Harry Semels (November 20, 1887 – March 2, 1946) was an American

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 appeared in over 315 film between 1917 and 1946.

Career

Semels appeared in his first film in 1917. He began to achieve fame after arriving at Columbia Pictures, appearing in several

Three Stooges The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy team active from 1922 until 1970, best remembered for their 190 short subject films by Columbia Pictures. Their hallmark styles were physical farce and slapstick. Six Stooges appeared ...

shorts including ''

Disorder in the Court ''Disorder in the Court'' is a 1936 short subject directed by Preston Black starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly Howard). It is the 15th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures sta ...

'', ''

Wee Wee Monsieur ''Wee Wee Monsieur'' is a 1938 short subject directed by Del Lord starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly Howard). It is the 29th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the c ...

'' and ''

Three Little Sew and Sews ''Three Little Sew and Sews'' is a 1939 short subject directed by Del Lord starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly Howard). It is the 36th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starri ...

''. He also appeared in feature films like ''

Road to Morocco ''Road to Morocco'' is a 1942 American comedy film starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour, and featuring Anthony Quinn and Dona Drake. The film, which was written by Frank Butler and Don Hartman and directed by David Butler for Para ...

'', ''

The Princess and the Pirate ''The Princess and the Pirate'' is a 1944 American comedy film directed by David Butler and starring Bob Hope and Virginia Mayo. Based on a story by Sy Bartlett, the film is about a princess who travels incognito to elope with her true love inste ...

'' and ''

The Kid from Brooklyn ''The Kid from Brooklyn'' is a 1946 American musical comedy film directed by Norman Z. McLeod and starring Danny Kaye, Virginia Mayo, Vera-Ellen, Steve Cochran, Walter Abel, Eve Arden, and Fay Bainter. Virginia Mayo's and Vera-Ellen's singing v ...

''. A versatile character actor, Semels often appeared as villains, waiters, soldiers, lawyers, et al.

Personal life

Semels was Jewish and had two children, Ruth and David, who was killed in action during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

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Death

Semels died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

on March 2, 1946, in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

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 ...

. He was 58 years old.

Selected filmography

*'' Here Comes the Bride'' (1919) *''

A Fallen Idol ''A Fallen Idol'' is a lost film, lost 1919 American silent melodrama film starring Evelyn Nesbit, a famed former model and Broadway showgirl who had been at the center of two highly publicized court trials after her wealthy husband shot and kille ...

'' (1919) *'' Bound and Gagged'' (1919) *''

The Black Secret ''The Black Secret'' is a 1919 American adventure film, adventure film serial directed by George B. Seitz. The film was recorded in both Fort Lee, New Jersey, as well as in the nearby Hudson Palisades. Recording took place during a time when man ...

'' (1919) *'' Pirate Gold'' (1920) *''

Rogues and Romance ''Rogues and Romance'' is a surviving 1920 American silent drama film directed by George B. Seitz. The film was a feature-length version of the serial '' Pirate Gold'', also directed by Seitz, and was shot in Europe. The film survives incomplete ...

'' (1920) *''

The Phantom Foe ''The Phantom Foe'' is a 1920 American fifteen-chapter adventure film serial directed by Bertram Millhauser and starring Warner Oland. A partial print of 14 episodes is in the George Eastman House Motion Picture Collection while the 15th episode ...

'' (1920) *''

Velvet Fingers ''Velvet Fingers'' is a 1920 American adventure film serial directed by George B. Seitz. Although the film is listed as lost by some sources, a copy is available in the archives of the Cinémathèque Française. Cast * George B. Seitz as Velvet ...

'' (1920) *'' The Sky Ranger'' (1921) *''

Hurricane Hutch ''Hurricane Hutch'' is a 1921 American adventure film serial directed by George B. Seitz. The film is considered to be lost. The story concerns the search for a lost formula for making paper from seaweed that will save a mortgaged papermill. Ca ...

'' (1921) *''

Speed In everyday use and in kinematics, the speed (commonly referred to as ''v'') of an object is the magnitude of the change of its position over time or the magnitude of the change of its position per unit of time; it is thus a scalar quanti ...

