Howard Freeman (December 9, 1899 – December 11, 1967) was an American actor of the early 20th century, and film and television actor of the 1940s through the 1960s.
Biography
Freeman was born in
Helena, Montana
Helena (; ) is the capital city of Montana, United States, and the county seat of Lewis and Clark County.
Helena was founded as a gold camp during the Montana gold rush, and established on October 30, 1864. Due to the gold rush, Helena would ...
, and began working as a stage actor in his 20s. He did not enter the film industry until he was over 40, in 1942, when he played a small uncredited role in ''Inflation''. Despite his late start in film acting, Freeman would build himself a fairly substantial career in that field that would last over twenty three years. From 1943 onward he worked on a regular basis, sometimes in uncredited roles, but more often than not in small but credited bit or supporting parts. He appeared in ten films in 1943, and another eighteen from 1944 through 1945. In 1946 Freeman would appear in twelve films, the most notable of which was his first film of that year, ''
Abilene Town
''Abilene Town'' is a 1946 American Western film directed by Edwin L. Marin and starring Randolph Scott, Ann Dvorak, Edgar Buchanan, Rhonda Fleming and Lloyd Bridges. Adapted from Ernest Haycox's 1941 novel ''Trail Town'', the production's ...
'', starring
Randolph Scott and
Lloyd Bridges
Lloyd Vernet Bridges Jr. (January 15, 1913 – March 10, 1998) was an American film, stage and television actor who starred in a number of television series and appeared in more than 150 feature films. He was the father of four children, includi ...
, and ''
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
'', starring
Barbara Stanwyck
Barbara Stanwyck (; born Ruby Catherine Stevens; July 16, 1907 – January 20, 1990) was an American actress, model and dancer. A stage, film, and television star, during her 60-year professional career she was known for her strong, realistic sc ...
and
Ray Milland.
From 1947 through 1950 Freeman appeared in twenty films, and in 1951 he began appearing on numerous
television series
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...
, which would be his main acting roles for the remainder of his career, lasting into 1965. He appeared in three episodes of ''
Studio One'', along with many other TV series, including ''
Car 54, Where Are You?
''Car 54, Where Are You?'' is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from September 1961 to April 1963. Filmed in black and white, the series starred Joe E. Ross as Gunther Toody and Fred Gwynne as Francis Muldoon, two mismatched New York City p ...
'' and ''
Route 66''. He retired from film and television acting in 1965, and settled into retirement in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, where he was living at the time of his death on December 11, 1967.
Broadway roles
* ''
The Star-Wagon
''The Star-Wagon'' was a 1937 Broadway drama written by Maxwell Anderson,
produced and staged by Guthrie McClintic, with scenic design by Jo Mielziner and musical direction by
Albert Pearl. It ran for 223 performances from September 29, 1937 to ...
'' (1937) as Apfel
* ''
Knickerbocker Holiday
''Knickerbocker Holiday'' is a 1938 musical written by Kurt Weill (music) and Maxwell Anderson (book and lyrics); based loosely on Washington Irving's ''Knickerbocker's History of New York'' about life in 17th-century New Netherland (old New ...
'' (1938) as Schermerhorn
* ''
The Unconquered'' (1940) as Karp Morozov
* ''
Liliom
''Liliom'' is a 1909 play by the Hungarian playwright Ferenc Molnár. It was well known in its own right during the early to mid-20th century, but is best known today as the basis for the Rodgers and Hammerstein 1945 musical ''Carousel''.
P ...
'' (1940) (revival) as policeman and as the richly dressed man
Selected filmography
* ''
Margin for Error
''Margin for Error'' is a 1943 American drama film directed by Otto Preminger. The screenplay by Lillie Hayward and Samuel Fuller is based on the 1939 play of the same title by Clare Boothe Luce.
Plot
When police officer Moe Finkelstein (Milt ...
