Chester Conklin


Actor
Chester Conklin

About

Birth Place
Oskaloosa, Iowa, USA
Born
January 11, 1886
Died
October 11, 1971

Biography

This walrus-mustachioed vaudevillian and clown is perhaps best recalled for his early silent work with Mack Sennett, Charlie Chaplin and Mabel Normand....

Family & Companions

Margherita Rouse
Wife
Married from 1934 until her death in 1937.
Valda Genesee
Wife
Married in 1949; divorced.
Jane Ayres Gunther
Wife
Actor. Fourth wife; married in June 1965; survived him; met at the Motion Picture Country Home.

Biography

This walrus-mustachioed vaudevillian and clown is perhaps best recalled for his early silent work with Mack Sennett, Charlie Chaplin and Mabel Normand.

Filmography

 

Cast (Feature Film)

Chaplinesque, My Life and Hard Times (1972)
Himself
A Big Hand for the Little Lady (1966)
Old man in saloon
Paradise Alley (1962)
When Comedy Was King (1960)
The Beast with a Million Eyes (1956)
Ben Webber
Apache Woman (1955)
Dick Mooney
Son of Paleface (1952)
Chester
My Favorite Spy (1951)
Comic
Fancy Pants (1950)
Guest
Never a Dull Moment (1950)
Albert
Joe Palooka in Humphrey Takes a Chance (1950)
Prentice
Shakedown (1950)
The Good Humor Man (1950)
Gardner
The Milkman (1950)
Let's Dance (1950)
Watchman
Knock on Any Door (1949)
Barber
Brimstone (1949)
Drunk
Jiggs and Maggie in Jackpot Jitters (1949)
The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend (1949)
Messenger boy
The Golden Stallion (1949)
Old man
The Wreck of the Hesperus (1948)
Hostler
Isn't It Romantic (1948)
The Son of Rusty (1947)
Bakery clerk
The Perils of Pauline (1947)
Chef comic
Song of the Wasteland (1947)
Jailer
Springtime in the Sierras (1947)
Old timer
Song of Scheherazade (1947)
Sailor
The Trouble with Women (1947)
Comedian
Merton of the Movies (1947)
Kop
Little Giant (1946)
Tailor
The Hoodlum Saint (1946)
Policeman
Fear (1946)
Switchman
Singin' in the Corn (1946)
Austin driver
Fig Leaf for Eve (1946)
She Wrote the Book (1946)
Man at bar
Two Sisters from Boston (1946)
Street cleaner
A Guy, a Gal, and a Pal (1945)
Station owner
Having Wonderful Crime (1945)
Motel proprietor
Betrayal from the East (1945)
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in Hollywood (1945)
Yokel
The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1944)
Pete
Hail the Conquering Hero (1944)
Western Union man
Sunday Dinner for a Soldier (1944)
Photographer
Knickerbocker Holiday (1944)
Town caller
Goodnight, Sweetheart (1944)
Bottle man
The Yellow Rose of Texas (1944)
Man from Frisco (1944)
Baggage man
The Great Moment (1944)
Frightened patient
Around the World (1944)
Waiter
The Adventures of Mark Twain (1944)
Judge
The Avenging Rider (1943)
Drunk
Riders of the Rio Grande (1943)
Drunk
Sagebrush Law (1943)
Romance on the Range (1942)
Valley of the Sun (1942)
Man on street
Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch (1942)
Drunk
The Palm Beach Story (1942)
Sixth member Ale and Quail Club
Sons of the Pioneers (1942)
Old timer
X Marks the Spot (1942)
Bum
I Married a Witch (1942)
Bartender
The Remarkable Andrew (1942)
Shopkeeper
Sullivan's Travels (1942)
Old bum
Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941)
Newsboy