'' (1922) *''

Plunder Looting is the act of stealing, or the taking of goods by force, typically in the midst of a military, political, or other social crisis, such as war, natural disasters (where law and civil enforcement are temporarily ineffective), or rioting. ...

'' (1923) *''

Into the Net ''Into the Net'' is a 1924 American film serial directed by George B. Seitz. Cast * Edna Murphy as Natalie Van Cleef * Jack Mulhall as Bob Clayton * Constance Bennett as Madge Clayton * Bradley Barker as Bert Moore * Frank Lackteen as Dr. Vini ...

'' (1924) *''

The Heart of a Siren ''Heart of a Siren'' (also titled ''Heart of a Temptress'') is a 1925 silent romantic drama film directed by Phil Rosen and distributed by First National Pictures. Barbara La Marr starred in one of her last movies. It was based on the Broadway p ...

'' (1925) *'' Play Ball'' (1925) *''

Moran of the Mounted ''Moran of the Mounted'' is a 1926 American silent western film directed by Harry Joe Brown and starring Reed Howes, Sheldon Lewis and Virginia Warwick.Connelly p.388 A northern, it was distributed by the independent Rayart Pictures, the forerun ...

'' (1926) * ''

Stick to Your Story ''Stick to Your Story'' is a 1926 American silent action film directed by Harry Joe Brown and starring Billy Sullivan, Bruce Gordon and Melbourne MacDowell.Munden p.765 It was distributed by the independent Rayart Pictures, the forerunner of Mo ...

'' (1926) *'' The Demon'' (1926) *''

For Alimony Only ''For Alimony Only'' is a 1926 American silent drama film directed by William C. deMille and starring Leatrice Joy, Clive Brook, and Lilyan Tashman. The film's sets were by the art director Max Parker while the costumes were designed by Adrian, ...

'' (1926) *''

The House Without a Key ''The House Without a Key'' is a 1925 novel by Earl Derr Biggers, the first of the Charlie Chan mysteries. Set in 1920s Hawaii, the novel acquaints the reader with the look and feel of the islands from the standpoint of both white and non-white ...

'' (1926) *''

The Isle of Forgotten Women ''The Isle of Forgotten Women'' is a 1927 American silent drama film directed by George B. Seitz. It was released as ''Forgotten Women'' in the UK. Cast * Conway Tearle as Bruce Paine * Dorothy Sebastian as Marua * Gibson Gowland as John Stort ...

'' (1927) *'' On Guard'' (1927) *'' Hawk of the Hills'' (1927) *'' The Noose'' (1928) *''

The Yellow Cameo ''The Yellow Cameo'' is a 1928 American adventure film serial directed by Spencer Gordon Bennet. The film is now considered to be lost. Cast * Allene Ray as Kay Cottrell * Edward Hearn as Terry Lawton * Cyclone the Dog as Cyclone, the Dog * No ...

'' (1928) *'' Beware of Blondes'' (1928) *'' The Battle of the Sexes'' (1928) *''

Riley the Cop ''Riley the Cop'' is a 1928 American comedy film directed by John Ford. It was a silent film with a synchronized music track and sound effects. Cast * J. Farrell MacDonald as James "Aloysius" Riley (as Farrell Macdonald) * Nancy Drexel as Mary ...

'' (1928) *''

The Tiger's Shadow ''The Tiger's Shadow'' is a 1928 American drama film serial directed by Spencer Gordon Bennet. Cast * Gladys McConnell as Jane Barstow * Hugh Allan as Larry Trent * Frank Lackteen as Dr. Sandro * Edward Cecil as Slayton * Harry Semels as Haw ...

'' (1928) *''

Out with the Tide ''Out with the Tide'' is a 1928 American silent film, silent drama film directed by Charles Hutchison and starring Dorothy Dwan, Cullen Landis and Crauford Kent.Munden p.579 Cast * Dorothy Dwan as Joan Renshaw * Cullen Landis as John Templeton ...

