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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 b ...
, 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 productio ...
'', starring
Randolph Scott George Randolph Scott (January 23, 1898 – March 2, 1987) was an American film actor whose career spanned the years from 1928 to 1962. As a leading man for all but the first three years of his cinematic career, Scott appeared in a variety of ...
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 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 ...
'', 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 Ray Milland (born Alfred Reginald Jones; 3 January 1907 – 10 March 1986) was a Welsh-American actor and film director. His screen career ran from 1929 to 1985. He is remembered for his Academy Award and Cannes Film Festival Award-winning ...
. 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, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed ...
, which would be his main acting roles for the remainder of his career, lasting into 1965. He appeared in three episodes of ''
Studio One Studio One or Studio 1 may refer to: * Studio One (software), digital audio workstation software, developed by PreSonus * ''Studio One'' (American TV series), a 1948–1958 American television anthology series * ''Studio One'' (Emirati TV progra ...
'', 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 most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...
, where he was living at the time of his death on December 11, 1967.


Broadway roles

* '' The Star-Wagon'' (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 (Mil ...
'' (1943) as Otto Horst * '' The Human Comedy'' (1943) as Reverend Holly (uncredited) * '' Slightly Dangerous'' (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 La ...
'' (1943) as J. P. Norton * '' Hitler's Madman'' (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 son ...
'' (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, fo ...
'' (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 ...
'' (1944) as McKenzie (uncredited) * '' Meet the People'' (1944) as Mr. George Peetwick * '' Mr. Winkle Goes to War'' (1944) as Mayor Williams (uncredited) * '' Secret Command'' (1944) as Max Lessing * '' The Mark of the Whistler'' (1944) as M. K. Simmons (uncredited) * '' An American Romance'' (1944) as Jarrett's Associate (uncredited) * '' The Unwritten Code'' (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'' (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 ...
'' (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'' (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 ro ...
'' (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 productio ...
'' (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 dec ...
'' (1946) as Hal Ormiston * '' The Blue Dahlia'' (1946) as Corelli * '' So Goes My Love'' (1946) as Willis * '' Inside Job'' (1946) as Mr. Winkle * '' Night and Day'' (1946) as Max Fisher (uncredited) * ''
The Killers The Killers are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Las Vegas in 2001 by Brandon Flowers (lead vocals, keyboards, bass) and Dave Keuning (lead guitar, backing vocals). After going through a number of short-term bass players and drum ...
'' (1946) as Brentwood Police Chief (uncredited) * '' Monsieur Beaucaire'' (1946) as King Philip II * '' Swell Guy'' (1946) as Botsworth (uncredited) * '' Susie Steps Out'' (1946) as Mr. Starr * '' Cross My Heart'' (1946) as Wallace Brent * ''
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 ...
'' (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 release ...
'' (1947) as Peter Haggerty * '' My Brother Talks to Horses'' (1947) as Hector Damson * ''
Easy Come, Easy Go Easy may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Easy'' (film), a 2003 American romantic comedy film *''Easy!'', or ''Scialla!'', a 2011 Italian comedy film * ''Easy'' (TV series), a 2016–2019 American comedy-drama anthology ...
'' (1947) as Magistrate (uncredited) * '' Cigarette Girl'' (1947) as B. J. Halstead * '' That Way with Women'' (1947) as Dr. Harvey * ''
The Long Night Long Night or The Long Night may refer to: Film and television * ''The Long Night'' (1947 film), a film noir * The Long Night (2022 film), an American horror film *"Long Night", an episode of ''Please Teacher!'' * "The Long Night" (''Babylon 5''), ...
'' (1947) as Sheriff Ned Meade * '' Magic Town'' (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), w ...
'' (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'' (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'' (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'' (1949) as Dr. Markheim * '' Chicago Deadline'' (1949) as Hotspur Shaner * '' Perfect Strangers'' (1950) as Arthur Timkin * '' Here Comes the Groom'' (1951) as Governor * '' Double Dynamite'' (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'' (1952) as Aldrich * '' Remains to Be Seen'' (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 ra ...
'' (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