Tommy Noonan

Tommy Noonan (born Thomas Patrick Noone; April 29, 1921 – April 24, 1968) was an American actor, comedian, screenwriter and producer. He acted in a number of high-profile films as well as B movies from the 1940s through the 1960s; he is best known for his supporting performances as Gus Esmond, wealthy fiancé of Lorelei Lee (Marilyn Monroe), in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and as musician Danny McGuire in A Star Is Born (1954).

Early years Noonan was born in Bellingham, Washington, He attended New York University.

Career In 1934, Noonan and John Ireland made their stage debuts with a New York-based experimental theatre.

After serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II, he made his film debut in George White's Scandals (1945). As Noonan and Marshall, they appeared on television, nightclubs, and in the films Starlift, FBI Girl (both 1951), The Rookie (1959), and Swingin' Along (1962). They also wrote for other comics, including Rowan and Martin, which led to Marshall holding a lifelong grudge against Dan Rowan after Noonan fell ill near the end of his life and Rowan paid Noonan almost no attention. The duo went their separate ways after the release of Swingin' Along.

In 1953, Noonan appeared in the musical Gentlemen Prefer Blondes as Gus Esmond, the nerdy fiancé of Marilyn Monroe's character Lorelei Lee. The following year, he played Danny McGuire, Judy Garland's bandmate, accompanist and friend, in the Warner Brothers film A Star Is Born. He also played a voyeuristic bank manager in the Richard Fleischer film noir melodrama Violent Saturday

Partial filmography