IRVING PICHEL BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

Irving Pichel was born on June 24th, 1891 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  His career as an actor began by first performing in musical theatre and he was also employed part time as a technical director for the Bohemian Club's summer pageants.

Later he began working at the Pasadena Playhouse where he gained attention with his role as the lead in, "Lazarus Laughed" in 1927.  After gaining some more stage experience he began working in the film industry with some of his early films roles in, "The Cheat" (1931) starring Talullah Bankhead and Harvey Stephens, "Strange Justice" (1932) starring Marian Marsh, Reginald Denny and Richard Bennett, "Oliver Twist" (1933) co-starring Dickie Moore as Oliver, Doris Lloyd and William 'Stage' Boyd, "Return of the Terror" (1934), "Three Kids and a Queen" (1935), "General Spanky" (1936) starring George 'Spanky' McFarland, Phillips Holmes, Rosina Lawrence, Billie 'Buckwheat' Thomas, Carl 'Alfalfa' Switzer, Ralph Morgan, Louise Beavers, Willie Best and Slim Whittaker and "Special Agent K-7" (1936) co-starring Walter McGrail, Queenie Smith and Donald Reed.

Along with his career as an actor he also worked on the other side of the industry as a director working on such films as, "She" (1935) starring Randolph Scott, Helen Mack, Nigel Bruce and Helen Gahagan, "Beware of the Ladies" (1936) starring Donald Cook, Judith Allen and George Meeker, "The Pied Piper" (1942) starring Monty Woolley, Roddy McDowall, Anne Baxter, Peggy Ann Garner and J. Carrol Naish, "The Moon is Down" (1943) starring Cedric Hardwicke, Henry Travers and Lee J. Cobb, "Temptation" (1946) starring Merle Oberon, George Brent and Paul Lukas, "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon" (1949) as narrator and starring John Wayne, Joanne Dru, John Agar, Ben Johnson, Victor McLaglen, Harry Carey Jr., Mildred Natwick, George O'Brien, Tom Tyler and Chief John Big Tree, "Quicksand" (1950) starring Mickey Rooney, Jeanne Cagney, Barbara Bates and Peter Lorre and "The Great Rupert" (1950) starring Jimmy Durante, Terry Moore and Tom Drake.

Although he had a highly successful career in the industry both as an actor and director he was actually one of the nineteen members in Hollywood who was blacklisted when he was called upon by the House Un-American Activities Committee.  He left the United States for a brief time but later returned to direct his final film, "Day of Triumph" (1954) starring Lee J. Cobb, Robert Wilson, Mike Connors, Joanne Dru and James Griffith, which sadly prior to the film releasing, he passed away on July 13th, 1954 in Hollywood, California after suffering from a heart attack.

Irving Pichel married only once to Violette Wilson and they had three sons together. 

 
Filmography

1953         Martin Luther
1951         Santa Fe
1950         Destination Moon
1950         Quicksand
1950         The Great Rupert
1949         She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
1947         Something in the Wind
1947         They Won't Believe Me
1946         The Bride Wore Boots
1946         Tomorrow Is Forever
1943         The Moon Is Down
1943         December 7th
1941         How Green Was My Valley
1939         Old Hickory 
1939         Torture Ship
1939         The Great Commandment
1939         Rio
1939         Dick Tracy's G-Men
1939         Exile Express
1939         Juarez
1938         Topper Takes a Trip
1938         Newsboys' Home
1938         Gambling Ship
1938         There Goes My Heart
1938         Jezebel
1937         The Sheik Steps Out
1937         High, Wide, and Handsome
1937         Armored Car
1937         Join the Marines
1936         General Spanky
1936         Down to the Sea
1936         Hearts in Bondage
1936         Dracula's Daughter
1936         Special Agent K-7
1936         The House of a Thousand Candles
1936         Don't Gamble with Love
1935         Three Kids and a Queen
1935         Special Agent
1934         The Silver Streak
1934         I Am a Thief
1934         Cleopatra
1934         British Agent
1934         She Was a Lady
1934         Return of the Terror
1934         Such Women Are Dangerous
1934         Fog Over Frisco
1933         The Right to Romance
1933         I'm No Angel
1933         Night Flight
1933         Before Dawn
1933         The Story of Temple Drake
1933         King of the Jungle
1933         Oliver Twist
1933         The Woman Accused
1933         The Mysterious Rider
1933         Billion Dollar Scandal
1933         Hamlet, Act I: Scenes IV and V
1932         Madame Butterfly
1932         Wild Girl
1932         Strange Justice
1932         The Painted Woman
1932         Westward Passage
1932         Forgotten Commandments
1932         The Miracle Man
1932         Two Kinds of Women
1931         The Cheat
1931         The Road to Reno
1931         An American Tragedy
1931         Murder by the Clock
1930         The Right to Love