Lucien Littlefield (August 16, 1895 – June 4, 1960) was an American actor who achieved a long career from
silent film
A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...
s to the television era. He was noted for his versatility, playing a wide range of roles and already portraying old men before he was of voting age.
Life and career
Lucien Littlefield was born in San Antonio, Texas and attended
Staunton Military Academy. He started his movie career in 1913
and worked as an actor until his death in 1960. He usually portrayed comedic supporting characters, often much older than himself. His role of the doctor in ''
The Cat and the Canary'' (1927) is one of his more notable performances. The character actor appeared with
Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy were a British-American double act, comedy duo during the early Classical Hollywood cinema, Classical Hollywood era of American cinema, consisting of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–1957) ...
, first as an eccentric professor in ''
Dirty Work'' and finally as a veterinarian in ''
Sons of the Desert'', both made in 1933. He also played
Mary Pickford
Gladys Louise Smith (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979), known professionally as Mary Pickford, was a Canadian-American film actress and producer. A Canadian pioneers in early Hollywood, pioneer in the American film industry with a Hollywood care ...
's father in ''
My Best Girl
''My Best Girl'' is a 1927 American silent romantic comedy film directed by Sam Taylor starring Mary Pickford and Charles "Buddy" Rogers that was produced by Pickford. Rogers later married Pickford. Charles Rosher received an Academy Award ...
'' in 1927. Other roles include the western ''
Tumbleweeds'' with
William S. Hart, the comedy ''
Ruggles of Red Gap'' with
Charles Laughton, and ''
Johnny Come Lately'' with
James Cagney.
He played an eccentric inventor in an early episode of ''
Adventures of Superman'' titled "The Runaway Robot". Littlefield played many character roles in other TV shows of the 1950s, such as ''
Blondie'', ''
Lassie'', ''
Dragnet'' and ''
Peter Gunn
''Peter Gunn'' is an American detective fiction, private eye television series, starring Craig Stevens (actor), Craig Stevens as Peter Gunn with Lola Albright as his girlfriend, lounge singer Edie Hart. The series was broadcast by NBC from Sept ...
''.
He died of natural causes in 1960 at a veterans' hospital in Hollywood, California, and he was buried in Glendale's
Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery.
''Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries''
/ref>
Selected filmography
* '' Rose of the Rancho'' (1914) (uncredited)
* '' The Ghost Breaker'' (1914) as Judge Jarvis
* '' The Warrens of Virginia'' (1915) as Tom Dabney
* '' A Gentleman of Leisure'' (1915) as Clerk
* '' The Wild Goose Chase'' (1915, short) as The 'Grind'
* '' Kindling'' (1915) as Fence (uncredited)
* '' The Marriage of Kitty'' (1915) as Minor Role
* '' Mr. Grex of Monte Carlo'' (1915) as The Rag Picker
* '' The Unknown'' (1915) as Minor Role
* '' The Cheat'' (1915) as Hardy's Secretary (uncredited)
* '' The Golden Chance'' (1915) as Roger Manning's Valet (uncredited)
* ''Temptation
Temptation is a desire to engage in short-term urges for enjoyment that threatens long-term goals.Webb, J.R. (Sep 2014). Incorporating Spirituality into Psychology of temptation: Conceptualization, measurement, and clinical implications. Sp ...
'' (1915) (uncredited)
* '' The Blacklist'' (1916) as Frederick Holtz
* '' To Have and to Have'' (1916) as King James I
* '' The Love Mask'' (1916)
* '' The Heart of Nora Flynn'' (1916) as The Gardener
* '' A Gutter Magdalene'' (1916)
* '' Joan the Woman'' (1916)
* '' The Golden Fetter'' (1917) as Pete
* '' On Record'' (1917)
* '' The Cost of Hatred'' (1917)
* ''The Jaguar's Claws
''The Jaguar's Claws'' is a 1917 American Western (genre), Western silent film directed by Marshall Neilan and written by William M. McCoy, Beatrice DeMille and Leighton Osmun. The film stars Sessue Hayakawa, Fritzi Brunette, Tom Moore (actor), ...
