Staats Cotsworth (February 17, 1908 – April 9, 1979) was an actor in

old-time radio The Golden Age of Radio, also known as the old-time radio (OTR) era, was an era of radio in the United States where it was the dominant electronic home entertainment medium. It began with the birth of commercial radio broadcasting in the earl ...

.DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 64. He is perhaps best known for playing the title role in '' Casey, Crime Photographer''.

Early years

Staats Cotsworth Jr. was born in

Oak Park, Illinois Oak Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, adjacent to Chicago. It is the 29th-most populous municipality in Illinois with a population of 54,583 as of the 2020 U.S. Census estimate. Oak Park was first settled in 1835 and later incorporated i ...

, the son of Staats and Dorothy (Bodley) Cotsworth. He had a brother, John Littlefield Cotsworth. In 1929, he received a diploma in the Department of Art from the Pennsylvania Museum's School of Industrial Art.

Radio

Cotsworth was once described as "the busiest actor in radio," having performed in 7,500 broadcasts in 12 years. His roles as a regular cast member included those shown in the table below. Other programs on which Cotsworth appeared included ''The Chase'', ''These Are Our Men'', ''

X Minus One ''X Minus One'' is an American half-hour science fiction radio drama series that was broadcast from April 24, 1955, to January 9, 1958, in various timeslots on NBC. Known for high production values in adapting stories from the leading American a ...

'', ''

Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons ''Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons'' was one of radio's longest running shows, airing October 12, 1937 to April 19, 1955, continuing well into the television era. It was produced by Frank Hummert, Frank and Anne Hummert, who based it upon Robert ...

'', ''The Right to Happiness'', ''

Cavalcade of America ''Cavalcade of America'' is an anthology drama series that was sponsored by the DuPont Company, although it occasionally presented musicals, such as an adaptation of ''Show Boat'', and condensed biographies of popular composers. It was initially ...

'', '' Grand Central Station'', '' The Story of Mary Marlin'', and ''Silver Theater''.

Stage

Cotsworth's professional debut on stage was in ''Alice in Wonderland'', produced by Eva LeGallienne. His

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

credits include ''First Episode'' (1934), ''Othello'' (1935), ''Macbeth'' (1935 and 1941–1942), ''Damaged Goods'' (1937), ''As You Like It'' (1937), ''Stop-Over'' (1938), ''Madame Capet'' (1938), ''Boudoir'' (1941), ''She Stoops to Conquer'' (1949–1950), ''Richard III'' (1953), ''Inherit the Wind'' (1955–1957), ''Pictures in the Hallway'' (1956), ''I Knock at the Door'' (1957), ''Advise and Consent'' (1960–1961), '' The Right Honourable Gentleman'' (1965–1966), ''Weekend'' (1968), ''A Patriot for Me'' (1969), and ''Lost in the Stars'' (1972).

Television

Cotsworth was seen in ''Killer's Choice'', the premiere episode of '' Kraft Mystery Theatre'', in June 1958, and in "The Thirty-first of February'", an episode of ''

The Alfred Hitchcock Hour ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, aired on CBS and NBC between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers and mysteries. Between 1962 and 1965 it was rena ...

'', in January 1963. He was in ''Macbeth'' when that play was presented on ''

Hallmark Hall of Fame ''Hallmark Hall of Fame'', originally called ''Hallmark Television Playhouse'', is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City-based greeting card company. The longest-running prime-time series in ...

''.

Art

Cotsworth was also an artist. "He attended several art schools in this country and studied for seven years in Paris," at the Académie Colarossi. His work included illustrating Ernest Peixotto's book, ''A Bacchic Pilgrimage'', published by

Charles Scribner's Sons Charles Scribner's Sons, or simply Scribner's or Scribner, is an American publisher based in New York City, known for publishing American authors including Henry James, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Kurt Vonnegut, Marjorie Kinnan R ...

and painting "three murals for some swank bowling alleys in Washington." His work was exhibited at the

Corcoran Gallery of Art The Corcoran Gallery of Art was an art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, that is now the location of the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design, a part of the George Washington University. Overview The Corcoran School of the Arts & Desi ...

in Washington and at the

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) is a museum and Private university, private art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

and the Water Color Club in Philadelphia. A newspaper obituary described Cotsworth as "an accomplished painter of oils and watercolors," noting that at the time of his death he was "listed in the current ''Who's Who in American Art''."

Union activities

Cotsworth was elected a member of the New York Local Board of the

American Federation of Radio Artists The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) was a performers' union that represented a wide variety of talent, including actors in radio and television, radio and television announcers and newspersons, singers and recording ar ...

in 1946 and in 1949.

Personal life

Cotsworth married Muriel Kirkland, an actress, in New York City on May 24, 1936. They remained married until her death in 1968. Later he married

Josephine Hutchinson Josephine Hutchinson (October 12, 1903 – June 4, 1998) was an American actress. She acted in several theater plays and films. Early years Hutchinson was born in Seattle, Washington. Her mother, Leona Roberts, was an actress best known for h ...

, who was also an actress.

Death

Cotsworth died April 9, 1979, aged 71, in his apartment in Manhattan, New York. He was survived by his second wife Josephine.

Filmography

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cotsworth, Staats 1908 births 1979 deaths American male radio actors American male stage actors American male television actors 20th-century American male actors Académie Colarossi alumni Actors from Oak Park, Illinois Male actors from Illinois