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Joseph Patrick Carrol Naish (January 21, 1896 – January 24, 1973) was an American character actor born in New York City, New York. Naish did many film roles, but they were eclipsed when he found fame in the title role of radio's Life with Luigi (1948–1953), which surpassed Bob Hope in the 1950 ratings.
Naish appeared on stage for several years before he began his film career. He began as a member of Gus Edwards's vaudeville troupe of child performers. In Paris after World War I, Naish formed his own song and dance act. He was traveling the globe from Europe to Egypt to Asia, when his China-bound ship developed engine problems, leaving him in California in 1926.
His uncredited bit role in What Price Glory (1926) launched his career in more than two hundred films. He was twice nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, the first for his role in the 1943 film Sahara, then for his performance in the 1945 film A Medal for Benny, for which he won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor, Motion Picture. He notably played Boris Karloff's hunchback assistant in The House of Frankenstein in 1944.
He was of Irish descent, but never used his dialect skills to play Irishmen, explaining, "When the part of an Irishman comes along, nobody ever thinks of me." Instead, he portrayed myriad other ethnic groups on screen: Latino, Native American, East Asian, Polynesian, Middle Eastern/North African, South Asian, Eastern European, and Mediterranean. Besides his film roles, he often appeared on television later in his career. He spent many of his later years in San Diego studying philosophy and theology.
Naish was married (1929–1973) to actress Gladys Heaney (1907–1987). They had one daughter.
For his contributions to television and film, J. Carrol Naish has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6145 Hollywood Boulevard.
Movies
Dracula vs. Frankenstein
Dr. Duryea alias Frankenstein
The Beast of the City
Pietro Cholo
Beneath the 12-Mile Reef
Socrates Houlis
Rio Grande
Lt. Gen. Philip Sheridan
Clash by Night
Uncle Vince
Annie Get Your Gun
Chief Sitting Bull
Charlie Chan at the Circus
Tom Holt
Two Seconds
Tony
Humoresque
Rudy Boray
Across the Wide Missouri
Looking Glass
Tales of Manhattan
Burglar - Robber #1
The Whistler
The Killer
The Beast with Five Fingers
Police Commissario Ovidio Castanio
New York Confidential
Ben Dagajanian
Black Hand
Louis Lorelli
Strange Confession
Roger Graham
Voice in the Wind
Luigi
Beau Geste
Rasinoff
The Fugitive
A Police Informer
Joan of Arc
John, Count of Luxembourg, Joan's Captor
Waterfront
Dr. Karl Decker
Ann Vickers
Dr. Sorelle
The Corsican Brothers
Lorenzo
Down Argentine Way
Casiano
The Lives of a Bengal Lancer
Grand Vizier
The Charge of the Light Brigade
Subahdar-Major Puran Singh
Blood and Sand
Garabato
Calling Dr. Death
Inspector Gregg
The Southerner
Devers
Bulldog Drummond Comes Back
Mikhail Valdin
Canadian Pacific
Dynamite Dawson
Captain Blood
Cahusac
Violent Saturday
Chapman, Bank Robber
Dr. Renault's Secret
Noel
Gung Ho!
Lieutenant C.J. Cristoforos
Mr. Dynamite
'The Professor'
Special Agent
Joe Durell
The Toast of New Orleans
Nicky Duvalle
The Pied Piper
Aristide Rougeron
Black Fury
Steve Croner
That Midnight Kiss
Papa Donnetti
Please Believe Me
'Lucky' Reilly
This Could Be the Night
Leon
Think Fast, Mr. Moto
Adram
Robin Hood of El Dorado
Three Fingered Jack
Birth of the Blues
Blackie
The Hanged Man
Uncle Picaud
Daughter of Shanghai
Frank Barden
Jackass Mail
Signor Michel O'Sullivan
Rebel in Town
Bedloe Mason
Homicide Squad
Hugo
Confidential
'Lefty' Tate
Behind the Green Lights
Sam Dover
Special Investigator
Eddie Selton
Sitting Bull
Sitting Bull
King of Alcatraz
Steve Murkil
Little Big Shot
Bert
Dragon Seed
Japanese Kitchen Overseer
Tiger Shark
Tony
Batman
Tito Daka
Bulldog Drummond in Africa
Richard Lane
The World Gone Mad
Ramon Salvadore
Dr. Broadway
Jack Venner
Golden Gloves
Joe Taggerty
The Mouthpiece
Tony Rocco
Know For Sure
Tony Madroni
The Kid from Spain
Pedro
A Medal for Benny
Charley Martin
The Kissing Bandit
Chico
It May Happen to You
Moxie
Queen of the Mob
George Frost
Hit the Deck
Mr. Peroni
Ramona
Juan Can
Saskatchewan
Batouche
The Hatchet Man
Sun Yat Ming
The Young Don't Cry
Plug
British Agent
Commissioner of War Trotsky
Denver and Rio Grande
Gil Harkness
Front Page Woman
Robert Cardoza
The Mystery Squadron
Collins
Exclusive Story
Comos
Crooner
Nick Meyer
Two in the Dark
Burt Mansfield
Island of Lost Men
Gregory Prin
Under the Pampas Moon
Tito
Border Cafe
Rocky Alton
Captured!
