Walter Abel (June 6, 1898 – March 26, 1987) was an American stage, film, and radio actor whose career spanned nearly seven decades.

Walter Abel
Trailer for13 Rue Madeleine (1947)
Born	(1898-06-06)June 6, 1898 St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
Died	March 26, 1987(1987-03-26) (aged 88) Essex, Connecticut, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1918–1984
Spouse	Marietta Bitter ​ ​ (m. 1926; died 1979)​
Children	2

Abel was born inSt. Paul, Minnesota,^[1] the son of Christine (née Becker) and Richard Michael Abel.^{[citation needed]} Abel graduated from theAmerican Academy of Dramatic Arts where he had studied in 1917^[2] and joined a touring company. His brother Alfred died in 1922 from tuberculosis contracted while serving overseas in World War I. Abel was married to concertharpist Marietta Bitter.^[2]

Abel made his film debut in 1918 with a small part inOut of a Clear Sky,^[3] and hisBroadway debut inForbidden in 1919.^[4]

In 1924, he appeared in twoEugene O'Neill plays simultaneously:Bound East for Cardiff at the Provincetown Playhouse andDesire Under the Elms at the Greenwich Village Theater.^[3] His many theatre credits includeAs You Like It (1923),William Congreve'sLove for Love (1925),Anton Chekhov's The Seagull (1929–1930),Mourning Becomes Electra (1929), Kaufman and Hart'sMerrily We Roll Along (1934), andTrelawny of the 'Wells'. He also appeared inChanning Pollock's playThe Enemy (1926) withFay Bainter, adapted to film asThe Enemy (1927) withLillian Gish andRalph Forbes. Abel made his stage debut in London in the 1929Coquette.

His first major film role was as D'Artagnan inRKO Pictures' 1935The Three Musketeers,^[3] and as hyperactive agent Danny Reed in the 1942 musical comedyHoliday Inn, withBing Crosby andFred Astaire.

Abel went on to play in more than sixty films, and was a vice president of the Screen Actors' Guild.^[5]

Abel also appeared as a concert narrator or reader withEugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra inAaron Copland'sLincoln Portrait in 1951, and inDylan Thomas'Under Milk Wood in 1953.^[5]

Abel died March 26, 1987, of amyocardial infarction at a nursing home inEssex, Connecticut.^[2] He was cremated and a memorial service was held at theLittle Church Around the Corner inManhattan. His ashes were combined with those of his wife and scattered inLong Island Sound.^[6]

• Walter Abel atIMDb  
• Walter Abel at theInternet Broadway Database 
• "Images related to Walter Abel".NYPL Digital Gallery.