George Mathews (actor)

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George Mathews
The Last Wagon 11 George Mathews.jpg
Mathews in the 1956 film The Last Wagon
Born(1911-10-10)October 10, 1911
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
DiedNovember 7, 1984(1984-11-07) (aged 73)
OccupationActor
Years active1933–1972
Spouse(s)Mary Haynsworth

George Mathews (October 10, 1911 – November 7, 1984) was an American actor whose career stretched from an uncredited appearance in Stage Door Canteen in 1943 to Going Home in 1971.[citation needed]

Mathews was born in Brooklyn, New York.[1]

Mathews was tall (6' 1.5"). His career on stage began in the early 1930s, when he failed to get a job with the U.S. Mail. He joined the W.P.A. Theatre, and landed a role in the play Processional (1937) as Dynamite Jim.

Mathews was often cast as heavies or hardened military types. He appeared in both the stage (1942–43) and film version (1944) of The Eve of St. Mark, as Sergeant Ruby. He also portrayed comic thugs in Pat and Mike (1952), starring Katharine Hepburn, and in the Garson Kanin-directed musical comedy Do Re Mi (1960–62), as Fatso O'Rear, starring Phil Silvers. In 1962 he appeared in Have Gun – Will Travel, Season 6, Episode 6.[2] He also demonstrated his comedic talent in the short-lived television comedy series Glynis (1963), playing ex-cop Chick Rogers, who assists a mystery writer and amateur sleuth, played by Glynis Johns, in solving "whodunnits", He was also in the Broadway play Catch Me If You Can in 1965. Perhaps his most memorable role was as Harvey in The Bensonhurst Bomber episode of The Honeymooners. He also played the bar owner, John Shanssey, who helped Doc Holliday from hanging in "Gunfight At The OK Corral".

Mathews retired from the screen in 1972.

Personal life and death[]

Mathews died from heart disease in Caesars Head, South Carolina, in November 1984.[3] He was married to stage actress Mary (Haynsworth) Mathews from 1951 until his death in 1984.[4]

Filmography[]

Year Title Role Notes
1943 Stage Door Canteen Marine Sergeant with Ray Bolger Uncredited
1944 Up in Arms Blackie
1944 The Eve of St. Mark Sgt. Ruby
1944 Wing and a Prayer Dooley
1944 Wilson Army Sergeant Uncredited
1945 The Corn Is Green Trap Driver Uncredited
1945 The Great John L. John Flood
1952 Pat and Mike Spec Cauley
1952 Sally and Saint Anne Father Kennedy
1952 Yankee Buccaneer Chief Petty Officer Link
1953 Last of the Comanches Romany O'Rattigan
1953 City Beneath the Sea Capt. Meade aka Ralph Sorensen
1953 Act of Love Henderson
1954 The Great Diamond Robbery Duke Fargoh
1955 The Man with the Golden Arm Williams
1956 The Proud Ones Dillon
1956 The Last Wagon Sheriff Bull Harper
1957 Gunfight at the O.K. Corral John Shanssey
1958 The Buccaneer Pyke
1960 Heller in Pink Tights Sam Pierce
1962 The Hole Construction Worker (winner of the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film)
1971 Going Home Malloy (final film role)

Selected Television[]

Year Title Role Notes
1955 Death Valley Days Season 2, Episode 14, "Husband Pro-Tem"
1960 Have Gun - Will Travel Clerk Season 3, Episode 21 "The Night the Town Died"
1953 The Lone Ranger Bill Adams Episode "The Devil's Bog"
1961 Wanted Dead or Alive Krebs Season 3, Episode 20 "The Long Search"

References[]

  1. ^ "George Mathews, actor who played gangsters". The Courier News. New Jersey, Bridgewater. Associated Press. November 13, 1984. p. 23. Retrieved February 8, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ http://transgalaxy.com/tvshows/HaveGunWillTravel/
  3. ^ "George Mathews, 73, Actor On Broadway And In Movies", The New York Times, November 13, 1984.
  4. ^ Obituary of Mary H. Matthews, The Greenville News, May 7, 2011 (reprinted at legacy.com).

External links[]


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