1948
as Oscar Newsome
The Big Clock
1948
as Burt
It Had to Be You
1947
as Conductor Brown
The Gas House Kids in Hollywood
1947
as Police Captain
Heartaches
1947
as Mike Connelly, Vic's Agent
The Guilt of Janet Ames
1947
as Danny
Born to Speed
1947
as Breezy Bradley
Lady in the Lake
1946
as Floyd Greer (Uncredited)
Wake Up and Dream
1946
as Milkman
It's Great to Be Young
1946
as Franklin Johnson
The Strange Love of Martha Ivers
1946
as Hotel Clerk
The Bride Wore Boots
1946
as Judge (uncredited)
Murder in the Music Hall
1946
as Henderson
The Hoodlum Saint
1946
as Chronicle Editor (uncredited)
Doll Face
1945
as Peters
The Lost Weekend
1945
as Opera Cloak Room Attendant
She Went to the Races
1945
as Skelly
Tell It to a Star
1945
as Augustus T. Goodman
Pillow to Post
1945
as Clayfield Taxi Driver
Storm Over Lisbon
1944
as Murgatroyd
Greenwich Village
1944
as Ordway
The Impatient Years
1944
as Counterman
Wilson
1944
as Smith (uncredited)
Summer Storm
1944
as Cafe Maitre d' at End (uncredited)
Roger Touhy, Gangster
1944
as . Comic in Theater (uncredited)
Sweet Rosie O'Grady
1943
as Taxi Driver
Coney Island
1943
as Bartender
Hello, Frisco, Hello
1943
as Lou, Bartender at Sharkey's
The Ox-Bow Incident
1943
as Larry Kinkaid (uncredited)
The Meanest Man in the World
1943
as Bartender
Springtime in the Rockies
1942
as Bickel (uncredited)
Dr. Gillespie's New Assistant
1942
as Mike Ryan
Orchestra Wives
1942
as Rex Willet
Tales of Manhattan
1942
as Secondhand Clothes Dealer (Rogers sequence)
Footlight Serenade
1942
as Mike
The Magnificent Dope
1942
as Messenger
Henry and Dizzy
1942
as Joe McGuire
My Gal Sal
1942
as McGuiness
Rings on Her Fingers
1942
as Kellogg
Roxie Hart
1942
as Bar Client #2 (uncredited)
Dr. Kildare's Victory
1942
as Mike Ryan
Over My Dead Body
1942
as Detective
Blue, White, and Perfect
1942
as Mr. Toby
They Died with Their Boots On
1941
as Barfly (uncredited)
I Wake Up Screaming
1941
as Cemetery Caretaker
Sergeant York
1941
as Drummer (uncredited)
Broadway Limited
1941
as Lou, Cafe Proprietor
The People Vs. Dr. Kildare
1941
as Mike Ryan
Ride on Vaquero
1941
as Auctioneer
Come Live with Me
1941
as Jerry
Respect the Law
1941
as Peter Brennan
Michael Shayne: Private Detective
1940
as Steve
You, the People
1940
as Soda Jerk
Dr. Kildare's Crisis
1940
as Mike Ryan, Cafe Owner
Father Is A Prince
1940
as Drugstore Proprieter
Gallant Sons
1940
as Newspaper Foreman (uncredited)
Mexican Spitfire Out West
1940
as Window Washer
Dr. Kildare Goes Home
1940
as Mike Ryan (uncredited)
Boom Town
1940
as Barber
Buyer Beware
1940
as Smith (uncredited)
Pier 13
1940
as Dead Pan Charlie
Gold Rush Maisie
1940
as Harris
Brother Orchid
1940
as Waiter at Fat Dutchy's (uncredited)
Florian
1940
as Detective
La Conga Nights
1940
as Dennis O'Brien
The Doctor Takes a Wife
1940
as New York Editor (uncredited)
'Til We Meet Again
1940
as Hong Kong Bartender (uncredited)
Dr. Kildare's Strange Case
1940
as Mike Ryan, Sullivan's Hospital Cafe
Know Your Money
1940
as Tobacconist (uncredited)
His Girl Friday
1940
as Duffy
The Secret of Dr. Kildare
1939
as Mike Sullivan
At the Circus
1939
as Chef in Diner (uncredited)
Fast and Furious
1939
as Joe Burke
Dust Be My Destiny
1939
as Wedding Witness on Stage (uncredited)
Thunder Afloat
1939
as Old Sailor in Bilge Area (uncredited)
Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase
1939
as Captain Tweedy
Stanley and Livingstone
1939
as Newspaperman with Pills
Tell No Tales
1939
as Vic - Bartender (uncredited)
Young Mr. Lincoln
1939
as Loafer (uncredited)
Calling Dr. Kildare
1939
as Mike Sullivan - Hospital Cafe Owner (uncredited)
Broadway Serenade
1939
as Mr. Fellows
Within the Law
1939
as Jim Jenks
Nancy Drew... Reporter
1939
as Captain Tweedy (uncredited)
Fast and Loose
1939
as Detective Hendricks
Idiot's Delight
1939
as Benny Zinsser
Burn 'Em Up O'Connor
1939
as Tim McKelvy
Comet Over Broadway
1938
as Cab Driver (uncredited)
Nancy Drew… Detective
1938
as Captain Tweedy
Young Dr. Kildare
1938
as Mike Ryan (uncredited)
Mr. Chump
1938
as Sheriff Frank Hinton
Think It Over
1938
as Brown, Clothing Store Owner
Torchy Blane in Panama
1938
as First Leopard (uncredited)
The Patient in Room 18
1938
as Joe Higgins - Night Watchman
Missing Witnesses
1937
as Gordon (uncredited)
The Footloose Heiress
1937
as Justice Abner Cuttler
Prairie Thunder
1937
as Wichita
The Devil's Saddle Legion
1937
as Judge Barko
Talent Scout
1937
as Burlesque Theatre Manager (uncredited)
Ever Since Eve
1937
as Cocktail Waiter (uncredited)
Marry the Girl
1937
as Bar owner
San Quentin
1937
as Convict in Bunkhouse (uncredited)
Land Beyond the Law
1937
as Shorty Long
Polo Joe
1936
as Bert
Hot Money
1936
as Hank Ford
Two Against the World
1936
as Tommy - Bartender
Unwelcome Stranger
1935
as Jackson
The Payoff
1935
as Porter (uncredited)
Taking Ways
1930
A Bird in the Hand
1929