Matinee Classics - Jack Oakie Biography & Filmography

Jack Oakie ACTOR

PHOTOS

JACK OAKIE BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

Jack Oakie was born on November 12th, 1903 in Sedalia, Missouri with the birth name Lewis Delaney Offield. He was raised in Oklahoma and after high school he first found work in New York as a runner on Wall Street.

During his time living in New York he began developing an interest in acting and began doing work in amateur theatre as a comedian and mimic. In 1923 he had his first role on Broadway as a chorus boy in a production of, "Little Nellie Kelly".

He continued working as a stage actor on Broadway up until 1927 when he decided to relocate to Hollywood and work in the film industry during the silent era. He found work on a number of silent films and when sound films came about he made the transition with ease.

His first talkie film was, "The Dummy" (1929) with Paramount Pictures who he signed a contract with. He followed with a number of other film roles in, "Street Girl" (1929), "Hit the Deck" (1930), "Sea Legs" (1930), "Touchdown" (1931), "Sky Bride" (1932), "Once in a Lifetime" (1932) and "Sailor Be Good" (1933).

When his contract with Paramount came to an end in 1934 he began doing freelance work. Some of the features he appeared in were, "Much Harmony" (1933), "The Call of the Wild" (1935) also starring Clark Gable and Loretta Young, "Super-Sleuth" (1937), "Fight for Your Lady" (1937), "The Affairs of Annabel" (1938), "Thanks For Everything" (1938) and "The Great Dictator" (1940), a role for which he received his first Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

Along with his work in film, he also appeared on the radio having his own radio show from 1936 through 1938. He also worked as a television actor appearing on such series as, "Shower of the Stars" (1955), "The Real McCoys" (1957), "Kraft Theatre" (1958), "Target: The Corruptors" (1962), "Breaking Point" (1964), "Daniel Boone" (1966) and "Bonanza" (1966).

He married twice throughout his lifetime, first to Venita Varden in 1936 and by 1945 this marriage ended in divorce. He then married Victoria Horne in 1950 and they remained together until he passed away at the age of seventy four, on January 23rd, 1978 in Los Angeles, California after suffering from an aortic aneurysm. His remains are interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.

He was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contribution to the Motion Picture Industry.