John Alexander (November 29, 1897 – July 13, 1982) was an American stage, film, and television actor.

Early life

He was born on November 29, 1897, in

Newport, Kentucky Newport is a list of Kentucky cities, home rule-class city in Campbell County, Kentucky, United States. It is at the confluence of the Ohio River, Ohio and Licking River (Kentucky), Licking rivers across from Cincinnati. The population was 14,150 ...

. His father owned steamboats and his mother was a telegraph operator.

Career

He had a career spanning more than 55 years on Broadway with his first role as the title character in ''Elmer Brown, the Only Boy in Town'' in 1908/1909. He is best remembered for his performance as Teddy Brewster, a lunatic who thinks he is

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...

, in the 1944 classic film '' Arsenic and Old Lace'' opposite

Cary Grant Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English and American actor. Known for his blended British and American accent, debonair demeanor, lighthearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing, he ...

. He had previously portrayed that role in the 1941 Broadway play of the same name on which the film was based. He went on to play the "real" Roosevelt in the 1950

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 ...

comedy '' Fancy Pants'' and reprised his role as Teddy "Roosevelt" Brewster in the 1955 TV adaptation of ''Arsenic and Old Lace'' in the anthology series '' The Best of Broadway''. Among his other notable film roles, Alexander played Steve Edwards in '' A Tree Grows in Brooklyn'' in 1945, Mr. McComber in ''

Summer Holiday Summer holiday may refer to: * Summer vacation The term summer vacation or summer break refers to a school break in the summer between school years and the break in the school academic year. Students are off anywhere between two weeks to thre ...

'' in 1948, Jack Riker in '' Winchester '73'' in 1950 and Howard Shipley in '' The Marrying Kind'' in 1952. During the 1950s and early 1960, he guest starred on television series, such as ''

The Phil Silvers Show ''The Phil Silvers Show'', originally titled ''You'll Never Get Rich'', is a sitcom which ran on the CBS Television Network from 1955 to 1959. A pilot titled "Audition Show" was made in 1955, but it was never broadcast. 143 other episodes wer ...

'', '' Adventures of the Sea Hawk'' and ''

Car 54, Where Are You? ''Car 54, Where Are You?'' is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from September 1961 to April 1963. Filmed in black and white, the series starred Joe E. Ross as Gunther Toody and Fred Gwynne as Francis Muldoon, two mismatched New York City Po ...

'' Alexander's last performance was as Mayor Crane in the Broadway comedy '' Never Too Late'', a role he had played since 1962. Alexander died on July 13, 1982, in New York City. He is buried in the Actors Fund of America plot in

Kensico Cemetery Kensico Cemetery, located in Valhalla, New York, Valhalla, Westchester County, New York was founded in 1889, when many New York City cemeteries were becoming full, and rural cemeteries were being created near the railroads that served the city ...

Valhalla, New York Valhalla ( ) is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) within the town of Mount Pleasant, in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the New York City metropolitan area. Its population was 3,162 at the 2010 U.S. Census. The name wa ...

Partial filmography

*'' Baby Take a Bow'' (1934) - Ragpicker (uncredited) * '' The Ghost Rider'' (1935) - Sheriff *'' The Arizonian'' (1935) - Billy (uncredited) *''

Special Agent In the United States, a special agent is an official title used to refer to certain investigators or detectives of federal, military, tribal, or state agencies who primarily serve in criminal investigatory positions. Additionally, some special ...

'' (1935) - Arcade Manager (uncredited) *'' Polo Joe'' (1936) - William the Waiter (uncredited) *'' On Such a Night'' (1937) - District Attorney *'' Flowing Gold'' (1940) - Sheriff *''

Calling All Husbands ''Calling All Husbands'' is a 1940 American comedy film directed by Noel M. Smith and written by Robert E. Kent and based on Martin Flavin's 1929 play "Broken Dishes". The film stars George Tobias, Lucile Fairbanks, Ernest Truex, George R ...

'' (1940) - Sheriff Ben Barnes *'' Mr. Skeffington'' (1944) - Jim Conderley *'' The Doughgirls'' (1944) - Warren Buckley *'' Arsenic and Old Lace'' (1944) - 'Teddy Roosevelt' Brewster *'' A Tree Grows in Brooklyn'' (1945) - Steve Edwards *'' The Horn Blows at Midnight'' (1945) - First Trumpeter / Doremus *'' Junior Miss'' (1945) - J. B. Curtis *'' It Shouldn't Happen to a Dog'' (1946) - Joe Parelli *''

The Jolson Story ''The Jolson Story'' is a 1946 American biographical musical film, a highly fictionalized account of the life of singer Al Jolson, produced by Columbia Pictures and directed by Alfred E. Green. It stars Larry Parks as Jolson, Evelyn Keyes a ...

'' (1946) - Lew Dockstader *''

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

'' (1947) - Colonel McArdle *'' Living in a Big Way'' (1947) - Attorney Ambridge *'' Cass Timberlane'' (1947) - Dr. Roy Drover *'' Where There's Life'' (1947) - Mr. Herbert Jones *''

'' (1948) - Mr. Dave McComber *'' Night Has a Thousand Eyes'' (1948) - Mr. Gilman *'' Winchester '73'' (1950) - Jack Riker *'' Fancy Pants'' (1950) - Teddy Roosevelt *''

The Sleeping City ''The Sleeping City'' is a 1950 American film noir crime film in semidocumentary style that was set in and filmed at New York's Bellevue Hospital. Directed by George Sherman, it stars Richard Conte and Coleen Gray. The film is notable for its ...

'' (1950) - Police Insp. Gordon *'' The Model and the Marriage Broker'' (1951) - Mr. Perry *'' The Marrying Kind'' (1952) - Howard Shipley *'' Untamed Frontier'' (1952) - Max Wickersham *'' The Mugger'' (1958) - Chief of Police *'' The Man in the Net'' (1959) - Mr. Carey *'' One Foot in Hell'' (1960) - Sam Giller - Storekeeper *''The Right Man'' (1960 TV movie) - Wendell Mike

References

External links

* * *
John Alexander ephemera, 1916-1982
held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division,

New York Public Library for the Performing Arts The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center, is located at 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, in the Lincoln Center complex on the Upper West Side in Manhattan, New York City. Situated between the Metropolitan O ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alexander, John 1897 births 1982 deaths 20th-century American male actors American male film actors American male stage actors American male television actors Burials at Kensico Cemetery Male actors from Kentucky People from Newport, Kentucky