Fred Patrick Henning (July 5, 1908 – April 28, 1973) was an American

character actor A character actor is an actor known for playing unusual, eccentric, or interesting character (arts), characters in supporting roles, rather than leading ones.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrie ...

, best known for playing Kayo Dugan in ''

On The Waterfront ''On the Waterfront'' is a 1954 American crime drama film, directed by Elia Kazan and written by Budd Schulberg. It stars Marlon Brando, and features Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb, Rod Steiger, Pat Henning and Eva Marie Saint in her film de ...

'' (1954). Henning was born in Boston as one of the fourth generation of a theatrical family. He first appeared on stage in a baby carriage at the age of two months as part of a vaudeville show. He traveled with his parents across much of the world, and in that process he became proficient in five languages. Although those travels prevented him from attending schools as a child, he was educated via correspondence courses from the

Professional Children's School The Professional Children's School (PCS) is a not-for-profit, college-preparatory school geared toward working and aspiring child actors and dancers in grades four through twelve. The school was founded in New York City in 1914 to provide an ac ...

. He was a student at the New York Actors Studio, and he took a one-year course in television and film production at Lindsey Hopkins. Henning headed bills in vaudeville shows and starred in ''

George White's Scandals ''George White's Scandals'' were a long-running string of Broadway revues produced by George White that ran from 1919–1939, modeled after the ''Ziegfeld Follies''. The "Scandals" launched the careers of many entertainers, including W. C. ...

''. His work in vaudeville led to his receiving a contract to act in films. After producer Andrew Stone saw Henning's vaudeville performance, he signed him to a contract the next day, and that resulted in Henning's being featured in ''Sensations of 1944''. In 1953 Henning received an Emmy Award for his performance in '' The Catered Affair''. He also was in the TV shows '' Flipper'', ''Gentle Ben'', ''

The Honeymooners ''The Honeymooners'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired from 1955 to 1956, created by and starring Jackie Gleason, and based on a recurring comedy sketch of the same name that had been part of Gleason's variety show. It f ...

'', and ''

Wagon Train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western television series that aired for eight seasons, first on the NBC television network (1957–1962) and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and reached the top of the ...

''. Films in which he appeared included ''

Man on a Tightrope ''Man on a Tightrope'' is a 1953 American drama directed by Elia Kazan, starring Fredric March, Terry Moore and Gloria Grahame. The screenplay by Robert E. Sherwood was based on a 1952 novel of the same title by Neil Paterson. Paterson based ...

'' and '' Wind across the Everglades''. Henning was married to the former Elizaeth Croke for 32 years. He died at his Miami Beach, Florida, home on April 28, 1973, aged 62.

Filmography

References

External links

* 1908 births 1973 deaths 20th-century American male actors American male film actors American vaudeville performers {{US-film-actor-1900s-stub