Frank Orth

Acting

Born Feb 20, 1880

From Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Died Mar 17, 1962

Frank Orth was an American actor born in Philadelphia. He is probably best remembered for his portrayal of Inspector Faraday in the 1951-1953 television series “Boston Blackie”. By 1897, Orth was performing in vaudeville with his wife, Ann Codee, in an act called “Codee and Orth.” In 1909, he expanded into song writing, with songs such as “The Phone Bell Rang” and “Meet Me on the Boardwalk, Dearie.” His first contact with motion pictures was in 1928, when he was part of the first foreign-language shorts in sound produced by Warner Bros. He and his wife also appeared together in a series of two-reel comedies in the early 1930s. Orth's first major screen credit was in “Prairie Thunder,” a Dick Foran western, in 1937. From then on, he was often cast as bartenders, pharmacists, and grocery clerks, and always distinctly Irish. He had a recurring role in the Dr. Kildare series of films and also in the Nancy Drew series as the befuddled Officer Tweedy. Among his better roles were the newspaper man Cary Grant telephones early in “His Girl Friday,” one of the quartet singing “Gary Owen” in “They Died with Their Boots On” (thereby giving Errol Flynn as Gen. Custer the idea of associating the tune with the 7th Cavalry), and as the little man carrying the sign reading “The End Is Near” throughout Colonel Effingham's Raid. However, Orth is probably best remembered for his portrayal of Inspector Faraday in the 1951-1953 television series “Boston Blackie.” A short, plump, round-faced man, often smoking a cigar, Orth as Faraday wore his own dark-rimmed spectacles, though rarely in feature films. In 1959, Orth retired from show business after throat surgery. His wife died in 1961 after around fifty years of marriage. Orth died on March 17, 1962. He is buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery in the Hollywood Hills next to his wife.

Frank Orth

Known For

His Girl Friday

Sergeant York

Cheaper by the Dozen

Father of the Bride

The Lost Weekend

The Strange Love of Martha Ivers

Young Mr. Lincoln

The Ox-Bow Incident

Tall in the Saddle

Wilson

Filmography — Acting

His Girl Friday

Sergeant York

Cheaper by the Dozen

Father of the Bride

The Lost Weekend

The Strange Love of Martha Ivers

Young Mr. Lincoln

The Ox-Bow Incident

Tall in the Saddle

Wilson

They Died with Their Boots On

Houdini

Lady in the Lake

The Big Clock

I Wake Up Screaming

Brother Orchid

Boom Town

Nancy Drew… Detective

'Til We Meet Again

Springtime in the Rockies

Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase

Footlight Serenade

Tales of Manhattan

The Great Rupert

Florian

Nancy Drew... Reporter

Summer Storm

Dust Be My Destiny

Gallant Sons

Something to Live For

Roxie Hart

Red Light

Idiot's Delight

Broadway Serenade

Calling Dr. Kildare

The Hoodlum Saint

The Strawberry Blonde

The Guilt of Janet Ames

Heartaches

The Meanest Man in the World

Gold Rush Maisie

Coney Island

The Magnificent Dope

Over My Dead Body

You, the People

Come Live with Me

Blue, White and Perfect

At the Circus

Fast and Furious

The Secret of Dr. Kildare

The Impatient Years

Stanley and Livingstone

Within the Law

San Quentin

Orchestra Wives

Michael Shayne: Private Detective

My Gal Sal

The Payoff

Tell It to a Star

The Girl from Manhattan

Dr. Gillespie's New Assistant

Doll Face

The Doctor Takes a Wife

Rings on Her Fingers

Murder in the Music Hall

Hello, Frisco, Hello

It Had to Be You