George Sidney (born Sammy Greenfield; 18 March 1876 – 29 April 1945) was a Hungarian-born American

comedian A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing Amusement is the state of experiencing humorous and entertaining events or situations while the person or a ...

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 (), lite ...

. He starred in

The Cohens and Kellys ''The Cohens and Kellys'' is a 1926 American silent comedy film directed by Harry A. Pollard and starring Charles Murray, George Sidney, Kate Price, and Jason Robards Sr. The film is the first of the ''Cohens and Kellys'' film serials. The f ...

film series.Kear & King p.203

Early years

Born in Nagynichal, Hungary, Sidney was the son of Lewis K. Sidney, an executive at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. He was the uncle of the film director

George Sidney George Sidney (October 4, 1916May 5, 2002) was an American film director and producer who worked primarily at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. His work includes cult classics ''Bye Bye Birdie'' (1963) and ''Viva Las Vegas'' (1964). With an extensive backgro ...

Career

In his youth, Sidney performed on amateur night programs at

Miner's Bowery Theatre Miner's Bowery Theatre was a vaudeville or variety show theater opened in the Bowery of New York by Senator Henry Clay Miner in 1878. History The theater was known for its method of encouraging anyone to get on stage and perform on amateur ...

in New York City. His professional debut came at the Harlem Museum, and he went on to perform in burlesque. In his film debut he portrayed Potash in ''

In Hollywood with Potash and Perlmutter ''In Hollywood with Potash and Perlmutter'' is a 1924 American silent comedy film, produced by Samuel Goldwyn, released through Associated First National Pictures, and directed by Alfred E. Green. A sequel of sorts, the Jewish ethnic comedy ...

''.

Death

On April 29, 1945, Sidney died at his home in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, aged 68. He was buried in Beth Olam Cemetery of Hollywood.

Selected filmography

* ''

'' (1924) * '' Classified'' (1925) * ''

'' (1926) * '' The Prince of Pilsen'' (1926) * ''

Millionaires A millionaire is an individual whose net worth or wealth is equal to or exceeds one million units of currency. Depending on the currency, a certain level of prestige is associated with being a millionaire. In countries that use the short sc ...

'' (1926) * ''

Sweet Daddies ''Sweet Daddies'' is a 1926 American silent comedy crime film directed by Alfred Santell and starring George Sidney, Charles Murray, and Vera Gordon. The film foregrounds positive relationships between Jewish and Irish American characters, despi ...

'' (1926) * '' Partners Again'' (1926) * '' The Auctioneer'' (1927) * '' Clancy's Kosher Wedding'' (1927) * '' For the Love of Mike'' (1927) * ''

Lost at the Front ''Lost at the Front'' is a 1927 American comedy film directed by Del Lord and written by Hampton Del Ruth, Frank Griffin and Ralph Spence. The film stars George Sidney, Charles Murray, Natalie Kingston, John Kolb, Max Asher and Brooks Benedic ...

'' (1927) * ''

The Life of Riley ''The Life of Riley'' is an American radio situation comedy series of the 1940s that was adapted into a 1949 feature film, a 1950s television series, and a 1958 comic book. Radio The radio program initially aired on the Blue Network (later kn ...

'' (1927) * ''

The Latest from Paris ''The Latest from Paris'' is a 1928 American silent romantic drama film directed by Sam Wood and written by Joseph Farnham and A. P. Younger. The film stars Norma Shearer, George Sidney, Ralph Forbes, Tenen Holtz, and William Bakewell. The fi ...

'' (1928) * ''

Flying Romeos ''Flying Romeos'' is a 1928 American comedy adventure directed by Mervyn LeRoy and written by John McDermott, Sidney Lazarus, Gene Towne and John W. Conway.Erickson, Hal"Review: 'Flying Romeos' (1928) – Mervyn LeRoy."''AllMovie'', 2019. Retr ...

'' (1928) * ''

We Americans ''We Americans'' is a 1928 American silent drama film directed by Edward Sloman and starring George Sidney, Patsy Ruth Miller and George J. Lewis.Erens p.96 Synopsis Two young couples try to cross the mixed ethnic divide in America, something w ...