Cpl. Guarand
Absolute Quiet
Pedro
Enter Arsène Lupin
Ganimard
Harrigan's Kid
Jed Jerrett
Typhoon
Mekaike
Desert Sands
Sgt. Diepel
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Accent on Love
Manuel Lombroso
Behind the Rising Sun
Reo Seki
Moonlight Murder
André Bejac
No Other Woman
Bonelli
Bad Bascomb
Bart Yancy
Bannerline
Frankie Scarbine
Sea Racketeers
Harry Durant
Carnival in Costa Rica
Papa Rico Molina
Fighter Attack
Bruno
Her Jungle Love
Kuasa
King of Chinatown
The Professor
Hotel Imperial
Kuprin
Tip-Off Girls
Joseph Valkus
That Night in Rio
Machado
The Devil's in Love
Salazar
Cheer Up and Smile
Gangster Robbing Pierre's (uncredited)
The President Vanishes
Anti-War Demonstrator (uncredited)
That's Entertainment!
(archive footage) (uncredited)
The Mad Game
Chopper Allen
The Monster Maker
Dr. Igor Markoff
The Mark of the Renegade
Luis
Scotland Yard
Dr. Remur
Upperworld
Lou Colima
Notorious But Nice
Joe Charney
The Hell Cat
Joe Morgan
Hunted Men
Henry Rice
Illegal Traffic
Lewis Zomar
Hideaway
Mike Clarke
Jungle Woman
Dr. Carl Fletcher
What Price Glory
French Soldier (uncredited)
Song of the City
Mario
We Who Are About to Die
Nick Trotti
Havana Widows
First Taxi Driver (uncredited)
The Grand Bounce
Hoodlum (uncredited)
Prison Farm
Noel Haskins
Arizona to Broadway
Tommy Monk
The Finger Points
"The Finger is on You" Phone Voice (voice) (uncredited)
The Defense Rests
Monte Ballou
Rage at Dawn
Simeon 'Sim' Reno
The Famous Ferguson Case
Claude Wright
House of Frankenstein
Daniel
Forced Landing
Andros Banshek
Ride the Man Down
Sheriff Joe Kneen
Bulldog Drummond's Secret Police
Richard Lane (Archive Footage)
Getting Gertie's Garter
Charles, the Butler
Persons in Hiding
Freddie 'Gunner' Martin
Silent Men
Jack Wilder
Night Club Scandal
Jack Reed - Gangster
The Last Command
General Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana
The Conquerors
Agitator
Star in the Night
Nick Catapoli
Thunder Trail
Rafael Lopez
A Gentleman at Heart
Gigi
The Leathernecks Have Landed
Irenov
Undercover Doctor
Dr. Bartley Morgan
Two-Man Submarine
Dr. Augustus Hadley
Sunday Punch
Matt Bassler
The Man in the Trunk
Reginald DeWinters
Good Morning, Judge
Andre Bouchard
Sahara
Giuseppe
Ladies of the Big House
Witness Against Doremus (uncredited)
Surrender
French Prisoner of War (uncredited)
Marie Galante
French Sailor Painting Ship (uncredited)
Big City Blues
Bootlegger (uncredited)
Central Airport
Drunk in Wreck (uncredited)
Girl in Danger
Russo
Woman of the North Country
John Mulholland
We're in the Movies, Now!
Himself
Infernal Machine
Bryan
Yaqui Drums
Yacqi Jack
Gun Smoke
Mink Gordon
The Last Trail
John Ross
Murder in Trinidad
Duval
Sleepers East
Carl Izzard
Force of Impulse
Antonio Marino
The Past of Mary Holmes
Gary Kent
No Living Witness
Nick
That's Entertainment! III
(archive footage)
The Royal Bed
Laker
The Avenger
Hanley
Anthony Adverse
Major Doumet
Hell in the Heavens
Sgt. Chevalier
Doom of Dracula
The Hunchback
It's Your America
French Soldier (uncredited)
Disneyland '59
Self
Man On A Bus
Mr Stein
Cutter's Trail
Froteras
Batmania: From Comics to Screen
Dr. Daka (archive footage)
Curse of the Fly
Logan Dolan
The Whirlwind
Injun
Good Intentions
Charlie Hattrick
Return of the Terror
Steve Scola
Crack-Up
Operative #77
Tonight or Never
Radio Announcer
Elmer, the Great
Jerry (as J. Carroll Naish)
One Is Guilty
Jack Allen
Dracula: A Cinematic Scrapbook
Daniel (archive footage)
The Many Faces of Dracula
Daniel (archive footage)
Shows
I Dream of Jeannie
Bilejik
Get Smart
The Ed Sullivan Show
Self
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Ridley
Lux Video Theatre
Onorio
Guestward, Ho!
Hawkeye
Wanted: Dead or Alive
Miguel Ramierez
Green Acres
Burke's Law
Mr. Toto
Route 66
General Electric Theater
Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse
Climax!
Mr. Combie
The New Adventures of Charlie Chan
Cimarron City
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Mr. Gallup
Lux Video Theatre
Charlie
The Untouchables
Joseph H. 'Joe' Bucco
The Texan
Walt Pierce
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
Uncle Giuliano
The Further Adventures of Ellery Queen