Francis Sayles | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Sayles inMidnight Phantom (1935) | |
| Born | (1891-11-22)November 22, 1891 Buffalo, New York City, U.S. |
| Died | March 19, 1944(1944-03-19) (aged 52) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1932–1944 |
Francis Sayles (November 22, 1891 – March 19, 1944) was an American character actor at the beginning of thesound film era. In the short dozen years of his career he appeared in over 100 films, most of them features. While he was normally cast in small uncredited parts, he was occasionally cast in featured roles, as in the role of Dickman in the 1934 film,One in a Million, starringDorothy Wilson andCharles Starrett.[1]
Sayles was born on November 22, 1891, inBuffalo, New York. His film debut occurred in a small role of a detective inStrangers of the Evening (1932), starringZaSu Pitts.[2] Other notable films in which Sayles appears include: the featured role of Charlie Blaine in 1932'sBlonde Venus, starringMarlene Dietrich andCary Grant;[3] a small role inThe Gay Deception (1935), starringFrancis Lederer andFrances Dee;[4] a bit part as a waiter in the 1936 romantic comedyMore Than a Secretary, starringJean Arthur,George Brent, andLionel Stander;[5] the featured role of Charlie inArchie Mayo's 1937 dramaBlack Legion, starringHumphrey Bogart;[6] as Detective William Jones in the 1938 westernThe Purple Vigilantes, starringRobert Livingston,Ray Corrigan, andMax Terhune;[7] an uncredited role inMichael Curtiz' 1939 western,Dodge City, starringErrol Flynn andOlivia de Havilland;[8] as a politician inOrson Welles' 1941 classic,Citizen Kane;[9] as a taxi driver in the 1943Howard Hawks' romantic comedy,Ball of Fire (1942), starringGary Cooper andBarbara Stanwyck;[10] again as a cab driver in the 1943 biopic,The Pride of the Yankees, starring Gary Cooper andTeresa Wright;[11] and the 1944 biographyThe Adventures of Mark Twain, starringFredric March andAlexis Smith.[12] Sayles had a small role of an elevator operator in the 1944 film,Casanova Brown, again starring Cooper and Wright. It was his final film, he died on March 19, 1944, while the film was still in production. It was released later that year in August.[13]
