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Millard Mitchell

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Millard Mitchell
Mitchell in Singin' in the Rain, 1952
Born(1903-08-14)August 14, 1903
Havana, Cuba
DiedOctober 13, 1953(1953-10-13) (aged 50)
Resting placeHoly Cross Cemetery, Culver City, California
OccupationActor
Years active1924–1953
Spouse
Peggy Gould
(m. 1942)
Children2
Mitchell in The Naked Spur, 1953

Millard Mitchell (August 14, 1903 – October 13, 1953) was a Cuban-born American character actor whose credits include roughly 30 feature films and two television appearances.

Career

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He appeared as a bit player in eight films between 1931 and 1936. Mitchell returned to film work in 1942 after a six-year absence. Between 1942 and 1953, he was a successful supporting actor.

For his performance in the film My Six Convicts (1952), Mitchell won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture. He is also remembered for his role as Col. Rufus Plummer in Billy Wilder's A Foreign Affair (1948), as Gregory Peck's commanding officer in the war drama Twelve O'Clock High (1949), High-Spade Frankie Wilson in Winchester '73 (1950), as the fictional movie mogul R.F. Simpson in the musical comedy Singin' in the Rain (1952), and as a hapless old prospector in The Naked Spur (1953).

Mitchell appeared frequently on Broadway, often playing a fast-talking Broadway character. He played the starring role in The Great Campaign (1947).[1][2]

Personal life

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Mitchell was born to American parents in Havana, Cuba. He married actress Peggy Gould in 1942; the couple had two daughters, Mary Ellis and Margaret. Their daughter Maggie Schpak is a noted Hollywood jewelry designer.[3][4] Their granddaughter Margaret Mitchell is a noted computer scientist.

Mitchell died at the age of 50 in 1953 from lung cancer at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California,[5][6][7] and was interred in Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.

Filmography

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References

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  1. ^ "Millard Mitchell". IBDb (Internet Broadway Database). Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  2. ^ Leon Morse (April 5, 1947). "Experimental Theater". Billboard. p. 44. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  3. ^ Singh, Arjun (October 4, 2019). "Meet The Artist Behind 50 Years' Worth Of Hollywood Costume Design — Including Star Trek". GBH. WGBH. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  4. ^ Frank, Christina (July 28, 2016). "MAGGIE SCHPAK, HISTORY'S ACCESSORIZER". Art Jewelry Forum (AJF). Art Jewelry Forum. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  5. ^ "Millard Mitchell is taken by death". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Associated Press. October 13, 1953. p. 6.
  6. ^ "Millard Mitchell, actor, is in coma". Reading Eagle. Associated Press. October 13, 1953. p. 32.
  7. ^ "Millard Mitchell, film actor, dies". Quebec Chronicle-Telegraph. Associated Press. October 14, 1953. p. 10.
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