Elliott Nugent (September 20, 1896 – August 9, 1980) was an American actor, playwright, writer, and film director.

Life and career

Nugent was born in Dover, Ohio, the son of actor J.C. Nugent. He attended

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

. He successfully made the transition 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 ...

to sound film. He directed '' The Cat and the Canary'' (1939), starring

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was an American comedian, actor, entertainer and producer with a career that spanned nearly 80 years and achievements in vaudeville, network radio, television, and USO Tours. He appeared ...

and Paulette Goddard. He also directed the Hope films '' Never Say Die'' (1939) and '' My Favorite Brunette'' (1947). Nugent was a college classmate (and lifelong friend) of fellow Ohioan James Thurber. Together, they wrote the Broadway play ''The Male Animal'' (1940) in which Nugent starred with

Gene Tierney Gene Eliza Tierney (November 19, 1920November 6, 1991) was an American stage and film actress. Acclaimed for her great beauty, Tierney was a prominent Leading actor, leading lady during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood. Sh ...

. He also directed the 1942 film version starring Henry Fonda and

Olivia de Havilland Dame Olivia Mary de Havilland (; July 1, 1916July 26, 2020) was a British and American actress. The major works of her cinematic career spanned from 1935 to 1988. She appeared in 49 feature films and was one of the leading actresses of her tim ...

. Nugent was the brother-in-law of actor Alan Bunce of '' Ethel and Albert'' fame. Nugent died in his sleep at his New York home. His papers are archived at the New York Public Library.

Partial list of stage works

* ''The Poor Nut'' (1925) * ''The Male Animal'' (1940) * ''Tomorrow the World'' (1943) * ''Voice of the Turtle'' (1945) Source:

Partial filmography

* ''

Headlines The headline is the text indicating the content or nature of the article below it, typically by providing a form of brief summary of its contents. The large type ''front page headline'' did not come into use until the late 19th century when incre ...

'' (1925) - Roger Hillman * '' The Single Standard'' (1929) - Party Boy (uncredited) * '' Wise Girls'' (1929) - Kempy * '' So This Is College'' (1929) - Eddie * '' Not So Dumb'' (1930) - Gordon * '' The Sins of the Children'' (1930) - Johnnie Wagenkampf * '' The Unholy Three'' (1930) (also writer, with J.C. Nugent) - Hector * '' Romance'' (1930) - Harry * '' For the Love o' Lil'' (1930) - Sandy Jenkins * ''

The Virtuous Husband ''The Virtuous Husband'' is a 1931 American pre-Code comedy film directed by Vin Moore and written by Jerry Horwin, Edward Ludwig, Fred Niblo, Jr. and Dale Van Every. The film stars Betty Compson, Elliott Nugent, Jean Arthur, J. C. Nugent, Aliso ...

'' (1931) - Daniel Curtis * '' The Last Flight'' (1931) - Francis * '' The Mouthpiece'' (1932, director) * '' Life Begins'' (1932, co-director) * '' Whistling in the Dark'' (1933, director) * '' Three-Cornered Moon'' (1933, director) - Stock Broker (uncredited) * '' If I Were Free'' (1933, director) * '' Two Alone'' (1934, director) * '' Strictly Dynamite'' (1934, director) - Performer (uncredited) (unbilled) * '' She Loves Me Not'' (1934, director) * '' Enter Madame'' (1935, director) * '' Splendor'' (1935, director) * '' Wives Never Know'' (1936, director) * '' It's All Yours'' (1937, director) * '' Thunder in the City'' (1937) - Casey (uncredited) * '' Professor Beware'' (1938, director) * '' Give Me a Sailor'' (1938, director) * '' Never Say Die'' (1939, director) * '' The Cat and the Canary'' (1939, director) * '' Nothing But the Truth'' (1941, director) * '' The Male Animal'' (1942, director) * '' The Crystal Ball'' (1943, director) * '' Stage Door Canteen'' (1943) - Himself * '' Up in Arms'' (1944, director) * '' My Favorite Brunette'' (1947, director) * ''

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'' (1947, director) - Dr. Morton (uncredited) * '' My Girl Tisa'' (1948, director) - Man on Boat (uncredited) * '' Mr. Belvedere Goes to College'' (1949, director) * '' The Great Gatsby'' (1949, director) * '' The Skipper Surprised His Wife'' (1950, director) * '' My Outlaw Brother'' (1951, director) - Ranger Captain (uncredited) * '' Just for You'' (1952, director)

References

External links

* *
Elliott Nugent papers, 1916-1965
held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts 1896 births 1980 deaths 20th-century American male actors People from Dover, Ohio Film directors from Ohio American male film actors 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights American male stage actors Writers from Ohio Male actors from Ohio {{US-film-actor-1890s-stub