'' (1943) as Otto Horst
* ''
The Human Comedy'' (1943) as Reverend Holly (uncredited)
* ''
Slightly Dangerous
''Slightly Dangerous'' is a 1943 American romantic comedy film starring Lana Turner and Robert Young. The screenplay concerns a bored young woman in a dead-end job who runs away to New York City and ends up impersonating the long-lost daughter of ...
'' (1943) as Mr. Quill
* ''
Air Raid Wardens
''Air Raid Wardens'' is a 1943 comedy film directed by Edward Sedgwick and starring Laurel and Hardy. It was the first of two feature films the duo made at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Plot
Set during World War II, just after Pearl Harbor, Stan (Stan L ...
'' (1943) as J. P. Norton
* ''
Hitler's Madman
''Hitler's Madman'' is a 1943 World War II drama directed by Douglas Sirk. It is a highly fictionalized account of the 1942 Operation Anthropoid, assassination of Nazi official Reinhard Heydrich and the resulting Lidice massacre, which the Nazi G ...
'' (1943) as
Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Luitpold Himmler (; 7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945) was of the (Protection Squadron; SS), and a leading member of the Nazi Party of Germany. Himmler was one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany and a main architect of th ...
* ''
Pilot #5'' (1943) as Governor Hank Durban
* ''
Girl Crazy
''Girl Crazy'' is a 1930 musical by George Gershwin with lyrics by Ira Gershwin and book by Guy Bolton and John McGowan. Ethel Merman made her stage debut in the first production and co-lead Ginger Rogers became an overnight star. Rich in song, ...
'' (1943) as Governor Tait
* ''
Whistling in Brooklyn
''Whistling in Brooklyn'' is a 1943 film directed by S. Sylvan Simon and starring Red Skelton, Ann Rutherford, and Jean Rogers. It is the third and last film starring Skelton as radio personality and amateur detective Wally "The Fox" Benton, fol ...
'' (1943) as Steve Conlon
* ''
Madame Curie
Marie Salomea Skłodowska–Curie ( , , ; born Maria Salomea Skłodowska, ; 7 November 1867 – 4 July 1934) was a Polish and naturalized-French physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity. She was the first ...
'' (1943) as Prof. Constant (voice, uncredited)
* ''
Lost Angel'' (1943) as Professor Richards
* ''
Rationing
Rationing is the controlled distribution of scarce resources, goods, services, or an artificial restriction of demand. Rationing controls the size of the ration, which is one's allowed portion of the resources being distributed on a particular ...
'' (1944) as Cash Riddle
* ''
Once Upon a Time
"Once upon a time" is a stock phrase used to introduce a narrative of past events, typically in fairy tales and folk tales. It has been used in some form since at least 1380 (according to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'') in storytelling in t ...
'' (1944) as McKenzie (uncredited)
* ''
Meet the People
''Meet the People'' (1944) is a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musical film, musical comedy film made, and set, during World War II, and starring Lucille Ball and Dick Powell and featuring Virginia O'Brien, Bert Lahr, Rags Ragland and June Allyson. The film ...
'' (1944) as Mr. George Peetwick
* ''
Mr. Winkle Goes to War
''Mr. Winkle Goes to War'' is a 1944 war comedy film starring Edward G. Robinson and Ruth Warrick, based on a novel by Theodore Pratt.
Plot
On June 1, 1942, after fourteen years working in a bank, mild-mannered 44-year-old Wilbert G. Winkle su ...
'' (1944) as Mayor Williams (uncredited)
* ''
Secret Command
''Secret Command'' is a 1944 American drama war film directed by A. Edward Sutherland and starring Pat O'Brien and Carole Landis. It was nominated for the Oscar for Best Effects ( David Allen, Ray Cory, Robert Wright, Russell Malmgren, H ...
'' (1944) as Max Lessing
* ''
The Mark of the Whistler
''The Mark of the Whistler'', (aka ''The Marked Man'') is a 1944 American mystery film noir based on the radio drama ''The Whistler''. Directed by William Castle, the production features Richard Dix, Porter Hall and Janis Carter. It is the second ...
