Acting
Frank Orth
EN cinema · 127 credits
Born
20 February 1880
Died
17 March 1962 (aged 82)
Birthplace
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Also known as Frank Kaiser Orth
Frank Orth was an American actor born in Philadelphia. He is probably best remembered for his portrayal of Inspector Faraday in the 1951-1953 television series “Boston Blackie”. By 1897, Orth was performing in vaudeville with his wife, Ann Codee, in an act called “Codee and Orth.” In 1909, he expanded into song writing, with songs such as “The Phone Bell Rang” and “Meet Me on the Boardwalk, Dearie.” His first contact with motion pictures was in 1928, when he was part of the first foreign-language shorts in sound produced by Warner Bros. He and his wife also appeared together in a series of two-reel comedies in the early 1930s. Orth's first major screen credit was in “Prairie Thunder,” a Dick Foran western, in 1937. From then on, he was often cast as bartenders, pharmacists, and grocery clerks, and always distinctly Irish. He had a recurring role in the Dr. Kildare series of films and also in the Nancy Drew series as the befuddled Officer Tweedy. Among his better roles were the newspaper man Cary Grant telephones early in “His Girl Friday,” one of the quartet singing “Gary Owen” in “They Died with Their Boots On” (thereby giving Errol Flynn as Gen. Custer the idea of associating the tune with the 7th Cavalry), and as the little man carrying the sign reading “The End Is Near” throughout Colonel Effingham's Raid. However, Orth is probably best remembered for his portrayal of Inspector Faraday in the 1951-1953 television series “Boston Blackie.” A short, plump, round-faced man, often smoking a cigar, Orth as Faraday wore his own dark-rimmed spectacles, though rarely in feature films. In 1959, Orth retired from show business after throat surgery. His wife died in 1961 after around fifty years of marriage. Orth died on March 17, 1962. He is buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery in the Hollywood Hills next to his wife.
Known for
Filmography
Houdini
as Mr. Hunter
Here Come the Girls
as Mr. Hungerford
Something to Live For
as Waiter (uncredited)
Double Dynamite
as Mr. Kofer
Cheaper by the Dozen
as Higgins (uncredited)
The Great Rupert
as Mr. Frank Dingle
The Petty Girl
as Moody (process server)
Red Light
as Wallace 'Wally' Stoner
Bride for Sale
as Police Sergeant (uncredited)
Blondie's Secret
as Mr. Philpotts
The Big Clock
as Burt
The Girl from Manhattan
as Oscar Newsome
So This Is New York
as AJ Gluskoter
It Had to Be You
as Conductor Brown
Born to Speed
as Breezy Bradley
Heartaches
as Mike Connelly, Vic's Agent
The Gas House Kids in Hollywood
as Police Captain
The Strange Love of Martha Ivers
as Hotel Clerk
Wake Up and Dream
as Milkman
The Hoodlum Saint
as Chronicle Editor (uncredited)
The Bride Wore Boots
as Judge (uncredited)
Murder in the Music Hall
as Henderson
It's Great to Be Young
1946
It's Great to Be Young
as Franklin Johnson
Lady in the Lake
as Floyd Greer (Uncredited)
The Lost Weekend
as Opera Cloak Room Attendant
Pillow to Post
as Clayfield Taxi Driver
Doll Face
as Peters
Tell It to a Star
as Augustus T. Goodman
She Went to the Races
as Skelly
Storm Over Lisbon
as Murgatroyd
Wilson
as Smith (uncredited)
Greenwich Village
as Ordway
Summer Storm
as Cafe Maitre d' at End (uncredited)
Roger Touhy, Gangster
as . Comic in Theater (uncredited)
