Frank Orth
Acting
Frank Orth was an American actor born in Philadelphia. He is probably best remembered for his portrayal of Inspector Faraday in the 1951-1953 television series “Boston Blackie”. By 1897, Orth was performing in vaudeville with his wife, Ann Codee, in an act called “Codee and Orth.” In 1909, he expanded into song writing, with songs such as “The Phone Bell Rang” and “Meet Me on the Boardwalk, Dearie.” His first contact with motion pictures was in 1928, when he was part of the first foreign-language shorts in sound produced by Warner Bros. He and his wife also appeared together in a series of two-reel comedies in the early 1930s. Orth's first major screen credit was in “Prairie Thunder,” a Dick Foran western, in 1937. From then on, he was often cast as bartenders, pharmacists, and grocery clerks, and always distinctly Irish. He had a recurring role in the Dr. Kildare series of films and also in the Nancy Drew series as the befuddled Officer Tweedy. Among his better roles were the newspaper man Cary Grant telephones early in “His Girl Friday,” one of the quartet singing “Gary Owen” in “They Died with Their Boots On” (thereby giving Errol Flynn as Gen. Custer the idea of associating the tune with the 7th Cavalry), and as the little man carrying the sign reading “The End Is Near” throughout Colonel Effingham's Raid. However, Orth is probably best remembered for his portrayal of Inspector Faraday in the 1951-1953 television series “Boston Blackie.” A short, plump, round-faced man, often smoking a cigar, Orth as Faraday wore his own dark-rimmed spectacles, though rarely in feature films. In 1959, Orth retired from show business after throat surgery. His wife died in 1961 after around fifty years of marriage. Orth died on March 17, 1962. He is buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery in the Hollywood Hills next to his wife.
The Strange Love of Martha Ivers
as Hotel Clerk
Age 66 (now 82)
Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase
as Captain Tweedy
Age 59 (now 82)
The Gas House Kids in Hollywood
as Police Captain
Age 67 (now 82)
The Strange Love of Martha Ivers
as Hotel Clerk
Age 66 (now 82)
Roger Touhy, Gangster
as . Comic in Theater (uncredited)
Age 64 (now 82)
They Died with Their Boots On
as Barfly (uncredited)
Age 61 (now 82)
The Strawberry Blonde
as Baxter - Livery Stable Owner (uncredited)
Age 61 (now 82)
Michael Shayne: Private Detective
as Steve
Age 60 (now 82)
The Doctor Takes a Wife
as New York Editor (uncredited)
Age 60 (now 82)
Dr. Kildare's Strange Case
as Mike Ryan, Sullivan's Hospital Cafe
Age 60 (now 82)
Dust Be My Destiny
as Wedding Witness on Stage (uncredited)
Age 59 (now 82)
Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase
as Captain Tweedy
Age 59 (now 82)
Calling Dr. Kildare
as Mike Sullivan - Hospital Cafe Owner (uncredited)
Age 59 (now 82)
Nancy Drew... Reporter
as Captain Tweedy (uncredited)
Age 58 (now 82)
Torchy Blane in Panama
as First Leopard (uncredited)
Age 58 (now 82)
The Patient in Room 18
as Joe Higgins - Night Watchman
Age 57 (now 82)
The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet
as Uncle John
Age 72 (now 82)
Gathering insights...
Also Known As
Frank Kaiser Orth
IMDB
nm0650995