'' (1917) as Minor Role
* '' The Squaw Man's Son'' (1917) as Lord Yester
* '' The Hostage'' (1917) as Paul
* '' Hawthorne of the U.S.A.'' (1919) as Soldier on Patrol (uncredited)
* '' Everywoman'' (1919) as Lord Witness
* '' Double Speed'' (1920) as Reginald Toby
* '' Why Change Your Wife?'' (1920) as Gordon's Butler
* '' Jack Straw'' (1920) as Sherlo
* '' Sick Abed'' (1920) as Dr. Widner
* '' The Sins of St. Anthony'' (1920) as Lieutenant Humphrey Smith
* '' The Fourteenth Man'' (1920) as Wesley Colfax Winslow
* '' The Round-Up'' (1920) as Parenthesis (uncredited)
* '' Eyes of the Heart'' (1920) as Whitey
* '' Her First Elopement'' (1920) as Man with Raccoon Coat (uncredited)
* '' The Furnace'' (1920) as Bert Vallance
* '' Her First Elopement'' (1920) as Ted Maitland
* '' All Souls' Eve'' (1921)
* '' The Little Clown'' (1921) as Connie Potts
* '' Too Much Speed'' (1921) as Jimmy Rodman
* '' Crazy to Marry'' (1921) as Minister
* '' The Hell Diggers'' (1921) as Silas Hoskins
* '' The Affairs of Anatol'' (1921) as Spencer's Valet (uncredited)
* '' The Sheik'' (1921) as Gaston – French Valet
* '' Rent Free'' (1922) as 'Batty' Briggs
* '' Tillie'' (1922) as Doc Weaver
* '' Saturday Night'' (1922) as Uncle Van's Secretary (uncredited)
* '' Her Husband's Trademark'' (1922) as Slithy Winters
* '' Across the Continent'' (1922) as Scott Tyler
* '' Beyond the Rocks'' (1922) as Sir Lionel Grey's Associate (uncredited)
* '' Our Leading Citizen'' (1922) as The Editor
* '' The Siren Call'' (1922) as Irishman
* ''Manslaughter
Manslaughter is a common law legal term for homicide considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is sometimes said to have first been made by the ancient Athenian lawmaker Draco in the 7th ce ...
'' (1922) as Witness
* '' To Have and to Hold'' (1922) as Duke of Buckingham
* '' Mr. Billings Spends His Dime'' (1923) as Martin Green
* '' The Tiger's Claw'' (1923) as Goyrem
* '' Three Wise Fools'' (1923) as Douglas
* '' The French Doll'' (1923) as Dobbs, the Butler
* '' In the Palace of the King'' (1923) as Adonis
* '' The Rendezvous'' (1923) as Commissar
* ''Leap Year
A leap year (also known as an intercalary year or bissextile year) is a calendar year that contains an additional day (or, in the case of a lunisolar calendar, a month) compared to a common year. The 366th day (or 13th month) is added to keep t ...
'' (1924) as Jeremiah Piper
* '' Name the Man'' (1924) as Sharf
* '' True As Steel'' (1924) as Mr. Foote
* '' Babbitt'' (1924) as Edward Littlefield
* '' A Woman Who Sinned'' (1924) as Rev. Hillburn
* '' Never Say Die'' (1924) as Griggs
* '' The Painted Lady'' (1924) as Matt Logan
* '' Feet of Clay'' (1924) as Minor Role (uncredited)
* '' Gerald Cranston's Lady'' (1924) as Stanley Tilotson
* ''Teeth
A tooth (: teeth) is a hard, calcified structure found in the jaws (or mouths) of many vertebrates and used to break down food. Some animals, particularly carnivores and omnivores, also use teeth to help with capturing or wounding prey, tear ...
'' (1924) as Under-sheriff
* '' Gold Heels'' (1924) as Push Miller
* '' The Deadwood Coach'' (1924) as Charlie Winter – in play
* '' Charley's Aunt'' (1925) as Brasset – the Scout
* '' Gold and the Girl'' (1925) as Weasel
* '' The Rainbow Trail'' (1925) as Joe Lake
* '' What Price Goofy?'' (1925, Short) as Speck – Jamison's Faithful Butler
* '' Hearts and Spurs'' (1925) as Ford Driver (uncredited)
* '' Innocent Husbands'' (1925, Short) as The House Detective
* '' Madame Sans Jane'' (1925, Short) as Steward
* '' There Goes the Bride'' (1925, Short)
* '' Somewhere in Somewhere'' (1925, Short) as The Buck Private
* '' Laughing Ladies'' (1925, Short) as The Dentist
* '' Tumbleweeds'' (1925) as Kentucky Rose
* '' Soul Mates'' (1925) as Stevens
* '' A Punch in the Nose'' (1926, Short)
* '' Your Husband's Past'' (1926, Short)
* '' Torrent'' (1926) as Cupido
* '' Brooding Eyes'' (1926) as Bell
* '' Tony Runs Wild'' (1926) as Red
* '' Bachelor Brides'' (1926) as Egbert Beamish
* '' Don Key (Son of Burro)'' (1926, Short)
* '' Take It from Me'' (1926) as Cyrus Crabb
* '' Twinkletoes'' (1926) as Hank
* '' Taxi! Taxi!'' (1927) as Billy Wallace
* '' The Cat and the Canary'' (1927) as Ira Lazar
* '' The Lighter That Failed'' (1927, Short) (uncredited)
* ''My Best Girl
''My Best Girl'' is a 1927 American silent romantic comedy film directed by Sam Taylor starring Mary Pickford and Charles "Buddy" Rogers that was produced by Pickford. Rogers later married Pickford. Charles Rosher received an Academy Award ...
