Edward Bernard Collins (January 30, 1883 – September 2, 1940) was an American actor. He is best remembered for voicing Dopey in

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

's ''

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs "Snow White" is a German fairy tale, first written down in the early 19th century. The Brothers Grimm published it in 1812 in the first edition of their collection ''Grimms' Fairy Tales'', numbered as Tale 53. The original title was ''Sneewittch ...

'' (1937) and for portraying Tylo in the

Shirley Temple Shirley Temple Black (born Shirley Jane Temple; April 23, 1928 – February 10, 2014) was an American actress, singer, dancer, and diplomat, who was Hollywood's number-one box-office draw as a child actress from 1934 to 1938. Later, she was na ...

film '' The Blue Bird'' (1940).

Early years

Collins was born in

Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, second-most populous

Career

He began working in

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

in 1905 and started working in

burlesque A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.

around 1925. An animator for

Walt Disney Productions The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was founded on October 16 ...

saw him in a burlesque show and suggested that Disney hire him as a live-action reference model for Dopey in ''

'' (1937)."1938 Movie Mirror Magazine"
Retrieved February 6, 2018. In the film, Dopey is clumsy and mute, with Happy explaining that he has simply "never tried" to speak. In the movie's trailer,

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney ( ; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer, voice actor, and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the Golden age of American animation, American animation industry, he introduced several develop ...

describes Dopey as "nice, but sort of silly". In addition to providing Dopey's vocalizations, Collins also recorded

sneezing A sneeze (also known as sternutation) is a semi-autonomous, convulsive expulsion of air from the lungs through the nose and mouth, usually caused by foreign particles irritating the nasal mucosa. A sneeze expels air forcibly from the mouth a ...

sounds for the film's

chipmunk Chipmunks are small, striped rodents of subtribe Tamiina. Chipmunks are found in North America, with the exception of the Siberian chipmunk which is found primarily in Asia. Taxonomy and systematics Chipmunks are classified as four genera: '' ...

and squirrel characters. After completing his work for the film, Disney wrote a letter to the casting director of

20th Century-Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film production and distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Com ...

and Collins was put under contract to the studio. Collins appeared in twenty-five films. Next to Dopey, Collins's most-beloved role is that of Tylo, a dog who is magically transformed into a human, in '' The Blue Bird'' (1940). Upon being transformed, Tylo follows his mistress Mytyl (

) on a quest to find the famed " Bluebird of happiness". Collins's interpretation of Tylo is that of an easily spooked, but loyal companion who will do anything for those he loves. He died of a heart attack in September 1940, age 57, just weeks after the premiere of his last film '' The Return of Frank James''.

Filmography

* '' Diamond Jim'' (1935) as Bicycle Act (film debut) (uncredited) * '' Married Before Breakfast'' (1937) as Tramp at Fire (uncredited) * '' Ali Baba Goes to Town'' (1937) as Arab (uncredited) * ''

'' (1937) as Dopey (vocal effects and live-action reference only, uncredited) * '' In Old Chicago'' (1937) as Drunk * ''

Penrod and His Twin Brother ''Penrod and His Twin Brother'' is a 1938 American comedy film directed by William C. McGann and written by William Jacobs (producer), William Jacobs and Hugh Cummings. The film stars Billy and Bobby Mauch, Billy Mauch, Billy and Bobby Mauch, Bob ...

'' (1938) as Captain * '' Sally, Irene and Mary'' (1938) as Ship's Captain * '' Kentucky Moonshine'' (1938) as 'Spats' Swanson * ''

Alexander's Ragtime Band "Alexander's Ragtime Band" is a Tin Pan Alley song by American composer Irving Berlin released in 1911; it is often inaccurately cited as his first global hit. Despite its title, the song is a march as opposed to a rag and contains little sync ...

'' (1938) as Corporal Collins * '' Josette'' (1938) as Customs Inspector (uncredited) * '' Little Miss Broadway'' (1938) as Band member * '' Down on the Farm'' (1938) as Cyrus Sampson * '' Always in Trouble'' (1938) as Uncle Ed Darlington * ''

Up the River ''Up the River'' is a 1930 American pre-Code comedy film directed by John Ford, and starring Claire Luce, Spencer Tracy and Humphrey Bogart. The plot concerns escaped convicts, as well as a female convict. It was the feature film debut role o ...

'' (1938) as Fisheye Conroy * '' Charlie Chan in Honolulu'' (1939) as Al Hogan * '' Young Mr. Lincoln'' (1939) as Efe Turner * '' Charlie Chan in Reno'' (1939) as The Gabby Cabbie * '' News Is Made at Night'' (1939) as Billiard * '' Quick Millions'' (1939) as Henry 'Beaver' Howard * '' Stop, Look and Love'' (1939) as Dinty * '' Hollywood Cavalcade'' (1939) as Keystone Cop Driver * ''

Drums Along the Mohawk ''Drums Along the Mohawk'' is a 1939 American historical drama film based upon a 1936 novel of the same name by American author Walter D. Edmonds. The film stars Henry Fonda and Claudette Colbert, was produced by Darryl F. Zanuck, and direct ...

'' (1939) as Christian Reall * '' Heaven with a Barbed Wire Fence'' (1939) as Bill * '' The Blue Bird'' (1940) as TyloThe New York Times
/ref> * '' The Return of Frank James'' (1940) as Station agent at Eldora (final film role)

References

External links

*
Literature on Eddie Collins
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Collins, Eddie 1883 births 1940 deaths American male comedians American male voice actors American vaudeville performers 20th-century American male actors Male actors from Jersey City, New Jersey 20th-century American comedians Comedians from Jersey City, New Jersey