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IMDbPro

Edward Pawley(1901-1988)

  • Actor
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Edward Pawley
Trailer for this strange story of two men from opposite worlds
Play trailer1:43
À chaque aube je meurs (1939)
2 Videos
21 Photos
Edward Joel Pawley was a native of Kansas City, Missouri, and attended Manuel Training High School. He took drama classes in high school, and after graduation he worked for six months in his half-brother's traveling stage show (under canvas). He went to New York in 1920 to seek his fame and fortune. He acted in various shows both on and off Broadway before getting his first starring role on Broadway (in 1928) as "Elmer Gantry" in the popular and controversial show of the same name. While still performing on Broadway in the early 1930s, he became interested in movies and obtained some small parts in a couple of films. He also supplemented his income from the theater by performing, on radio, skits from some of his Broadway shows.

Around 1933, he left Broadway and moved to Hollywood, where he found work in more than 50 films over a ten-year period. He was a versatile character actor and appeared in some of the better known films of the 1930s with stars like James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart, Mickey Rooney, The Dead End Kids, Rita Hayworth and John Garfield, among others. He became disenchanted with Hollywood in the early 1940s because of what he saw as attempted Communist infiltration of the movie industry. After making a searing speech against those in the industry who he believed had joined the Communist party, he found himself unable to obtain work because of what he saw as "blackballing" by several producers and directors. Consequenly, he found it more difficult to find worthwhile roles, so he left Hollywood in 1942 and returned to the New York stage. He also worked for a while on the popular radio series "Portia Faces Life". He and Lucille Wall were the Love Story Boy and Girl on that show.

In 1943 he auditioned for the leading role in the very popular drama series "Big Town, and won the part. He played Steve Wilson, the idealistic managing editor of the Illustrated Press who was not afraid to fight for what he believed in. His sidekick on the show was Fran Carlon, who played Lorelei Kilbourne, the paper's "girl reporter." Pawley played the role until 1952.

He retired to Rappahannock County, Virginia, where he lived a very domesticated existence, raising and selling championship goats, writing poetry and working part-time as a radio announcer. His rich baritone voice was quite mellifluous and could charm any audience. He married (in 1922) his high school sweetheart, Martina May Martin, who was a stage actress. They had one child, a son they named Martin Herbert Pawley (b. 1923). After they divorced and later remarried (only to divorce again), he married (in 1937) the famous Broadway musical star Helen Shipman, of Pennsylvania. They remained married until her death in 1984; however, there were no children born of this union. His magnificent voice was stilled on January 27, 1988, as the result of a heart attack. He was a man of integrity, charm, eloquence, modesty, and patriotism, not to mention his ability to perform successfully in three different entertainment mediums: stage, movies, and radio.
BornMarch 16, 1901
DiedJanuary 27, 1988(86)
BornMarch 16, 1901
DiedJanuary 27, 1988(86)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank

Photos21

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Known for

Wallace Beery and Jackie Cooper in L'île au trésor (1934)
L'île au trésor
7.1
  • Pirate of the Spanish Main
  • 1934
Treize femmes (1932)
Treize femmes
6.3
  • Chauffeur Burns
  • 1932
James Cagney, Ann Dvorak, and Margaret Lindsay in Les hors la loi (1935)
Les hors la loi
7.1
  • Danny Leggett
  • 1935
Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney, and The Dead End Kids in Les anges aux figures sales (1938)
Les anges aux figures sales
7.9
  • Edwards
  • 1938