'' (1927) as Pa Johnson
* ''Uncle Tom's Cabin
''Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly'' is an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Published in two Volume (bibliography), volumes in 1852, the novel had a profound effect on attitudes toward African Americans ...
'' (1927) as Lawyer Marks
* '' The Small Bachelor'' (1927)
* '' Cheating Cheaters'' (1927) as 'Habeas Corpus' Lazarre
* '' The Valley of the Giants'' (1927) as Councilman
* '' A Texas Steer'' (1927) as Yell
* '' A Ship Comes In'' (1928) as Dan Casey
* '' The Man in Hobbles'' (1928) as Pa Harris
* '' A Blonde for a Night'' (1928) as Jenks
* '' Harold Teen'' (1928) as Dad Jenks
* '' The Head Man'' (1928) as Ed Barnes
* '' Heart to Heart'' (1928) as Uncle Joe Boyd
* '' Mother Knows Best'' (1928) as Pa Quail
* '' Do Your Duty'' (1928) as Andy McIntosh
* '' Making the Grade'' (1929) as Silas Cooper
* '' Clear the Decks'' (1929) as Plinge
* '' Saturday's Children'' (1929) as Willie
* '' This Is Heaven'' (1929) as Frank Chase
* '' The Girl in the Glass Cage'' (1929) as Sheik Smith
* '' Drag'' (1929) as Pa Parker
* '' Dark Streets'' (1929) as Census Taker
* '' The Great Divide'' (1929) as Texas Tommy
* ''Happy Days
''Happy Days'' is an American television sitcom that aired first-run on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC network from January 15, 1974, to July 19, 1984, with a total of 255 half-hour episodes spanning 11 seasons. Created by Garry Marsha ...
'' (1929) as Lucien Littlefield
* '' Seven Keys to Baldpate'' (1929) as Thomas Hayden
* '' No No Nanette'' (1930) as Jim Smith
* '' Getting a Raise'' (1930, Short) as Pa Potter
* '' Clancy in Wall Street'' (1930) as Andy MacIntosh
* '' High Society Blues'' (1930) as Eli Granger
* '' Big Money'' (1930, Short) as Pa Potter
* '' She's My Weakness'' (1930) as Warren Thurber
* '' Tom Sawyer'' (1930) as Schoolteacher
* '' Reducing'' (1931) as Elmer Truffle
* '' Scandal Sheet'' (1931) as Charles McCloskey
* '' It Pays to Advertise'' (1931) as Adams
* '' Misbehaving Ladies'' (1931) as Uncle Joe Boyd
* '' Young as You Feel'' (1931) as Noah Marley
* '' Trouble from Abroad'' (1931, Short) as Captain Wimble
* '' The Great Junction Hotel'' (1931, Short)
* '' Broken Lullaby'' (1932) as Herr Walter Schultz
* '' Strangers in Love'' (1932) as Professor Clark
* '' Are You Listening?'' (1932) as Fred (uncredited)
* '' Shopworn'' (1932) as Fred
* '' Strangers of the Evening'' (1932) as Frank 'Snookie' Daniels aka Richard Roe
* '' Jimmy's New Yacht'' (1932, Short) as Mr. Ford
* '' Miss Pinkerton'' (1932) as Henderson (scenes deleted)
* '' Speed Madness'' (1932) as Forbes
* '' Downstairs'' (1932) as Françoise – a Drunken Servant
* '' Devil and the Deep'' (1932) as Shopkeeper (uncredited)
* '' That's My Boy'' (1932) as Uncle Louie
* '' Pride of the Legion'' (1932) as 'Dad' Tully
* '' Evenings for Sale'' (1932) as Schwenk
* '' If I Had a Million'' (1932) as Zeb – Hamburger Stand Owner (uncredited)
* '' Rasputin and the Empress'' (1932) as Reveler at Party (uncredited)
* '' The Bitter Tea of General Yen'' (1932) as Mr. Jacobson
* '' That's My Baby'' (1932)
* '' Sailor's Luck'' (1933) as Elmer Brown
* '' Sweepings'' (1933) as Grimson
* '' Professional Sweetheart'' (1933) as Ed – the Announcer
* '' The Big Brain'' (1933) as Justice of the Peace
