Tommy Farrell (October 7, 1921 â€" May 9, 2004) was an American supporting actor who appeared in over 80 films between 1944 and 1979, according to the Internet Movie Database. Sometimes he is credited as Tommie Farrell or Tom Farrell.
Career
A native of Hollywood, California, Farrell was a popular actor and comedian better known for his sidekick roles in the Hollywood Golden Age. He grew up watching his mother, Glenda Farrell, a Warner Brothers contract actress, appear in films like Little Caesar and I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang, opposite Edward G. Robinson and Paul Muni, respectively. His father was film editor, Thomas Richards.
Farrell attended St. John's Military Academy in Los Angeles and was a drama student at the University of Arizona before making his Broadway debut as a young drummer in Strip for Action. He served in the Army Air Forces during World War II.
Following discharge, Farrell made his movie debut in Winged Victory (1944). During the 1940s, he became entrenched as a supporting player in B-westerns and cliffhanger serials. He also appeared in a number of other films, including Kissin' Cousins with Elvis Presley and A Guide for the Married Man with Walter Matthau. Then, after the westerns and serials faded he migrated to television work.
On April 1, 1949, Tommy Farrell had a daughter, Ellen Farrell, with his then wife, Ann.
On television Farrell played Cpl. Thad Carson on The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin and Chet Holliday, father of Alice Holliday in the 1958-1959 syndicated sitcom This is Alice. He was also was a recurring guest star in two other sitcoms, Room for One More and Here's Lucy. He made six appearances on Perry Mason in minor roles like a salesman or reporter. He finally retired in 1979 after filming an episode of the Robert Urich series, Vega$. In 2003, he was honored during the 21st Annual Golden Boot Awards ceremony for his work in the Western genre, along with Sue Ane Langdon, Michael Dante, Graham Greene, Kris Kristofferson, and Tommy Lee Jones, among others.
Farrell died of natural causes at the Motion Picture and Television Fund hospital in Woodland Hills, California, at the age of 82. At the time of his death, he was the last living B-western sidekick from the golden era of westerns.
Selected appearances
Films
- Strangers on a Train (1951)
- Meet Danny Wilson (1951)
- This Woman Is Dangerous (1952)
- The Marrying Kind (1952)
- Singin' in the Rain (1952)
- Night Raiders (1952)
- The Stooge (1952)
- Siren of Bagdad (1953)
- North by Northwest (1959)
- Bells Are Ringing (1960)
- Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
- Kissin' Cousins (1964)
- A Guide for the Married Man (1967)
Serials
- Pirates of the High Seas (1950)
- Atom Man vs. Superman (1950)
- Son of Geronimo: Apache Avenger (1952)
- Gunfighters of the Northwest (1954)
TV shows
- The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin (1955â€"59)
- Matinee Theatre (1957)
- Maverick (1957)
- Dragnet (1958)
- Cheyenne (1958)
- Gunsmoke (1958)
- This is Alice (1958)
- Wanted: Dead or Alive (1959)
- Bourbon Street Beat (1959â€"60)
- The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis (1959â€"61)
- Richard Diamond, Private Detective (1960)
- Pete and Gladys (1961)
- Bringing Up Buddy (1961)
- Bachelor Father (1961)
- The Roaring 20's (1961)
- Hawaiian Eye (1960â€"62)
- Perry Mason (1962â€"65)
- Rawhide (1963)
- Dr. Kildare (1963)
- The Fugitive (1964)
- The Munsters (1964)
- The Addams Family (1965)
- The Lucy Show (1965)
- The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1966)
- F Troop (1966)
- The Beverly Hillbillies (1966)
- Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. (1966â€"68)
- Lost in Space (1967)
- Get Smart (1970)
- Here's Lucy (1971â€"74)
See also
- 2003, The 21st Annual Golden Boot Awards
References
- IMDb entry
- Life in Legacy
- The New York Times