Jack Oakie

Actor

About

Also Known As

Lewis Delaney Offield

Birth Place

Sedalia, Missouri, USA

Born

November 12, 1903

Died

January 23, 1978

Cause of Death

Aortic Aneurysm

Biography

Delightfully brash character actor of the 1930s and 40s, Oakie was famed for his double-takes and gleeful song-and-dance style. A vaudeville performer from the early 1920s, Oakie first hit Broadway in Mistinguette's "Innocent Eyes" (1924). Talkies proved a boon to Oakie, who was signed by Paramount in 1927 and played wisecracking collegiates in several early musicals (notably "Sweetie," ...

Filmography

Lover Come Back (1961)

J. Paxton Miller

The Rat Race (1960)

Mac Macreavy

The Wonderful Country (1959)

Travis Hight

Around the World in 80 Days (1956)

Captain, S.S. Henrietta

Tomahawk (1951)

Sol Beckworth

Last of the Buccaneers (1950)

Sergeant Dominick

Photos & Videos

View All

Million Dollar Legs (1932) -- (Movie Clip) Klopstokia, Goats And Nuts

Million Dollar Legs (1932) -- (Movie Clip) Put Yourself Under Arrest!

Family & Companions

Joan Crawford

Companion

Actor. Dated briefly in the 1920s.

Venita Varden

Wife

Actor. Married in 1936; divorced in 1938; later died in an airplane crash.

Victoria Horne

Wife

Actor. Married from 1950 till his death.

Bibliography

"Jack Oakie's Double Takes"

Jack Oakie (1980)

Biography

Jack Oakie seemed to turn up in every other film in the 1930s and 40s, usually as the best pal of the leading man (though he himself was the romantic lead in the brilliant "Million Dollar Legs," 1932). Oakie appeared in such films as "Too Much Harmony" and "Alice in Wonderland" (1933), "The Big Broadcast of 1936," "Tin Pan Alley" (1940), and parodying Mussolini in Chaplin's "The Great Dictator" (1940), for which he won an Oscar nomination as Best Supporting Actor. Extremely wealthy, Oakie retired in the late 40s, making only occasional cameo appearances.

Filmography

Life Events

1923

Broadway debut in "Little Nelly Kelly"

1927

Film debut, "Finders Keepers"

1928

Signed with Paramount

1928

First talking film, "The Dummy"

1961

Last feature film, "Lover Come Back"

1972

Last TV appearance, on a Johnny Carson special

Photo Collections

Rise and Shine - Title Lobby Card

Million Dollar Legs - Movie Poster

The Eagle and the Hawk - Scene Stills

Here are several scene stills from Paramount Pictures' The Eagle and the Hawk (1933), starring Fredric March, Cary Grant, Carole Lombard, and Jack Oakie.

The Eagle and the Hawk - Lobby Cards

Here are several Lobby Cards from Paramount Pictures' The Eagle and the Hawk (1933), starring Fredric March, Cary Grant and Carole Lombard. Lobby Cards were 11" x 14" posters that came in sets of 8. As the name implies, they were most often displayed in movie theater lobbies, to advertise current or coming attractions.

The Eagle and the Hawk - Publicity Stills

Here are a few photos taken to help publicize Paramount Pictures' The Eagle and the Hawk (1933), starring Fredric March, Cary Grant, and Carole Lombard. Publicity stills were specially-posed photos, usually taken off the set, for purposes of publicity or reference for promotional artwork.