Maurice Cass (October 12, 1884 – June 8, 1954) was a

character actor A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to ...

on stage and in films and television shows. Born in Vilna,

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the List of Russian monarchs, Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended th ...

(modern day

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional u ...

, Lithuania) he moved to America at six years of age. When he was 17, he toured the southern United States with a repertory company. His slight build, frizzy hair and

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glasses cast him as the "absent minded professor" or eccentric scientist type in many of his films, such as the character who discovers the element kryptonite in '' Adventures of Superman''. He is best remembered for his role as Professor Newton in the 1954 TV science fiction show ''

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,'' which later was produced as a film'' Manhunt in Space.'' Cass's Broadway credits included ''The Sky's the Limit'' (1934), ''Broadway Boy'' (1932), ''Wild Waves'' (1932), ''Wonder Boy'' (1931), ''Overture'' (1930), ''The Violet and One, Two, Three'' (1930), ''The Novice and the Duke'' (1929), ''The Broken Chain'' (1929), and ''Faust'' (1928). He died of a heart attack at age 69 while the Rocky Jones show was still in production; his Professor Newton character was replaced by a new character, Professor Mayberry.

Selected filmography

* '' Two for Tonight'' (1935) * ''

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'' (1936) * '' Charlie Chan at the Opera'' (1936) (Stage Manager—Mr. Arnold) * '' Wife, Doctor and Nurse'' (1937) - Pompout * '' Women of Glamour'' (1937) * ''

She Had to Eat ''She Had to Eat'' is a 1937 American comedy film directed by Malcolm St. Clair and written by Samuel G. Engel. The film stars Jack Haley, Rochelle Hudson, Arthur Treacher, Eugene Pallette, Douglas Fowley and John Qualen. It was released on July ...

'' (1937) * '' The Lady Escapes'' (1937) * '' Exiled to Shanghai'' (1937) * '' The Jones Family in Big Business'' (1937) * '' The Lone Wolf in Paris'' (1938) * '' Josette'' (1938) * '' The Baroness and the Butler'' (1938) * '' Second Fiddle'' (1939) * '' Rose of Washington Square'' (1939)''Great Movie Musicals on DVD'' - A Classic Movie Fan's Guide
by John Howard Reid - Google search with book preview * '' Sunset Trail'' (1939) * '' Pier 13'' (1940) * '' Her Lucky Night'' (1945) * '' Paris Underground'' (1945) * '' She Gets Her Man'' (1945) * '' High Conquest'' (1947) * ''

Once More, My Darling ''Once More, My Darling'' is a 1949 American comedy film directed by and starring Robert Montgomery and Ann Blyth. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Sound Recording (Leslie I. Carey Sound recordist Leslie I. Carey (August ...

'' (1949) * '' The Go-Getter'' (1956)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cass, Maurice 1884 births 1954 deaths People from Vilna Governorate American male actors American people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United States Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery American male stage actors