Prairie Stranger (1941)
Cook
Jesse James at Bay (1941)
Drunk
Sweetheart of the Campus (1941)
Vagrant
Harmon of Michigan (1941)
Gasoline Chuck
The Great Dictator (1941)
Honolulu Lu (1941)
Comedian
Li'l Abner (1940)
Mayor Gurgle
Hollywood Cavalcade (1939)
Sheriff
Zenobia (1939)
Farmer
Henry Goes Arizona (1939)
Barney Eastland
Every Day's a Holiday (1938)
Cabby
Hotel Haywire (1937)
O'Shea
Forlorn River (1937)
Sheriff Grundy
The Preview Murder Mystery (1936)
Comedian
Modern Times (1936)
A mechanic
Call of the Prairie (1936)
Sandy McQueen
Hallelujah I'm a Bum (1933)
Sunday
Her Majesty Love (1931)
Emil
Swing High (1930)
Sheriff
The Love Trader (1930)
Nelson
Marquis Preferred (1929)
Mr. Gruger
The House of Horror (1929)
Chester
The Virginian (1929)
Uncle Hughey
Stairs of Sand (1929)
Tim
Sunset Pass (1929)
Windy
Fast Company (1929)
C. of C. President
The Studio Murder Mystery (1929)
George
The Show of Shows (1929)
Traffic cop
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1928)
Judge
Varsity (1928)
Pop Conlan
The Big Noise (1928)
John Sloval
Tillie's Punctured Romance (1928)
Horatio Q. Frisbee
Fools for Luck (1928)
Samuel Hunter
Taxi 13 (1928)
Angus Mactavish
The Haunted House (1928)
Mr. Rackham
Cabaret (1927)
Jerry Trask
McFadden's Flats (1927)
Jock McTavish
Tell It to Sweeney (1927)
Luke Beamish
Rubber Heels (1927)
Tennyson Hawks
Two Flaming Youths (1927)
Sheriff Ben Holden
A Kiss in a Taxi (1927)
Maraval
Fascinating Youth (1926)
Midnight Lovers (1926)
Moriarity
The Wilderness Woman (1926)
Kadiak MacLean
The Nervous Wreck (1926)
Mort
Say It Again (1926)
Prince Otto V
We're in the Navy Now (1926)
Captain Smithers
The Duchess of Buffalo (1926)
Hotel manager
A Social Celebrity (1926)
Johann Haber
Behind the Front (1926)
Scottie
The Lady of the Harem (1926)
Ali
The Phantom of the Opera (1925)
Orderly
Greed (1925)
Mr. Sieppe
A Woman of the World (1925)
Sam Poore
The Great Love (1925)
Perkins
The Pleasure Buyers (1925)
Burke
The Great Jewel Robbery (1925)
Cootie Joe
The Masked Bride (1925)
Wine waiter
The Winding Stair (1925)
Onery
Under the Rouge (1925)
Mr. Fleck
Where Was I? (1925)
Elmer
My Neighbor's Wife (1925)
Cameraman
One Year To Live (1925)
Froquin
Battling Bunyon (1925)
A stranger
Galloping Fish (1924)
Jonah
North of Nevada (1924)
Lem Williams
Another Man's Wife (1924)
Rumrunner
The Fire Patrol (1924)
Tea--With a Kick (1923)
Jiggs, taxi driver
Anna Christie (1923)
Tommy
Desire (1923)
Oland Young
Souls for Sale (1923)
Skirts (1921)
Chicken a la Cabaret (1920)
Yankee Doodle in Berlin (1919)
Officer of Death's Head Hussars
Chase Me Charlie (1918)
Ladies First (1918)
It Pays to Exercise (1918)
The Pullman Bride (1917)
An International Sneak (1917)
A Tugboat Romeo (1916)
Ambrose's Sour Grapes (1915)
Love Speed and Thrills (1915)
The Cannon Ball (1915)
Tillie's Punctured Romance (1914)
Mr. Whoozis, guest at party
Tillie's Punctured Romance (1914)
Mr. Whoozis
Cruel, Cruel Love (1914)
The Anglers (1914)
Dough and Dynamite (1914)
Mabel's Strange Predicament (1914)
Caught In A Cabaret (1914)
Between Showers (1914)
Chaplin at Keystone Part 1 (1914)
Chaplin at Keystone Part 3 (1914)
Tango Tangles (1914)
Twenty Minutes of Love (1914)

