Walter Abel

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Walter Abel
Walter Abel.jpg
Born(1898-06-06)June 6, 1898
St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
DiedMarch 26, 1987(1987-03-26) (aged 88)
Essex, Connecticut, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1918–1984
Spouse(s)
Marietta Bitter
​
​
(m. 1926; died 1979)​
Children2

Walter Abel (June 6, 1898 – March 26, 1987) was an American film, stage and radio actor.

Life[]

Abel was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, the son of Christine (née Becker) and Richard Michael Abel.[1] Abel graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts where he had studied in 1917[2] and joined a touring company. His brother Alfred died in 1922 from tuberculosis contracted while serving overseas in World War I. Abel was married to concert harpist Marietta Bitter.[2]

Career[]

Walter Abel as D'Artagnan, with Heather Angel in The Three Musketeers

Abel made his film debut in 1918 with a small part in Out of a Clear Sky.[3]

He made his Broadway debut in Forbidden in 1919.[4] In 1924 he appeared in two Eugene O'Neill plays simultaneously: Bound East for Cardiff at the Provincetown Playhouse and Desire Under the Elms at the Greenwich Village Theater.[3] His many theatre credits include As You Like It (1923), William Congreve's Love for Love (1925), Anton Chekhov's The Seagull (1929-1930), Mourning Becomes Electra (1929), Kaufman and Hart's Merrily We Roll Along (1934), and Trelawny of the 'Wells' (1975). He also appeared in Channing Pollock's play The Enemy (1926) with Fay Bainter. The play was adapted to film as The Enemy (1927) with Lillian Gish and Ralph Forbes. He made his stage debut in London in the 1929 Coquette.

His first major film role was as D'Artagnan in RKO Pictures' 1935 The Three Musketeers.[3] Abel went on to play in more than sixty films. Abel was a vice president of the Screen Actors' Guild.[5] Abel played a major role in the 1942 musical comedy Holiday Inn, portraying hyperactive agent Danny Reed.

Abel also appeared as a concert narrator or reader with Eugene Ormandy the Philadelphia Orchestra in Aaron Copland's Lincoln Portrait in 1951, and in Dylan Thomas' Under Milk Wood in 1953.[5]

Death[]

Abel died March 26, 1987, of a myocardial infarction at a nursing home in Essex, Connecticut.[2] He was cremated and a memorial service was held at the Little Church Around the Corner in Manhattan. His ashes were combined with those of his wife and scattered in Long Island Sound.[6]

Complete filmography[]

Radio appearances[]

Year Program Episode/source
1941 Gulf Screen Guild Theatre No Time for Comedy[7]
1944 Lady Esther Screen Guild Theatre Phantom Lady[7]
1945 Lady Esther Screen Guild Theatre Double Indemnity[7]
1947 Theatre Guild on the Air No Time for Comedy[7]
1947 Suspense Quiet Desperation[7]
1952 Theatre Guild on the Air The Bishop Misbehaves[7]

References[]

  1. ^ Walter Abel Biography (1898-1987)
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c Gerard, Jeremy (March 28, 1987). "Walter Abel, 88, Actor in Theater and Films". New York Times. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Walter Abel", Turner Classic Movies
  4. ^ "Veteran Stage, Screen Actor Walter Abel Dies at 88". Los Angeles Times. March 29, 1987. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b "Walter Abel papers, 1900-1976, 1916-1975", the Billy Rose Theatre Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
  6. ^ Wilson, Scott. Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed. McFarland. p. 6. ISBN 978-1-4766-2599-7. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f "Abel, Walter". radioGOLDINdex. Retrieved 26 May 2015.

External links[]

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