Thomas Mitchell

Thomas John Mitchell (; July 11, 1892 – December 17, 1962) was an American character actor, writer, and theater director. He is considered one of the both greatest supporting and character actors of the Golden Age of Hollywood and a leading man on Broadway. He won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Stagecoach, with a previous nomination in the same category for The Hurricane. He was nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards for Best Actor in a Drama Series: in 1952 and 1953 for his role in the medical drama The Doctor—winning in 1953—and in 1955 for an appearance on a weekly anthology series. He won a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical in 1953 for his role as Dr Downer in the musical comedy Hazel Flagg.

Early life Thomas John Mitchell was born on July 11, 1892, to Irish immigrants, James Mitchell and Mary Donnelly, in Elizabeth, New Jersey. He came from a family of journalists and civic leaders. Both his father and brother were newspaper reporters, and his nephew, James P. Mitchell, later served as Dwight Eisenhower's Secretary of Labor. The younger Mitchell also became a newspaper reporter after graduating from St. Patrick High School in Elizabeth. However, Mitchell soon found that he enjoyed writing theatrical skits much more than chasing scoops. In 1927 Mitchell joined The Lambs.

Career

He became an actor in 1913, at one point touring with Charles Coburn's Shakespeare Company. Even while playing leading roles on Broadway into the 1920s, Mitchell continued to write. One of the plays he co-authored, Little Accident, was eventually made into a film (three times) by Hollywood. Mitchell's first credited screen role was in the 1923 film Six Cylinder Love.thumb Portraying Tom Blue in The Black Swan (1942) Mitchell's breakthrough role was as the embezzler in Frank Capra's film Lost Horizon (1937).

Following this performance, he was much in demand in Hollywood. That same year, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in The Hurricane, directed by John Ford.

Over the next few years, Mitchell appeared in many significant films. Forty-three of the 59 films in which he acted were made in the 10-year period from 1936 to 1946. Considered one of the finest character actors in film, in 1939 alone he had key roles in Stagecoach, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Only Angels Have Wings, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Gone with the Wind. In 1959 Mitchell starred in Glencannon, filmed in England by Gross-Krasne and starring Mitchell as a ship's engineer.

Mitchell's last screen role was as a larcenous but genteel Damon Runyon character in Frank Capra's Pocketful of Miracles (1961). Mitchell's last stage role was Columbo, a detective character previously played by Bert Freed on an episode of The Chevy Mystery Show and later made famous on NBC and ABC television by Peter Falk.

Death Mitchell died on December 17, 1962, at age 70 from peritoneal mesothelioma in Beverly Hills, California. He was cremated at the Chapel of the Pines Crematory and, at his request, his ashes were placed in private vaultage.

Acting credits Film Year Title Role Director 1923 Six Cylinder Love Bertram Rogers (film debut) Elmer Clifton 1936 Craig's Wife Fergus Passmore Dorothy Arzner Adventure in Manhattan Phil Bane Edward Ludwig Theodora Goes Wild Jed Waterbury Richard Boleslawski 1937 Man of the People William J. Grady Edwin L. Marin When You're in Love Hank Miller Robert Riskin Harry Lachman Lost Horizon Henry Barnard Frank Capra I Promise to Pay District Attorney J.E. Curtis D. Ross Lederman Make Way for Tomorrow George Cooper Leo McCarey The Hurricane Dr. Kersaint John Ford 1938 Love, Honor and Behave Dan Painter Stanley Logan Trade Winds Commissioner Blackton Tay Garnett1939 Stagecoach Doc Josiah Boone John Ford Only Angels Have Wings Kid Dabb Howard Hawks Mr. Smith Goes to Washington Diz Moore Frank Capra Gone with the Wind Gerald O'Hara Victor Fleming The Hunchback of Notre Dame Clopin William Dieterle1940 Swiss Family Robinson William Robinson Edward Ludwig Three Cheers for the Irish Peter Casey Lloyd Bacon Our Town Dr. Gibbs Sam Wood Angels Over Broadway Gene Gibbons Ben Hecht Lee Garmes The Long Voyage Home Driscoll John Ford1941 Flight from Destiny Prof. Henry Todhunter Vincent Sherman Out of the Fog Jonah Goodwin Anatole Litvak1942 Joan of Paris Father Antoine Robert Stevenson Song of the Islands Dennis O'Brien Walter Lang Moontide Tiny Archie Mayo This Above All Monty Anatole Litvak Tales of Manhattan John Halloway Julien Duvivier The Black Swan Tommy Blue Henry King1943 Immortal Sergeant Sgt. Kelly John M. Stahl The Outlaw Pat Garrett Howard Hughes Bataan Cpl. Jake Feingold Tay Garnett Flesh and Fantasy Septimus Podgers Julien Duvivier1944 The Fighting Sullivans Mr. Thomas F. Sullivan Lloyd Bacon Buffalo Bill Ned Buntline William A. Wellman Wilson Joseph Tumulty Henry King Dark Waters Mr. Sydney Andre de Toth The Keys of the Kingdom Dr. Willie Tulloch John M. Stahl 1945 Captain Eddie Ike Howard Lloyd Bacon Within These Walls Warden Michael Howland H. Bruce Humberstone Adventure Mudgin Victor Fleming1946 Three Wise Fools Terence Alaysius O'Davern Edward Buzzell The Dark Mirror Police Lt. Stevenson Robert Siodmak It's a Wonderful Life Uncle Billy Frank Capra1947 High Barbaree Capt. Thad Vail Jack Conway The Romance of Rosy Ridge Gill MacBean Roy Rowland1948 Silver River John Plato Beck Raoul Walsh1949 Alias Nick Beal Joseph Foster John Farrow The Big Wheel Red Stanley Edward Ludwig1951 Journey Into Light Gandy Stuart Heisler 1952 High Noon Mayor Jonas Henderson Fred Zinnemann 1954 Secret of the Incas Ed Morgan Jerry Hopper Destry Rags Barnaby George Marshall1956 While the City Sleeps Jon Day Griffith Fritz Lang1958 Handle With Care Mayor Dick Williston David Friedkin1960 Too Young to Love Judge Bentley Muriel Box 1961 By Love Possessed Noah Tuttle John Sturges Pocketful of Miracles Judge Henry G. Blake (final film) Frank Capra

