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Roscoe Karns

Roscoe Karns

Acting

September 6, 1891 – February 6, 1970 (died at 78)
San Bernardino, California, USA
Male
137 Movies
7 TV Shows

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Roscoe Karns (September 7, 1891 – February 6, 1970) was an American actor who appeared in nearly 150 films between 1915 and 1964. He specialized in cynical, wise-cracking (and often tipsy) characters, and his rapid-fire delivery enlivened many comedies and crime thrillers in the 1930s and 1940s. Though he appeared in numerous silent films, such as Wings and Beggars of Life, his career didn't really take off until sound arrived. Arguably his best-known film role was the annoying bus passenger Oscar Shapeley, who tries to pick up Claudette Colbert in the Oscar-winning comedy It Happened One Night (1934), quickly followed by one of his best performances as the boozy press agent Owen O'Malley in Howard Hawks' Twentieth Century. (Six years later, he co-starred as one of the reporters in another Hawks classic, His Girl Friday.) In 1937, Paramount teamed him with Lynne Overman as a pair of laconic private eyes in two B comedy-mysteries, Murder Goes to College and Partners in Crime. From 1950 to 1954, Karns played the title role in the popular DuMont Television Network series Rocky King, Inside Detective. His son, character actor Todd Karns, also appeared in that series. From 1959 to 1962, Karns was cast as Admiral Walter Shafer in seventy-three of the ninety-five episodes of the CBS military sitcom/drama series, Hennesey, starring Jackie Cooper in the title role of a United States Navy physician, and Abby Dalton as nurse Martha Hale. His final film was another Hawks comedy, Man's Favorite Sport?, in 1964. Karns was born in San Bernardino, California, and died in Los Angeles. Description above from the Wikipedia article Roscoe Karns, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia

It Happened One Night
It Happened One Night

It Happened One Night

1934 7.8

as Oscar Shapeley

Age 42 (now 78)
His Girl Friday
His Girl Friday

His Girl Friday

1940 7.4

as McCue

Age 48 (now 78)
Twentieth Century
Twentieth Century

Twentieth Century

1934 6.8

as Owen O'Malley

Age 42 (now 78)
Man's Favorite Sport?
Man's Favorite Sport?

Man's Favorite Sport?

1964 7.0

as Major Phipps

Age 72 (now 78)
Wings
Wings

Wings

1927 7.2

as Lieutenant Cameron

Age 35 (now 78)
They Drive by Night
They Drive by Night

They Drive by Night

1940 6.9

as Irish McGurn

Age 48 (now 78)
Woman of the Year
Woman of the Year

Woman of the Year

1942 6.9

as Phil Whittaker

Age 50 (now 78)
You and Me
You and Me

You and Me

1938 6.6

as Cuffy

Age 46 (now 78)
The Jazz Singer
The Jazz Singer

The Jazz Singer

1927 6.1

as Agent (uncredited)

Age 36 (now 78)
Old Acquaintance
Old Acquaintance

Old Acquaintance

1943 7.1

as Charlie Archer

Age 52 (now 78)
Wings in the Dark
Wings in the Dark

Wings in the Dark

1935 6.4

as Nick Williams

Age 43 (now 78)
Beggars of Life
Beggars of Life

Beggars of Life

1928 7.1

as Lame Hoppy

Age 37 (now 78)
Front Page Woman
Front Page Woman

Front Page Woman

1935 5.9

as Toots O'Grady

Age 43 (now 78)
Today We Live
Today We Live

Today We Live

1933 6.3

as McGinnis

Age 41 (now 78)
Cain and Mabel
Cain and Mabel

Cain and Mabel

1936 6.4

as Reilly

Age 45 (now 78)
If I Had a Million
If I Had a Million

If I Had a Million

1932 6.6

as Private O'Brien

Age 41 (now 78)