'' (1928) * '' Give and Take'' (1928) * ''

The Cohens and the Kellys in Paris ''The Cohens and the Kellys in Paris'' is a 1928 American comedy film directed by William Beaudine. It was the first sequel to ''The Cohens and Kellys''. The film title is sometimes listed as ''The Cohens and Kellys in Paris''. It was an early ...

'' (1928) * ''

The Cohens and Kellys in Atlantic City ''The Cohens and the Kellys in Atlantic City'' is a 1929 American silent film, silent comedy film directed by William James Craft and starring George Sidney (actor), George Sidney, Vera Gordon and Mack Swain. It is the third entry in the series ...

'' (1929) * ''

The Cohens and the Kellys in Scotland ''The Cohens and the Kellys in Scotland'' is a 1930 American comedy film. It is one of '' The Cohens and Kellys'' series, and is also the series' first sound film. It was directed by William James Craft and produced and released by Universal Pic ...

'' (1930) * ''

The Cohens and the Kellys in Africa ''The Cohens and the Kellys in Africa'' is an American pre-Code comedy film.

'' (1930) * ''

Around the Corner ''Around the Corner'' is a 1930 American comedy-drama film directed by Bert Glennon and starring George Sidney, Charles Murray and Joan Peers.Fetrow p.25 It was produced and distributed by Columbia Pictures. Cast * George Sidney as Kaplan * C ...

'' (1930) * ''

Caught Cheating ''Caught Cheating'' is a 1931 American Pre-Code comedy film directed by Frank R. Strayer from a screenplay by W. Scott Darling. The film stars Charles Murray, George Sidney, and Nita Martan, and it was released by Tiffany Productions on January ...

'' (1931) * '' The Heart of New York'' (1932) * ''

High Pressure In science and engineering the study of high pressure examines its effects on materials and the design and construction of devices, such as a diamond anvil cell, which can create high pressure. By ''high pressure'' is usually meant pressures of th ...

'' (1932) * ''

The Cohens and Kellys in Hollywood ''The Cohens and Kellys in Hollywood'' is a 1932 American pre-Code comedy film directed by John Francis Dillon and written by Howard J. Green. The film stars George Sidney, Charles Murray, June Clyde, Norman Foster, Esther Howard, and Emma Dunn ...

'' (1932) * ''

The Cohens and Kellys in Trouble ''The Cohens and Kellys in Trouble'' is a 1933 American pre-Code comedy film starring Charlie Murray, Andy Devine, and Maureen O'Sullivan. It is the last film in the ''Cohens and Kellys'' series and the first director credit for George Stevens ...

'' (1933) * ''

Rafter Romance ''Rafter Romance'' is an American 1933 pre-Code romantic comedy film directed by William A. Seiter and released by RKO Radio Pictures. The film, which was based on the 1932 novel of the same name by John Wells, stars Ginger Rogers, Norman Foster ...

'' (1933) * ''

Manhattan Melodrama ''Manhattan Melodrama'' is a 1934 American pre-Code crime film, produced by MGM, directed by W. S. Van Dyke, and starring Clark Gable, William Powell, and Myrna Loy. The movie also provided one of Mickey Rooney's earliest film roles. (Rooney pla ...

'' (1934) * ''

Diamond Jim ''Diamond Jim'' is a 1935 biographical film based on the published biography ''Diamond Jim Brady'' by Parker Morell. It follows the life of legendary entrepreneur James Buchanan Brady, including his romance with entertainer Lillian Russell, and s ...

'' (1935) * ''

The Good Old Soak ''The Good Old Soak'' is a 1937 drama film starring Wallace Beery and directed by J. Walter Ruben from a screenplay by A. E. Thomas based upon the 1922 stage play of the same name by Don Marquis. The picture's supporting cast features Una Merkel ...

'' (1937)

References

Bibliography

* Kear, Lynn & King, James. ''Evelyn Brent: The Life and Films of Hollywood's Lady Crook''. McFarland & Co, 2009. * Munden, Kenneth White. ''The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States, Part 1''. University of California Press, 1997.

External links

* 1876 births 1945 deaths American male film actors American male stage actors Hungarian male film actors Hungarian male stage actors Austro-Hungarian emigrants to the United States American Jews Hungarian Jews {{US-film-actor-stub