* '' Skyway'' (1933) as Webster
* '' Chance at Heaven'' (1933) as Fred Harris
* '' Dirty Work'' (1933, Short) as Professor Noodle (uncredited)
* '' East of Fifth Avenue'' (1933) as Gardner
* '' Rainbow Over Broadway'' (1933) as Timothy Chibbins
* '' Sons of the Desert'' (1933) as Dr. Horace Meddick, the Veterinarian
* '' Alice in Wonderland'' (1933; scene deleted)
* '' Mandalay'' (1934) as Mr. George Peters
* '' Stand Up and Cheer!'' (1934) as Professor Hi De Ho (uncredited)
* '' Thirty Day Princess'' (1934) as Parker
* '' Marrying Widows'' (1934) as The Brother-In-Law
* '' Kiss and Make-Up'' (1934) as Max Pascal
* '' When Strangers Meet'' (1934) as Barney Crane
* '' Gridiron Flash'' (1934) as L.B. Fields
* '' Love Time'' (1934) as Willie Obenbiegler
* '' Sweepstake Annie'' (1935) as Henry Foster
* ''Carnival
Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that occurs at the close of the Christian pre-Lenten period, consisting of Quinquagesima or Shrove Sunday, Shrove Monday, and Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras.
Carnival typi ...
'' (1935) as Minor Role (uncredited)
* '' Ruggles of Red Gap'' (1935) as Charles Belknap-Jackson
* '' One Frightened Night'' (1935) as Dr. Denham
* '' The Murder Man'' (1935) as Peter J. Rafferty
* '' Man on the Flying Trapeze'' (1935) as Mr. Peabody
* '' She Gets Her Man'' (1935) as Elmer
* '' The Return of Peter Grimm'' (1935) as Colonel Tom Lawton
* '' Cappy Ricks Returns'' (1935) as Skinner
* '' I Dream Too Much'' (1935) as Hubert Dilley
* '' Magnificent Obsession'' (1935) as Breezy (uncredited)
* '' Strike Me Pink'' (1936) as Professor Kittridge (uncredited)
* '' Rose Marie'' (1936) as Storekeeper
* '' The Moon's Our Home'' (1936) as Ogden Holbrook
* '' Let's Sing Again'' (1936) as Supt. Henry Perkins
* '' Early to Bed'' (1936) as Mr. O'Leary
* '' Hotel Haywire'' (1937) as Elmer (uncredited)
* '' Wild Money'' (1937) as Bill Hawkins
* '' High, Wide, and Handsome'' (1937) as Mr. Lippincott
* '' Souls at Sea'' (1937) as Toymaker
* '' Partners in Crime'' (1937) as Mr. Twitchell
* '' Born to the West'' (1937) as Cattle Buyer
* '' Bulldog Drummond's Revenge'' (1937) as Mr. Smith
* ''Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo & Company is an American multinational financial services company with a significant global presence. The company operates in 35 countries and serves over 70 million customers worldwide. It is a systemically important fi ...
'' (1937) as San Francisco Postmaster (uncredited)
* '' Scandal Street'' (1938) as Robert Johnson
* '' Hollywood Stadium Mystery'' (1938) as Watchman
* '' Reckless Living'' (1938) as Lucius Carr (uncredited)
* '' Wide Open Faces'' (1938) as P. T. 'Doc' Williams
* '' The Gladiator'' (1938) as Professor Abner Danner
* '' I Am the Law'' (1938) as Mr. Roberts (uncredited)
* '' The Night Hawk'' (1938) as Parrish
* '' Pirates of the Skies'' (1939) as Dr. Amos Pettingill
* '' Mystery Plane'' (1939) as Winslow
* '' Unmarried'' (1939) as School Principal (uncredited)
* '' What a Life'' (1939) as Mr. Patterson
* ''Sabotage
Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening a polity, government, effort, or organization through subversion, obstruction, demoralization (warfare), demoralization, destabilization, divide and rule, division, social disruption, disrupti ...