The Impatient Years
as Counterman
Tall in the Saddle
as 'Shorty' Davis (uncredited)
Sweet Rosie O'Grady
as Taxi Driver
The Ox-Bow Incident
as Larry Kinkaid (uncredited)
Coney Island
as Bartender
Hello, Frisco, Hello
as Lou, Bartender at Sharkey's
The Meanest Man in the World
as Bartender (uncredited)
Springtime in the Rockies
as Bickel (uncredited)
Henry and Dizzy
as Joe McGuire
Blue, White and Perfect
as Mr. Toby
Over My Dead Body
as Detective
Orchestra Wives
as Rex Willet
Dr. Kildare's Victory
as Mike Ryan
My Gal Sal
as McGuiness
Roxie Hart
as Bar Client #2 (uncredited)
Rings on Her Fingers
as Kellogg
Dr. Gillespie's New Assistant
as Mike Ryan
The Magnificent Dope
as Messenger
Tales of Manhattan
as Secondhand Clothes Dealer
I Wake Up Screaming
as Cemetery Caretaker
Come Live with Me
as Jerry
The People Vs. Dr. Kildare
as Mike Ryan
Ride on Vaquero
as Auctioneer
Sergeant York
as Drummer (uncredited)
Respect the Law
as Peter Brennan
They Died with Their Boots On
as Barfly (uncredited)
Broadway Limited
as Lou, Cafe Proprietor
The Strawberry Blonde
as Baxter - Livery Stable Owner (uncredited)
Let's Make Music
as Mr. Botts
His Girl Friday
as Duffy
Pier 13
as Dead Pan Charlie
Boom Town
as Barber
You, the People
as Soda Jerk
Brother Orchid
as Waiter at Fat Dutchy's (uncredited)
Gallant Sons
as Newspaper Foreman (uncredited)
The Doctor Takes a Wife
as New York Editor (uncredited)
'Til We Meet Again
as Hong Kong Bartender (uncredited)
Father Is A Prince
as Drugstore Proprieter
Florian
as Detective
Dr. Kildare's Crisis
as Mike Ryan, Cafe Owner
Dr. Kildare Goes Home
as Mike Ryan (uncredited)
La Conga Nights
as Dennis O'Brien
Mexican Spitfire Out West
as Window Washer
Know Your Money
as Tobacconist (uncredited)
Buyer Beware
as Smith (uncredited)
Gold Rush Maisie
as Harris
Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase
as Captain Tweedy
Broadway Serenade
as Mr. Fellows
Fast and Furious
as Captain Joe Burke
Burn 'Em Up O'Connor
as Tim McKelvy
Tell No Tales
as Vic - Bartender (uncredited)
At the Circus
as Chef in Diner (uncredited)
Idiot's Delight
as Benny Zinsser
Nancy Drew... Reporter
as Captain Tweedy (uncredited)
Fast and Loose
as Detective Hendricks (uncredited)
Within the Law
as Jim Jenks
Calling Dr. Kildare
as Mike Sullivan - Hospital Cafe Owner (uncredited)
Young Mr. Lincoln
as Loafer (uncredited)
Thunder Afloat
as Old Sailor in Bilge Area (uncredited)
Stanley and Livingstone
as Newspaperman with Pills
Dust Be My Destiny
as Wedding Witness on Stage (uncredited)
Nancy Drew… Detective
as Captain Tweedy
Think It Over
as Brown, Clothing Store Owner
Mr. Chump
as Sheriff Frank Hinton
The Patient in Room 18
as Joe Higgins - Night Watchman
Young Dr. Kildare
as Mike Ryan (uncredited)
Torchy Blane in Panama
as First Leopard (uncredited)
Comet Over Broadway
as Cab Driver (uncredited)
San Quentin
as Convict in Bunkhouse (uncredited)
Marry the Girl
as Bar owner
Land Beyond the Law
as Shorty Long
Ever Since Eve
as Cocktail Waiter (uncredited)
The Footloose Heiress
as Justice Abner Cuttler
Missing Witnesses
as Gordon (uncredited)
The Devil's Saddle Legion
as Judge Barko
Prairie Thunder
as Wichita
Talent Scout
as Burlesque Theatre Manager (uncredited)
Polo Joe
as Bert
Two Against the World
as Tommy - Bartender
Hot Money
as Hank Ford
Unwelcome Stranger
as Jackson
The Payoff
as Porter (uncredited)
The Victim
1931
The Victim
as The Husband
