Olin Howland
Acting
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Olin Ross Howland (February 10, 1886 – September 20, 1959) was an American film and theatre actor. Howland was born in Denver, Colorado, to Joby A. Howland, one of the youngest enlisted participants in the Civil War, and Mary C. Bunting. His older sister was the famous stage actress Jobyna Howland. From 1909 to 1927, Howland appeared on Broadway in musicals, occasionally performing in silent films. The musicals include Leave It to Jane (1917), Two Little Girls in Blue (1921) and Wildflower (1923). He was in the film Janice Meredith (1924) with Marion Davies. With the advent of sound films, his theatre background proved an asset, and he concentrated mostly on films thereafter, appearing in nearly two hundred movies between 1918 and 1958. Howland often played eccentric and rural roles in Hollywood. His parts were often small and uncredited, and he never got a leading role. He was a personal favorite of David O. Selznick, who cast him in his movies Nothing Sacred (1937) as a strange luggage man, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938, as the teacher Mr. Dobbins) and Gone with the Wind (1939) as a carpetbagger businessman. He also played in numerous westerns from Republic Pictures, including the John Wayne films In Old California (1942) and Angel and the Badman (1947). As a young man, Howland learned to fly at the Wright Flying School and soloed on a Wright Model B. This lent special sentiment in his scenes with James Stewart in the film The Spirit of St. Louis (1957), as Stewart was also a pilot in real life. The Spirit of St. Louis and Them (1954),where he played a drunken old man, and The Blob (1958) were his last films. He also played in telelevision shows during the 1950s. In 1958 and 1959, he was cast as Charley Perkins in five episodes of ABC's sitcom The Real McCoys, starring Walter Brennan. Howland never married and had no children. He worked until his death in Hollywood, California, at the age of 73.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
as Mr. Dobbins - Schoolmaster
Age 52 (now 73)
The Strange Love of Martha Ivers
as Newspaper Clerk (uncredited)
Age 60 (now 73)
Nancy Drew... Reporter
as Police Sergeant Entwhistle
Age 53 (now 73)
The Spirit of St. Louis
as Surplus Dealer (uncredited)
Age 71 (now 73)
The Fabulous Senorita
as Justice of the Peace (as Olin Howlin)
Age 66 (now 73)
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
as Sam - Connecticut Postman (uncredited)
Age 63 (now 73)
Bad Men of Tombstone
as Store Proprietor (as Olin Howlin)
Age 62 (now 73)
The Strange Love of Martha Ivers
as Newspaper Clerk (uncredited)
Age 60 (now 73)
The Falcon and the Co-Eds
as Goodwillie, Bluecliff Driver
Age 57 (now 73)
You Can't Escape Forever
as Cemetery Organist (uncredited)
Age 56 (now 73)
Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch
as Jacob Diezel
Age 56 (now 73)
Ten Gentlemen from West Point
as Carpenter (uncredited)
Age 56 (now 73)
Blondie's Blessed Event
as Office Worker (uncredited)
Age 56 (now 73)
Ellery Queen and the Murder Ring
as Dr. Williams
Age 55 (now 73)
Buy Me That Town
as Constable Sam Smedley (as Olin Howlin)
Age 55 (now 73)
The Doctor Takes a Wife
as Clerk at Lakewood Lodge (uncredited)
Age 54 (now 73)
Nancy Drew... Reporter
as Police Sergeant Entwhistle
Age 53 (now 73)
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
as Mr. Dobbins - Schoolmaster
Age 52 (now 73)
The Case of the Curious Bride
as Wilbur Strong
Age 49 (now 73)
Naughty Marietta
as Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
Age 49 (now 73)
Gathering insights...
Also Known As
Olin Howlin, Olin Ross Howland
IMDB
nm0398250