'' (1928) *''

Virgin Lips ''Virgin Lips'' is a 1928 American silent drama film directed by Elmer Clifton and starring Olive Borden, John Boles and Arline Pretty.Munden p.859 Synopsis American mining interests in a Central American country hire an American aviator to h ...

'' (1928) *''

The Charge of the Gauchos ''The Charge of the Gauchos'' (Argentine title: ''Una nueva y gloriosa nación'') is a 1928 American-Argentine silent historical film directed by Albert H. Kelley and starring Francis X. Bushman, Jacqueline Logan and Guido Trento. Bushman pla ...

'' (1928) *''

The Royal Rider ''The Royal Rider'' is a 1929 American silent Western film directed by Harry Joe Brown and written by Sylvia Bernstein, Jacques Jaccard and Leslie Mason. The film stars Ken Maynard, Olive Hasbrouck, Philippe De Lacy, Theodore Lorch, Joseph Burk ...

'' (1929) *''

The Delightful Rogue ''The Delightful Rogue'' is a 1929 pre-Code romantic adventure film produced and distributed by RKO Pictures. The film was directed by A. Leslie Pearce, with the screenplay by Wallace Smith, based on his short story, ''A Woman Decides''. The ...

'' (1929) *''

Those Who Dance ''Those Who Dance'' is a 1930 American Pre-Code crime film produced and distributed by Warner Bros., directed by William Beaudine, and starring Monte Blue, Lila Lee, William "Stage" Boyd and Betty Compson. It is a remake of the 1924 silent fil ...

'' (1930) *''

Women Everywhere ''Women Everywhere'' is a 1930 American Pre-Code musical adventure film directed by Alexander Korda and starring J. Harold Murray, Fifi D'Orsay, and George Grossmith, Jr. It is set amongst the French Foreign Legion in North Africa. The film's s ...

'' (1930) *''

The Lion and the Lamb ''The Lion and the Lamb'' is a 1931 American Pre-Code comedy thriller film directed by George B. Seitz and starring Walter Byron, Carmel Myers and Raymond Hatton. It is an adaptation of the 1930 novel of the same title by E. Phillips Oppen ...

'' (1931) *''

Dishonored ''Dishonored'' is a 2012 action-adventure game developed by Arkane Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. Set in the fictional, plague-ridden industrial city of Dunwall, ''Dishonored'' follows the story of Corvo Attano, bodyguard to th ...

'' (1931) *'' Night Beat'' (1931) *'' Sally of the Subway'' (1932) *''

Sin's Pay Day ''Sin's Pay Day'' is a 1932 American pre-Code crime film directed by George B. Seitz and starring Lloyd Whitlock, Dorothy Revier and Mickey Rooney. It was produced on Poverty Row as a second feature.Pitts p.242 It was later reissued under the al ...

'' (1932) *''

Vanity Street ''Vanity Street'' is a 1932 American Pre-Code crime drama film directed by Nick Grinde and starring Charles Bickford, Helen Chandler and Mayo Methot.Scott p.42 A New York policeman assists a down-on-her-luck showgirl, helping her get a job at th ...

'' (1932) *'' South of the Rio Grande'' (1932) *'' Young Blood'' (1932) * ''

The Wyoming Whirlwind ''The Wyoming Whirlwind'' is a 1932 American western film directed by Armand Schaefer and starring Lane Chandler, Adele Lacy and Harry Todd.Pitts p.406 It was produced by the independent Willis Kent as a second feature Synopsis Outlaw Keene Wall ...

'' (1932) *''

Texas Buddies ''Texas Buddies'' is a 1932 American Western film written and directed by Robert North Bradbury. The film stars Bob Steele, Nancy Drexel, Francis McDonald, Harry Semels, George "Gabby" Hayes and William Dyer. The film was released on October 1 ...

'' (1932) *'' Drum Taps'' (1933) *''

The Thrill Hunter ''The Thrill Hunter'' is a 1933 American pre-Code comedy film directed by George B. Seitz. Buck Jones stars as a habitual teller of tall tales, while Dorothy Revier plays the film star he tries to impress. Plot Braggart Buck Crosby rescues mov ...