'' (1944) as M. K. Simmons (uncredited)
* ''
An American Romance
''An American Romance'' is a 1944 American epic drama film directed and produced by King Vidor, who also wrote the screen story. Shot in Technicolor, the film stars Brian Donlevy and Ann Richards and is narrated by Horace McNally. The film is ...
'' (1944) as Jarrett's Associate (uncredited)
* ''
The Unwritten Code
''The Unwritten Code'' is a 1944 American drama film directed by Herman Rotsten and written by Leslie T. White and Charles Kenyon. The film stars Ann Savage, Tom Neal, Roland Varno, Howard Freeman, Mary Currier and Bobby Larson. The film was re ...
'' (1944) as Mr. Norris
* ''
Dancing in Manhattan
''Dancing in Manhattan'' is a 1944 American film directed by Henry Levin.
It was originally called ''Tonight We Dance''.FILMLAND BRIEFS
Los Angeles Times4 Nov 1944: 5.
Plot
A garbage truck driver, Eddie Martin (Fred Brady) from Manhattan finds ...
'' (1944) as George Hartley
* ''
Carolina Blues
''Carolina Blues'' is a 1944 American comedy film directed by Leigh Jason and written by Joseph Hoffman, Al Martin (screenwriter), Al Martin and Jack Henley. The film stars Kay Kyser, Ann Miller, Victor Moore, Jeff Donnell, Howard Freeman, Georgi ...
'' (1944) as Tom Gordon
* ''
Meet Miss Bobby Socks
''Meet Miss Bobby Socks'' is a 1944 American musical comedy film directed by Glenn Tryon and starring Bob Crosby and Lynn Merrick. The film was released by Columbia Pictures on October 12, 1944.
Cast
*Bob Crosby as Don Collins
*Lynn Merrick as He ...
'' (1944) as Tom Tyler
* ''
A Song to Remember'' (1945) as Kalkbrenner
* ''
Where Do We Go from Here?'' (1945) as Kreiger
* ''
I'll Tell the World'' (1945) as Lester Westchester
* ''
You Came Along
''You Came Along'' (working title ''Don't Ever Grieve Me'') is a 1945 romantic comedy-drama film set in World War II, directed by John Farrow. The original Robert Smith screenplay was rewritten by Ayn Rand. ''You Came Along'' stars Robert Cumming ...
'' (1945) as Drunk
* ''
That Night with You
''That Night With You'' is a 1945 American comedy film directed by William A. Seiter and starring Susanna Foster, Franchot Tone and Louise Allbritton. Produced and distributed by Universal Pictures, it featured Buster Keaton in a supporting role ...
'' (1945) as Wilbur Weedy
* ''
This Love of Ours
''This Love of Ours'' is a 1945 American drama film directed by William Dieterle and starring Merle Oberon, Claude Rains, Charles Korvin and Carl Esmond. The film's composer, Hans J. Salter, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original ...
'' (1945) as Dr. Barnes
* ''
Mexicana'' (1945) as Beagle
* ''
Abilene Town
''Abilene Town'' is a 1946 American Western film directed by Edwin L. Marin and starring Randolph Scott, Ann Dvorak, Edgar Buchanan, Rhonda Fleming and Lloyd Bridges. Adapted from Ernest Haycox's 1941 novel ''Trail Town'', the production's ...
'' (1946) as Ed Balder
* ''
House of Horrors
''House of Horrors'' is a 1946 American horror film released by Universal Pictures, starring Rondo Hatton as a madman named "the Creeper".
Plot
Struggling sculptor Marcel de Lange (Martin Kosleck) is depressed about events in his life, and d ...
'' (1946) as Hal Ormiston
* ''
The Blue Dahlia
''The Blue Dahlia'' is a 1946 American crime film and film noir with an original screenplay by Raymond Chandler''Variety'' film review; January 30, 1946, page 12.''Harrison's Reports'' film review; February 2, 1946, page 19. directed by George M ...