Misc. Crew (Feature Film)

Chaplinesque, My Life and Hard Times (1972)
Other

Cast (Short)

Cinema Circus (1937)
Himself
La Fiesta de Santa Barbara (1935)
Himself
A Clever Dummy (1917)
Dizzy Heights and Daring Hearts (1915)
A Bird's a Bird (1915)
Do-Re-Mi-Boom! (1915)
"Curses!" They Remarked (1914)

Life Events

1913

Film acting debut (as a Keystone Cop) in "Hubby's Job"

1914

Appeared in "Tillie's Punctured Romance"

1914

Co-starred with Mabel Normand in "Mabel's Strange Predicament", "Mabel's New Job", "Mabel's Busy Day" and "Mabel at the Wheel"

1919

Acted in "Uncle Tom's Cabin"

1920

Starred in the comedy "Lame Brains"

1923

Had featured role in "Anna Christie"

1925

Cast in supporting role as ZaSu Pitts' father in "Greed"; footage was cut and remains lost

1925

Was featured in "The Phantom of the Opera"

1927

Teamed with W C Fields in a handful of Paramount films

1928

Portrayed a judge in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes"

1928

Acted in "Tillie's Punctured Romance"

1929

Appeared in "The Virginia"

1933

Had featured role in "Hallelujah, I'm a Bum"

1935

Appeared in "Keystone Hotel"

1936

Played a mechanic in "Modern Times"

1940

Was the mayor in "Li'l Abner"

1940

Reteamed with Chaplin for "The Great Dictator"

1942

Made uncredited appearance as a bum in "Sullivan's Travels"

1942

Acted in "The Palm Beach Story"

1952

Had regular role in the TV series "Doc Corkle"

1966

Final film, "A Big Hand for the Little Lady"

Videos

Movie Clip

Trailer

Great Dictator, The - (Original Trailer) A Jewish barber resembles his country's anti-Semitic dictator in Charles Chaplin's The Great Dictator (1940), featuring the cinematography of Karl Struss (Telluride Film Festival honoree 1980) & Roland Totheroh.
Never a Dull Moment - (Original Trailer) A female music critic (Irene Dunne) marries a rancher (Fred MacMurray) but her life out West has Never a Dull Moment (1950).
Her Majesty Love - (Original Trailer) A circus entertainer fights snobbery in her search for romance in Her Majesty Love (1931) featuring W.C. Fields in his first sound feature.
Henry Goes Arizona - (Original Trailer) A Broadway tenderfoot (Frank Morgan) takes over a Western ranch when Henry Goes Arizona (1939).
Two Sisters from Boston - (Original Trailer) Two Sisters from Boston (1946) have their sensibilities bent when they find work in a Bowery saloon in this hit MGM musical.
Valley of the Sun, The- (Re-issue Trailer) A white man sympathetic to the Indians goes up against a crooked government agent in The Valley of the Sun (1942) co-starring Lucille Ball.
Perils Of Pauline, The - (Original Trailer) Betty Hutton plays silent serial heroine Pearl White in The Perils Of Pauline (1947). Songs by Frank Loesser (Guys & Dolls).
Hoodlum Saint, The - (Original Trailer) After finding religion, a cynical newspaperman tries to help young hoods in The Hoodlum Saint (1946).
Merton of the Movies - (Original Trailer) Red Skelton plays a star-struck hick who goes to Hollywood to become a star in the silent cinema in Merton of the Movies (1947).
Miracle Of Morgan's Creek, The - (Original Trailer) During World War II, a 4F tries to help the woman he loves cover up a surprise pregnancy in Preston Sturges' comedy The Miracle Of Morgan's Creek (1944).

Companions

Margherita Rouse
Wife
Married from 1934 until her death in 1937.
Valda Genesee
Wife
Married in 1949; divorced.
Jane Ayres Gunther
Wife
Actor. Fourth wife; married in June 1965; survived him; met at the Motion Picture Country Home.

Bibliography