Clyde Cook

Clyde Cook

actor, director, writer

Clyde Cook was born on Dec 16, 1891 in Australia. Clyde Cook's big-screen debut came with Soldiers of Fortune directed by Allan Dwan in 1919, strarring . Clyde Cook is known for To Each His Own directed by Mitchell Leisen, Olivia de Havilland stars as Jody Norris and Mary Anderson as Corinne Piersen. The most recent award Clyde Cook achieved is Walk of Fame. The upcoming new movie Clyde Cook plays is Donovan's Reef which will be released on Jul 19, 1963.

Diminutive Australian-born silent comic, the son of an engine driver. Clyde Cook earned his sobriquet, 'The Kangaroo Boy', because of his rubber-limbed elasticity. He had been on stage from the age of six, trained as an acrobatic dancer and performed on the Tivoli circuit in his native country, and, later, with the Folies Bergere in Paris. He was back in Australia with J.C. Williamson in 1916, appearing in musical comedy and revues. Three years later, he made his American debut in the Ziegfeld Follies on Broadway and then became the star comic at the New York Hippodrome. Noted for his abilities as a contortionist, he was billed as the Australian "Inja Rubber Idiot". Within a year, he was spotted by Fox talent scouts and signed to appear in the 'Sunshine Comedy' series.After moving to California, Clyde developed his own unique screen image, which included a huge paintbrush moustache (a prototype of which he had sported since 1917) and a completely deadpan expression. Not as distinctive in his comic style as Charles Chaplin or Buster Keaton, he never quite made the first rank as a star, though he was immensely popular as a key supporting player in two-reel comedies. In 1925, he joined Hal Roach, where he did some of his best work, which included the Stan Laurel-directed Wandering Papas (1926). In this, he played the cook for a railroad construction crew, with Oliver Hardy as a tough foreman. In the late 20's, Cook appeared in Roach's 'Taxi Boys' series and, with Warner Brothers, as comic relief in several features, often opposite Louise Fazenda.His Australian accent proved popular enough to facilitate a smooth transition to talking pictures. This allowed Clyde to continue his career, albeit mainly in dramatic feature films, such as Les damnés de l'océan (1928), La mégère apprivoisée (1929) and La patrouille de l'aube (1930). He even got to play an Australian in Le héros du Pacifique (1943), but, by then, his parts had become little more than walk-ons and bits. He retired after his one-day effort in the John Wayne starrer La taverne de l'Irlandais (1963), and died twenty-one years later, in 1984, of arteriosclerosis.

  • Birthday

    Dec 16, 1891
  • Place of Birth

    Port Macquarie, Australia

Known For

Awards

1 wins & 0 nominations

Walk of Fame
1960
Motion Picture
Winner - Star on the Walk of Fame

Movies & TV Shows

All
Movies