Writer Little Accident (1928) – play Little Accident Papa Sans le Savoir (1932) – play Little Accident All of Me (1934) – Dialogue Director All of Me (1934) – Screenplay Life Begins with Love (1937) – Screenplay Little Accident (1939) – play Little Accident Casanova Brown (1944) – play Little Accident Peter's Baby (1961) – play Little Accident (uncredited)

Television Year Title Role Notes1950 Showtime, U.S.A. Performer Episode: "American Red Cross Drive"1951 Celanese Theatre Uncle Sid Episode: "Ah, Wilderness!" Armstrong Circle Theatre Performer Episode: "The Long View"1951–1952 Tales of Tomorrow Prof. Frederick Vaneck/Captain Nemo 3 episodes Betty Crocker Star Matinee Performer 2 episodes Pulitzer Prize Playhouse Mr. Antrobus Studio One in Hollywood Various Roles 4 episodes1951–1956 Lux Video Theatre Various Roles 6 episodes1952 Robert Montgomery Presents Performer Episode: "The Farmer's Hotel" Lights Out Performer Episode: "The Eyes from San Francisco" Gulf Playhouse Performer Episode: "Mr. Nothing" Suspense Henry Brown/Dr. Paul Morgan 2 episodes1953 The Doctor Matthew Day Episode: "Desk of Matthew Day" The Backbone of America Fred Tupple Television Movie Of Time and the River William Olivier Grant Television Movie Of Time and the River Part II 1954 Omnibus Shark Wicks Episode: "Nobody's Fool" Medallion Theatre Performer Episode: "The Gentle Deception" Fireside Theatre Performer Episode: "Afraid to Live"1954–1955 Mayor of the Town Mayor Thomas Russell 39 episodes General Electric Theatre Mender McClure 2 episodes The United States Steel Hour Scotty/Silas Lapham 1954–1957 The Ford Television Theatre Various Roles 6 episodes1955 Damon Runyon Theater Sylvester Episode: "It Comes Up Money" The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Pap Finn Television Movie Screen Directors Playhouse Dr. Joseph H. Walton Episode: "The Final Tribute" The Alcoa Hour Cap. Jarvis Episode: "Undertow" The 20th Century Fox Hour Kris Kringle Episode: "The Miracle on 34th Street"1955–1956 The Star and the Story Various Roles 3 episodes Schlitz Playhouse of Stars Carl Smith/Sam Hawkins 2 episodes1956 Celebrity Playhouse Cal Logan Episode: "They Flee By Night" Chevron Hall of Stars Performer 2 episodes Telephone Time Andrew Hamilton 1957 The O. Henry Playhouse O. Henry 39 episodes 1958 Shirley Temple's Storybook Emperor Episode: "The Nightingale" Kraft Television Theatre Whitehall Episode: "The Velvet Trap" Playhouse 90 Mr. Carson Episode: "Natchez"1958–1961 Zane Grey Theater Various Roles 3 episodes 1959 Laramie Judge Matthew Hedrick Episode: "Dark Verdict" Goodyear Theatre Sarge Episode: "The Lady Bug" Glencannon Capt. Colin Glencannon Sgt. Harry Mork 39 episodes The Untouchables Milo Sullivan Episode: "The Underworld Bank"1960 Sunday Showcase Performer Episode: "The Secret of Freedom" The Right Man Grover Cleveland Television Movie1961 The Joke and the Valley Truman Winters Adventures in Paradise Hubert Willis Episode: "A Penny a Day" Stagecoach West Ethan Blount Episode: "Image of a Man" Our American Heritage Joseph Murray Episode: "The Invisible Teddy"

Theatre

Staged by

Radio

Awards and nominations In 1953, Mitchell became the first male actor to win the Triple Crown of Acting (he's one of 24 performers to have reached this achievement).

Year Award Category Project Result1937 Academy Awards Best Supporting Actor The Hurricane 1939 Stagecoach 1939 National Board of Review Best Actor 1940 New York Film Critics Circle Best Actor The Long Voyage Home 1940 National Board of Review Best Actor 1942 Moontide 1952 Primetime Emmy Awards Best Actor 1953 1955 Best Actor in a Single Performance The Ford Television Theatre 1953 Tony Award Best Actor in a Musical Hazel Flagg

He has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one for his work in television at 6100 Hollywood Boulevard, and a second star for his work in motion pictures at 1651 Vine Street.