Stuart Erwin

Stuart Erwin (February 14, 1903 – December 21, 1967) was an American actor who worked across stage, film, radio, and television over the course of four decades. Born in Squaw Valley, Fresno County, California, he attended Porterville High School before enrolling at the University of California, where he began acting in the 1920s. His earliest stage experience came through college productions, followed by work in stock theater in Los Angeles.

Erwin entered films in 1928 with Mother Knows Best and built a steady screen career throughout the 1930s. In 1932, he appeared alongside Bing Crosby in the comedy The Big Broadcast, playing Texas oil tycoon Leslie McWhinney. Two years later, he took the title role of Joe Palooka in the 1934 film Palooka. His performance in the 1936 musical comedy Pigskin Parade earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. In 1940, he portrayed Howie Newsome, the dairy delivery vendor, in the film adaptation of Thornton Wilder's Our Town. His work with Walt Disney included providing the voice of a tree squirrel in Bambi, as well as appearances in Son of Flubber and The Misadventures of Merlin Jones.

Erwin's Broadway career spanned from 1942 to 1950 and included the comedy Mr. Sycamore and the musical Great to Be Alive. During the same period, he maintained an active radio presence. In 1946, he starred on CBS in Phone Again Finnegan, playing an apartment house manager in the comedy-drama. He also appeared on Theater Guild on the Air, Lux Radio Theatre, The Old Gold Radio Theatre, and Cavalcade of America.

In 1950, Erwin moved into television, starring in Trouble with Father, a series later retitled The Stu Erwin Show. His real-life wife, actress June Collyer, served as his co-star on the program. He later played Otto King on The Greatest Show on Earth during the 1963–1964 season. Erwin made four guest appearances on Perry Mason, including the role of Clem P. "Sandy" Sandover in the 1962 episode "The Case of the Double-Entry Mind" and Everett Stanton in the 1964 episode "The Case of the Scandalous Sculptor." His other television guest credits included Bonanza, Gunsmoke, The Donna Reed Show, Father Knows Best, Crossroads, Angel, Straightaway, Our Man Higgins, and The Andy Griffith Show, in which he portrayed Tom Silby, a man presumed dead who returned to town after a two-year absence.

Erwin married actress June Collyer on July 22, 1931, in Yuma, Arizona. The couple had two children, including producer Stuart Erwin Jr. (1932–2014). On February 8, 1960, Erwin received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the Television category, located at 6270 Hollywood Boulevard. He died of a heart attack on December 21, 1967, in Beverly Hills, California, at the age of 64, and was interred at the Chapel of the Pines Crematory in Los Angeles.