Edwin Fitzgerald Jr. (February 4, 1905 – July 15, 1983), known professionally as Eddie Foy Jr., was an American stage, film and television actor. His career spanned six decades, beginning as part of the vaudeville act Eddie Foy and the Seven Little Foys. Sevenlittlefoys-Jan22-1916

Career

Foy made his Broadway debut in Florenz Ziegfeld's 1929 extravaganza ''Show Girl'' alongside Ruby Keeler and

Jimmy Durante James Francis Durante ( , ; February 10, 1893 – January 29, 1980) was an American comedian, actor, singer, and pianist. His distinctive gravelly speech, Lower East Side New York accent, accent, comic language-butchery, jazz-influenced son ...

. He also appeared in '' At Home Abroad'', '' The Cat and the Fiddle'', '' The Red Mill'', '' The Pajama Game'', '' Donnybrook!'' and '' Rumple'' (1957), for which he received a

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

nomination as Best Actor in a Musical. Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, Foy appeared in many B movies. He closely resembled his father and portrayed him in four feature films: '' Frontier Marshal'' (1939), '' Lillian Russell'' (1940), '' Yankee Doodle Dandy'' (1942) and '' Wilson'' (1944). He also portrayed his father in a 1964 telefilm about the family's early days in

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

. Among Foy's other film credits are those for '' The Farmer Takes a Wife'', '' The Pajama Game'', '' Bells Are Ringing'' and '' Gidget Goes Hawaiian''. Foy found steady work with the advent of television. In addition to starring in the first hour-long

sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

, '' Fair Exchange'', he made numerous guest appearances on programs such as '' The Gisele MacKenzie Show'', ''

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, airing on CBS and NBC, alternately, between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. Between 1962 ...

'', '' Glynis'', '' My Living Doll'', '' Burke's Law'', '' ABC Stage 67'', '' My Three Sons'' and '' Nanny and the Professor''.

Personal life

Foy was married to Anna Marie McKenney from 1933 until her death in 1952. They had a son, Eddie Foy III,

Death

Foy died of

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of ...

in Los Angeles on July 15, 1983, at age 78.

Filmography

* '' The Swell Head'' (1928) * '' Queen of the Night Clubs'' (1929) – Eddie Parr * '' Leathernecking'' (1930) – Chick Evans * '' Nearly Naked'' (1933) – Eddie * '' Broadway Thru a Keyhole'' (1933) – Joan's partner * '' Myrt and Marge'' (1933) – Eddie Hanley * ''

Moulin Rouge Moulin Rouge (, ; ) is a cabaret in Paris, on Boulevard de Clichy, at Place Blanche, the intersection of, and terminus of Rue Blanche. In 1889, the Moulin Rouge was co-founded by Charles Zidler and Joseph Oller, who also owned the Olympia (Par ...

'' (1934) – Magician (uncredited) * '' Wonder Bar'' (1934) – Chorus Boy / Angel Measuring Wings (uncredited) * '' King of Burlesque'' (1936) – Dancer (uncredited) * '' Star for a Night'' (1936) – Dancer (uncredited) * '' College Holiday'' (1936) – Dancer (uncredited) * '' Turn Off the Moon'' (1937) – Dancer * '' Secret Service of the Air'' (1939) – Gabby Watters (#1 'Secret Service series') * '' Women in the Wind'' (1939) – Denny Corson * ''

Code of the Secret Service ''Code of the Secret Service'' is a 1939 film directed by Noel M. Smith and starring Ronald Reagan. It is the second of four films in the U.S. Secret Service Agent Brass Bancroft series, having been preceded by '' Secret Service of the Air'' ( ...

'' (1939) – Gabby (#2 'Secret Service series') * '' Frontier Marshal'' (1939) – Eddie Foy * '' The Cowboy Quarterback'' (1939) – Steve Adams * '' Smashing the Money Ring'' (1939) – Gabby (#3 'Secret Service series') * '' Lillian Russell'' (1940) – Eddie Foy Sr. * '' Murder in the Air'' (1940) – Gabby Watters (#4 'Secret Service series', final) * '' A Fugitive from Justice'' (1940) – Ziggy * '' Scatterbrain'' (1940) – Eddie MacIntyre * '' The Texas Rangers Ride Again'' (1941) – Mandolin * '' The Case of the Black Parrot'' (1941) – Tripod Daniels * '' Rookies on Parade'' (1941) – Cliff Dugan * '' Country Fair'' (1941) – Johnny Campbell * '' Puddin' Head'' (1941) – Harold L. Montgomery Jr. * '' Four Jacks and a Jill'' (1942) – Happy McScud * '' Yokel Boy'' (1942) – Joe Ruddy * '' Yankee Doodle Dandy'' (1942) – Eddie Foy * '' Powder Town'' (1942) – Mr. Billy Meeker * '' Moonlight Masquerade'' (1942) – Lord Percy Ticklederry * '' Joan of Ozark'' (1942) – Eddie McCabe * '' Dixie Dugan'' (1943) – Matt Hogan * '' Dixie'' (1943) – Mr. Felham * '' And the Angels Sing'' (1944) – Fuzzy Johnson * '' Wilson'' (1944) – Eddie Foy * '' Honeychile'' (1951) – Eddie Price * '' The Farmer Takes a Wife'' (1953) – Fortune Friendly * '' Lucky Me'' (1954) – Duke McGee * '' The Pajama Game'' (1957) – Vernon Hines * ''

'' (1959) (Season 4 Episode 22: "The Right Price") – "The Cat" * '' Bells Are Ringing'' (1960) – J. Otto Prantz * '' Gidget Goes Hawaiian'' (1961) – Monty Stewart * '' Gidget Goes to Rome'' (1963) – Beachgoer Wanting to Use Phone (uncredited) * '' 30 Is a Dangerous Age, Cynthia'' (1968) – Oscar * '' Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood'' (1976) – Custard Pie Star

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Foy Jr., Eddie American male stage actors American male film actors American male television actors American male child actors American male musical theatre actors American vaudeville performers 1905 births 1983 deaths Male actors from New Rochelle, New York 20th-century American male actors Deaths from pancreatic cancer in California 20th-century American male singers