'' (1939) as Eli
* '' Jeepers Creepers'' (1939) as Grandpa
* '' Money to Burn'' (1939) as Irving
* '' Those Were the Days!'' (1940) as Professor Sillicocks
* '' The Westerner'' (1940) as The Stranger
* '' Life with Henry'' (1940) as Mr. Stevens
* ''Li'l Abner
''Li'l Abner'' was a satirical American comic strip that appeared in multiple newspapers in the United States, Canada, and Europe. It featured a fictional clan of hillbillies living in the impoverished fictional mountain village of Dogpatch, ...
'' (1940) as The Sheriff / Mr. Oldtimer
* '' Murder Among Friends'' (1941) as Dr. Fred Turk
* '' The Great American Broadcast'' (1941) as Justice of the Peace
* '' The Little Foxes'' (1941) as Manders
* ''Man at Large
''Man at Large'' is a 1941 American mystery thriller film directed by Eugene Forde and written by John Larkin. The film stars Marjorie Weaver, George Reeves, Richard Derr, Steven Geray, Milton Parsons and Spencer Charters. The film was r ...
'' (1941) as Jones, Nervous Man at Tourist Camp
* '' Henry Aldrich for President'' (1941) as Mr. Crosley
* '' Mr. and Mrs. North'' (1942) as Barnes
* ''Castle in the Desert
''Castle in the Desert'' is a 1942 film featuring the Chinese detective Charlie Chan. It was the eleventh film to feature Sidney Toler as the title character, and the last made by 20th Century Fox. The series continued with Toler, though under ...
'' (1942) as Gleason
* '' This Time for Keeps'' (1942) as Herb – Western Union Man (uncredited)
* '' Larceny, Inc.'' (1942) as Third Customer (uncredited)
* '' The Great Man's Lady'' (1942) as City Editor
* '' Hillbilly Blitzkrieg'' (1942) as Prof. Waldo James
* '' Bells of Capistrano'' (1942) as Daniel (Pop) McCracken
* '' Whistling in Dixie'' (1942) as Corporal Lucken
* '' Silent Witness'' (1943) as Hank Eastman
* '' Henry Aldrich Gets Glamour'' (1943) as Mr. Quid (uncredited)
* '' Johnny Come Lately'' (1943) as Blaker
* '' Henry Aldrich Haunts a House'' (1943) as Mr. Quid
* '' Casanova in Burlesque'' (1944) as John Alden Compton
* '' Lady, Let's Dance'' (1944) as Mr. Snodgrass
* '' Cowboy and the Senorita'' (1944) as Judge Loomis
* '' Goodnight, Sweetheart'' (1944) as Collins
* '' When the Lights Go on Again'' (1944) as Andy
* '' One Body Too Many'' (1944) as Kenneth Hopkins
* '' Lady, Let's Dance'' (1944) as The Judge
* '' Zorro's Black Whip'' (1944) as 'Tenpoint' Jackson
* '' Scared Stiff'' (1945) as Charles Waldeck / Preston Waldeck
* '' The Caribbean Mystery'' (1945) as Dr. Praskins (uncredited)
* '' In Old Sacramento'' (1946) as Barber (uncredited)
* '' Rendezvous with Annie'' (1946) as Ed Kramer
* '' That Brennan Girl'' (1946) as The Florist
* '' Love Laughs at Andy Hardy'' (1946) as Telegraph Clerk (uncredited)
* '' The Hal Roach Comedy Carnival'' (1947) as The Judge, in 'Fabulous Joe'
* '' The Fabulous Joe'' (1947) as Judge
* '' Sweet Genevieve'' (1947) as Mr. Rogers
* '' Lightnin' in the Forest'' (1947) as Joad
* '' Jinx Money'' (1948) as Tipper
* '' Hollow Triumph'' (1948) as Mr. Davis (uncredited)
* '' Let's Live a Little'' (1948) as Mr. Tinker (uncredited)
* '' Bad Men of Tombstone'' (1949) as Old Man in Claims Office (uncredited)
* '' Susanna Pass'' (1949) as Russell Masters
* '' At Sword's Point'' (1952) as Cpl. Gautier (uncredited)
* '' Woman of the North Country'' (1952) as Parvin (uncredited)
* '' Roar of the Crowd'' (1953) as Josh (uncredited)
* '' Casanova's Big Night'' (1954) as First Prisoner
* '' Sudden Danger'' (1955) as Dave Glennon
* '' Bop Girl Goes Calypso'' (1957) as Prof. Winthrop
* '' The High Cost of Loving'' (1958) as Brabin (uncredited)
* '' Wink of an Eye'' (1958) as Old Man
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Littlefield, Lucien
1895 births
1960 deaths
Male actors from Texas
American male silent film actors
American male television actors
20th-century American male actors
Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract players