Francis Charles Moran (18 March 1887 – 14 December 1967) was an American boxer and

film actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), ...

who fought twice for the Heavyweight Championship of the World, and appeared in over 135 movies in a 25-year film career.

Sports career

Charles Francis Moran (18 March 1887 – 14 December 1967) in 1915

Born in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S ...

, to Martin Moran and Mary Moran née McNally, immigrants from County Mayo, Ireland. Moran studied dentistry at the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the univers ...

where he also played football. He played professional football for the Pittsburgh Lyceums and

Akron Pros The Akron Pros were a professional football team that played in Akron, Ohio from 1908 to 1926. The team originated in 1908 as a semi-pro team named the Akron Indians, but later became Akron Pros in 1920 as the team set out to become a charter ...

as a

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison gu ...

and center. While Moran was serving in the U.S. Navy in 1908, he knocked out fighter Fred Cooley in the second round. While serving on the U.S.S. Mayflower, he served as a spar partner for President Theodore Roosevelt. He began his career as a prize-fighter that same year with a match against Fred Broad. Soon, Moran, who had a hard right hand punch which he called "Mary Ann", became known as the "White Hope" of the teens. In 1914 he fought Jack Johnson for the Heavyweight Championship of the World, and in 1916 "The Fighting Dentist" went up against Jess Willard for the same title, but lost both bouts. He lost his last fight to Marcel Nilles for the Heavyweight Championship of France on December 22, 1922. He retired from boxing after 66 bouts with a record of 36 wins (28 by a knockout), 13 losses, 16 draws and 1 no contest.Frank Moran
at Cyber Boxing Zone Frank Moran was inducted into the Pennsylvania Boxing Hall of Fame in 2012.

Film career

After acting in one show on Broadway in 1926 – a stage adaptation of Theodore Dreiser's novel '' An American Tragedy'' – Moran made his film debut in 1928 when he did two

silent films A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...

, ''The Chinatown Mystery'' and ''Ships of the Night'', but his film career didn't start in earnest until 1933, when he appeared as himself in '' The Prizefighter and the Lady'', and also in Mae West's '' She Done Him Wrong'', in which he played a convict. This was typical of the kinds of roles Moran was to play for the next 25 years – gangsters, henchmen, "plug uglies", bartenders, stage hands, sailors, guards, cops, bouncers, moving men, sergeants and other soldiers – roles which belied his personal gentleness and sensitivity.Erickson, Ha
Biography (Allmovie)
/ref> In the 1940s, Moran was part of Preston Sturges' unofficial "stock company" of character actors, appearing in every American film written and directed by Sturges with one exception. He was seen in '' The Great McGinty'', '' Christmas in July'', '' The Lady Eve'', '' Sullivan's Travels'', '' The Palm Beach Story'', '' The Miracle of Morgan's Creek'', '' Hail the Conquering Hero'', '' The Great Moment'', '' The Sin of Harold Diddlebock'' and '' Unfaithfully Yours''. It was Moran who, as a cop in Sturges' ''Christmas in July'' (1940), halted a tirade by an argumentative Jewish storeowner by barking, "Who do ya think you are, Hitler?" And it was Moran who, as a tough chauffeur in ''Sullivan's Travels'' (1942), patiently explains to his traveling companions the meaning of the word "paraphrase." Moran was usually credited for his performances, but almost never received star or featured billing. One exception was

Monogram Pictures Monogram Pictures Corporation was an American film studio that produced mostly low-budget films between 1931 and 1953, when the firm completed a transition to the name Allied Artists Pictures Corporation. Monogram was among the smaller studios i ...

's '' Return of the Ape Man'' (1944), starring Bela Lugosi and John Carradine, in which Moran shared credit for the title role with

George Zucco George Zucco (11 January 1886 – 27 May 1960) was a British character actor who appeared in plays and 96 films, mostly American-made, during a career spanning over two decades, from the 1920s to 1951. In his films, he often played a suave ...

, although, in fact, Zucco became ill and Moran replaced him – Zucco does not appear in the film as released. Also, at the beginning of his acting career, Moran was part of the featured cast in Raoul Walsh's ''

Sailor's Luck ''Sailor's Luck'' is a 1933 American pre-Code romantic comedy film directed by Raoul Walsh for Fox Film Corporation. It stars James Dunn, Sally Eilers, Victor Jory, and Frank Moran. The plot has a sailor on shore leave falling for a nice girl, ...

'' (1933). Other notable films in which Moran appeared include

Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is conside ...

's '' Modern Times'' 1936, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers's '' Follow the Fleet,'' ''

Shall We Dance Shall We Dance may refer to: Films * ''Shall We Dance'' (1937 film), a Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers musical * ''Shall We Dance?'' (1996 film), a Japanese film about ballroom dancing * ''Shall We Dance?'' (2004 film), an American remake of the ...

'', and '' Carefree'' (1938),

Frank Capra Frank Russell Capra (born Francesco Rosario Capra; May 18, 1897 – September 3, 1991) was an Italian-born American film director, producer and writer who became the creative force behind some of the major award-winning films of the 1930s ...

's '' Meet John Doe'' (1941), 1943's '' Lady of Burlesque'' starring Barbara Stanwyck and '' Road to Utopia'' with

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in more than 70 short and feature films, with ...

and

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

(1946). Moran's final film appearance was an uncredited bit part in '' The Iron Sheriff'', a Western, in 1957 at the age of 70. He was 80 when he died in Hollywood,

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

on 14 December 1967 of a heart attack.

Selected filmography

References

External links

Frank Moran
at Cyber Boxing Zone * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Moran, Frank 1887 births 1967 deaths Male actors from Pennsylvania Akron Pros players Boxers from Ohio American male film actors Players of American football from Pennsylvania Sportspeople from Pennsylvania American people of Irish descent 20th-century American male actors American male boxers Heavyweight boxers