'' (1946) as Corelli
* ''
So Goes My Love
''So Goes My Love'' (released as ''A Genius in the Family'' in the UK) is an American 1946 comedy-drama film, produced by Universal Pictures. It is based on a true story, ''A Genius in the Family'', the memoir of Hiram Percy Maxim, which focuses ...
'' (1946) as Willis
* ''
Inside Job
An insider threat is a malicious threat to an organization that comes from people within the organization, such as employees, former employees, contractors or business associates, who have inside information concerning the organization's security ...
'' (1946) as Mr. Winkle
* ''
Night and Day'' (1946) as Max Fisher (uncredited)
* ''
The Killers
The Killers are an American rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingd ...
'' (1946) as Brentwood Police Chief (uncredited)
* ''
Monsieur Beaucaire'' (1946) as King Philip II
* ''
Swell Guy
''Swell Guy'' is a 1946 American drama film directed by Frank Tuttle and starring Sonny Tufts and Ann Blyth. The film's screenplay by Richard Brooks is based on the 1921 play ''The Hero'' by Gilbert Emery.
Plot
Almost no one in his Califor ...
'' (1946) as Botsworth (uncredited)
* ''
Susie Steps Out
''Susie Steps Out'' is a 1946 American comedy film directed by Reginald Le Borg, written by Elwood Ullman and Fred Freiberger, and starring David Bruce, Cleatus Caldwell, Nita Hunter, Howard Freeman, Grady Sutton and Margaret Dumont. It was rel ...
'' (1946) as Mr. Starr
* ''
Cross My Heart'' (1946) as Wallace Brent
* ''
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
'' (1947) as Sen. Creel
* ''
The Perfect Marriage
''The Perfect Marriage'' is a 1947 American comedy film directed by Lewis Allen and written by Leonard Spigelgass. The film stars Loretta Young, David Niven, Eddie Albert, Charlie Ruggles, Virginia Field, and Rita Johnson. The film was re ...
'' (1947) as Peter Haggerty
* ''
My Brother Talks to Horses'' (1947) as Hector Damson
* ''
Easy Come, Easy Go'' (1947) as Magistrate (uncredited)
* ''
Cigarette Girl
In Europe and the United States, a cigarette girl is a person who sells or provides cigarettes from a tray held by a neck strap. They may also carry cigars and other items like candy, snacks, and chewing gum on their trays.
Uniform
The most ...
'' (1947) as B. J. Halstead
* ''
That Way with Women'' (1947) as Dr. Harvey
* ''
The Long Night'' (1947) as Sheriff Ned Meade
* ''
Magic Town
''Magic Town'' is a 1947 comedy film directed by William A. Wellman and starring James Stewart and Jane Wyman. The picture is one of the first films about the then-new practice of public opinion polling. The film was inspired by the Middletown ...
'' (1947) as Nickleby
* ''
Cass Timberlane'' (1947) as Hervey Plint
* ''
If You Knew Susie'' (1948) as Mr. Clinton
* ''
Summer Holiday'' (1948) as Mr. Peabody
* ''
Arthur Takes Over'' (1948) as Bert Bixby
* ''
Letter from an Unknown Woman'' (1948) as Herr Kastner
* ''
Up in Central Park
''Up in Central Park'' is a Broadway musical with a book by Herbert Fields and Dorothy Fields, lyrics by Dorothy Fields, and music by Sigmund Romberg. The musical, originally called "Central Park" before Broadway (see image of sheet music), was ...
'' (1948) as Myron Schultz
* ''
The Time of Your Life
''The Time of Your Life'' is a 1939 five-act play by American playwright William Saroyan. The play is the first drama to win both the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award. The play opened on Broadway in 1939.
Cha ...
'' (1948) as Society Gentleman
* ''
Give My Regards to Broadway
"Give My Regards to Broadway" is a song written by George M. Cohan for his musical play ''Little Johnny Jones'' which debuted in 1904 in New York.
Cohan, playing the title character, sings this song as his friend is about to sail to Americ ...