Credits

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IMDbPro

Actor



  • Randolph Scott, Glenn Ford, Evelyn Keyes, Claire Trevor, and Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams in Les desperados (1943)
    Les desperados
    6.4
    • Blackie (uncredited)
    • 1943
  • Lon Chaney Jr., Wendy Barrie, Richard Dix, and Don Porter in Les yeux des bas-fonds (1942)
    Les yeux des bas-fonds
    6.0
    • Lance Merlin
    • 1942
  • Glenn Ford, Pat O'Brien, and Evelyn Keyes in Flight Lieutenant (1942)
    Flight Lieutenant
    5.8
    • Larsen (uncredited)
    • 1942
  • Roy Rogers, Linda Hayes, and Sons of the Pioneers in Romance on the Range (1942)
    Romance on the Range
    6.2
    • Jerome Banning
    • 1942
  • Judy Canova, Jerry Colonna, William Demarest, Allan Jones, and Ann Miller in True to the Army (1942)
    True to the Army
    6.9
    • Junior
    • 1942
  • Eddie Albert, Peggy Moran, and Edward Pawley in Treat 'Em Rough (1942)
    Treat 'Em Rough
    7.4
    • Martin (as Ed Pawley)
    • 1942
  • Bud Abbott, Laverne Andrews, Maxene Andrews, Patty Andrews, Evelyn Ankers, Mischa Auer, Richard Carlson, Lou Costello, Joan Davis, Ted Lewis, and The Andrews Sisters in Fantômes en vadrouille (1941)
    Fantômes en vadrouille
    7.2
    • High Collar (uncredited)
    • 1941
  • Evelyn Ankers, Gabriel Dell, Gladys George, Huntz Hall, Billy Halop, Barton MacLane, Bernard Punsly, and Bobs Watson in Hit the Road (1941)
    Hit the Road
    6.0
    • Spike the Butcher
    • 1941
  • Barry Fitzgerald, Irene Hervey, and Burgess Meredith in San Francisco Docks (1940)
    San Francisco Docks
    6.8
    • Monte March (as Ed Pawley)
    • 1940
  • John Howard in Le Retour des Texas Rangers (1940)
    Le Retour des Texas Rangers
    6.0
    • Palo Pete
    • 1940
  • Frances Farmer, John Garfield, and Pat O'Brien in Flowing Gold (1940)
    Flowing Gold
    6.5
    • Collins
    • 1940
  • Elizabeth Inglis, Dennis Morgan, and George Tobias in River's End (1940)
    River's End
    6.1
    • Frank Crandell
    • 1940
  • John Garfield, Pat O'Brien, and Ann Sheridan in Castle on the Hudson (1940)
    Castle on the Hudson
    6.7
    • Black Jack
    • 1940
  • Old Hickory (1939)
    Old Hickory
    5.0
    Short
    • Undetermined Role (uncredited)
    • 1939
  • Edward Brophy, Jackie Cooper, Victor McLaglen, and Peggy Moran in The Big Guy (1939)
    The Big Guy
    6.5
    • Buckhart
    • 1939

Videos2

Each Dawn I Die
Trailer 1:43
Each Dawn I Die
G-Men
Trailer 2:09
G-Men
G-Men
Trailer 2:09
G-Men

Personal details

Edit
  • Alternative name
    • Ed Pawley
  • Height
    • 1.78 m
  • Born
    • March 16, 1901
    • Kansas City, Missouri, USA
  • Died
    • January 27, 1988
    • Charlottesville, Virginia, USA(undisclosed)
  • Spouses
      Helen ShipmanJune 10, 1937 - April 13, 1984 (her death)
  • Children
    • Martin H. Pawley
  • Relatives
      Anthony Pawley(Sibling)
  • Other works
    Stage: Appeared (as "Craig Anson") in "The Shame Woman" on Broadway. Drama. Written by Lula Vollmer. Greenwich Village Theatre: 16 Oct 1923-15 Jun 1924 (278 performances). Cast: Claude Cooper (as "Ezra Case"), Minnie Dupree (as "Mrs. Burns"), Florence Gerald (as "Martha Case"), Jessie Graham (as "Matron"), Allen W. Nagle (as "Jailer"), Thelma Paige (as "Lily"), Florence Rittenhouse (as "Lize Burns"), G.O. Taylor (as "Minister"), John J. Ward (as "John Crombie"). Produced by The Independent Theatre Inc. Stephens.
  • Publicity listings
    • 3 Print Biographies

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    In retirement, he raised and sold championship goats, wrote poetry, and worked part-time as a radio announcer at a local radio station.
  • Quotes
    [replying to a question, after his retirement, about his life in show business] I don't miss it at all . . . none of it.

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