'' (1933) *''

Damaged Lives ''Damaged Lives'' is a 1933 Canadian/American pre-Code exploitation film directed by Edgar G. Ulmer. The screenplay is based on the French play '' Les Avariés'' (1901) by Eugène Brieux.Bogdanovich, Peter (1997) (New York: Knopf) The film ...

'' (1933) *''

The Meanest Gal in Town ''The Meanest Gal in Town'' is a 1934 American Pre-Code romantic comedy, directed by Russell Mack from a screenplay written by Richard Schayer, Russell Mack, and H. W. Hanemann, and starring Zasu Pitts, El Brendel, Pert Kelton, and James Gleaso ...

'' (1934) *''

The Revenge Rider ''The Revenge Rider'' is a 1935 American Western film directed by David Selman, which stars Tim McCoy, Robert Allen, and Billie Seward. Cast list * Tim McCoy as Tim O'Neil * Robert Allen as Chad Harmon * Billie Seward as Myra Harmon * ...

'' (1935) *''

Three Little Beers ''Three Little Beers'' is a 1935 short subject directed by Del Lord starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly Howard). It is the 11th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the ...

'' (1935) *''

I'll Name the Murderer ''I'll Name the Murderer'' is a 1936 American crime film produced by C.C. Burr for Puritan Pictures, directed by Raymond K. Johnson and starring Ralph Forbes, Marion Shilling and Malcolm McGregor. The story and screenplay was written by Phil Dunh ...

'' (1936) *''

Movie Maniacs ''Movie Maniacs'' is a 1936 short subject directed by Del Lord starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly Howard). It is the 13th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the co ...

'' (1936) *''

Under Two Flags Under Two Flags may refer to: *Under Two Flags (novel), a novel by British writer Ouida, and its adaptations: **Under Two Flags (play), a 1901 play by Paul M. Potter **Under Two Flags (1912 George Nichols film), ''Under Two Flags'' (1912 George Nich ...

'' (1936) *''

Half Shot Shooters ''Half Shot Shooters'' is a 1936 short subject directed by Preston Black starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly Howard). It is the 14th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures star ...

'' (1936) *''

'' (1936) - District Attorney (uncredited) *''

The Gladiator ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'' (1938) *''

'' (1938) * ''

The Marines Are Here ''The Marines Are Here'' is a 1938 American comedy-drama film, directed by Phil Rosen. It stars Gordon Oliver, June Travis, and Ray Walker, and was released on June 8, 1938. Cast list * Gordon Oliver as Jones * June Travis as Terry * Ray Walke ...

'' (1938) *''

'' (1939) * ''

Overland Mail Butterfield Overland Mail (officially the Overland Mail Company)Waterman L. Ormsby, edited by Lyle H. Wright and Josephine M. Bynum, "The Butterfield Overland Mail", The Huntington Library, San Marino, California, 1991. was a stagecoach service i ...

'' (1939) *''

Dutiful But Dumb ''Dutiful but Dumb'' is a 1941 short film, short subject directed by Del Lord starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly Howard). It is the 54th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures st ...

'' (1941) * ''

A Yank on the Burma Road ''A Yank on the Burma Road'' is a 1942 drama film directed by George B. Seitz and starring Laraine Day, Barry Nelson and Keye Luke. It is also known as ''China Caravan'' and ''Yanks on the Burma Road''. It was produced as part of a cluster of Hol ...

'' (1942) *''

Back from the Front ''Back from the Front'' is a 1943 short subject directed by Jules White starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly Howard). It is the 70th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring ...

'' (1943) *'' Dizzy Pilots'' (1943) * '' Sailor's Holiday'' (1944) * '' The Unseen'' (1945) (uncredited rôle as Hurdy Gurdy Man)

References

External links

* * 1887 births 1946 deaths Male actors from New York City American male film actors Jewish American male actors American male silent film actors 20th-century American male actors {{US-film-actor-1880s-stub