'' (1948) as Mr. Waldron
* ''
Cry of the City
''Cry of the City'' is a 1948 American film noir starring Victor Mature, Richard Conte, and Shelley Winters. Directed by Robert Siodmak, it is based on the novel by Henry Edward Helseth, ''The Chair for Martin Rome''. The screenwriter Ben Hecht ...
'' (1948) as Sullivan the Drunk (uncredited)
* ''
The Girl from Manhattan
''The Girl from Manhattan'' is a 1948 American comedy film, comedy drama film directed by Alfred E. Green, starring Dorothy Lamour, George Montgomery (actor), George Montgomery, and Charles Laughton.DOROTHY LAMOUR STARS IN FILM MINUS SARONG
G K. L ...
'' (1948) as Sam Griffin
* ''
The Snake Pit
''The Snake Pit'' is a 1948 American psychological drama film directed by Anatole Litvak and starring Olivia de Havilland, Mark Stevens, Leo Genn, Celeste Holm, Beulah Bondi, and Lee Patrick. Based on Mary Jane Ward's 1946 semi-autobiogra ...
'' (1948) as Dr. Curtis
* ''
Take One False Step
''Take One False Step'' is a 1949 American film noir crime film directed by Chester Erskine and starring William Powell and Shelley Winters.
Plot
Married college professor Andrew Gentling reluctantly agrees to have a drink with Catherine Sykes, ...
'' (1949) as Dr. Markheim
* ''
Chicago Deadline
''Chicago Deadline'' is a 1949 American film noir crime film directed by Lewis Allen and starring Alan Ladd and Donna Reed.
It was remade as '' Fame Is the Name of the Game'' (1966).
Plot
Chicago newspaper reporter Ed Adams is in a boardi ...
'' (1949) as Hotspur Shaner
* ''
Perfect Strangers'' (1950) as Arthur Timkin
* ''
Here Comes the Groom
''Here Comes the Groom'' is a 1951 American musical romantic comedy film produced and directed by Frank Capra and starring Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman. Based on a story by Robert Riskin and Liam O'Brien, the film is about a foreign correspondent w ...
'' (1951) as Governor
* ''
Double Dynamite
''Double Dynamite'' is a 1951 American musical comedy film directed by Irving Cummings and starring Jane Russell, Groucho Marx, and Frank Sinatra. The film was written by Leo Rosten (story), Melville Shavelson (screenplay), Mannie Manheim (bas ...
'' (1951) as R. B. Pulsifer Sr.
* ''
Scaramouche
Scaramouche () or Scaramouch (; from Italian Scaramuccia , literally "little skirmisher") is a stock clown character of the 16th-century commedia dell'arte (comic theatrical arts of Italian literature). The role combined characteristics of the ...
'' (1952) as Michael Vanneau
* ''
The Turning Point'' (1952) as Fogel
* ''
Million Dollar Mermaid
''Million Dollar Mermaid'' (also known as ''The One Piece Bathing Suit'' in the UK) is a 1952 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer biographical film of the life of Australian swimming star Annette Kellerman. It was directed by Mervyn LeRoy and produced by Arthur ...
'' (1952) as Aldrich
* ''
Remains to Be Seen
''Remains to Be Seen'' is a 1953 crime musical comedy film directed by Don Weis and starring June Allyson, Van Johnson and Louis Calhern. It is based on the 1951 Broadway play ''Remains to Be Seen'' by Russel Crouse and Howard Lindsay.
Plot
A g ...
'' (1953) as Clark
* ''
Raiders of the Seven Seas
''Raiders of the Seven Seas'' is a 1953 American swashbuckler film directed by Sidney Salkow and starring John Payne and Donna Reed. The supporting cast features Gerald Mohr, Lon Chaney Jr. and Anthony Caruso.
Plot
The pirate Barbarossa raids ...
'' (1953) as Mayor Pompaño
* ''
Dear Brigitte'' (1965) as Dean Sawyer
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Freeman, Howard
1899 births
1967 deaths
American male film actors
American male stage actors
People from Helena, Montana
20th-century American male actors