Vinton Hayworth

Vinton Hayworth (June 4, 1906 – May 21, 1970) was an American actor, playwright, and screenwriter born in Washington, D.C. Also known professionally as Jack Arnold and Vincent Haworth, he built a career spanning radio, stage, film, and television, accumulating more than 90 film appearances over several decades. He was the maternal uncle of Rita Hayworth and, through his marriage to actress Jean Owens, the uncle by marriage of Ginger Rogers and Phyllis Fraser.

Hayworth began acting in his late teens and established himself first as a pioneering radio announcer in the early 1920s, working successively in Washington, New York City, and Chicago. He went on to perform in numerous radio programs, taking on roles that included Fred Andrews on Archie Andrews, Philip Roberts on It's Higgins, Sir, Port on Lone Journey, Alonzo Smith on Meet Me in St. Louis, and Jack Arnold on Myrt and Marge, as well as serving as announcer on Chaplain Jim. His contributions to the broadcasting industry extended beyond performance: he was among the founders of AFRA, the union representing radio and television artists that later became AFTRA, and served as its president from 1951 to 1954.

His film career began around 1933, frequently under the stage name Jack Arnold, with early screen appearances often casting him in comically good-natured or sneaky supporting roles. He occasionally took on more substantial parts, including a co-starring role alongside Constance Worth and Leslie Fenton in China Passage (1937), a production in which he received billing as Vinton Haworth. Screen credits under the Jack Arnold name concluded in the early 1940s.

Hayworth's Broadway career ran from 1932 to 1942, with credits that included the comedy The Doughgirls and the revue Chamberlain Brown's Scrap Book. Following his stage work, he undertook an additional two-year period on Broadway from 1942 to 1944 before relocating to California and resuming film work, which continued into the 1960s.

Television became an increasingly prominent part of his career from the 1950s onward. He served as announcer on NBC's The Buick-Berle Show during the 1953–1954 season and portrayed Magistrado Carlos Galindo on Disney's Zorro from 1957 to 1959. His television appearances spanned a wide range of programs, among them Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Gunsmoke, Perry Mason, Dennis the Menace, Petticoat Junction, Ripcord, Hazel, The Munsters, Green Acres, Pistols and Petticoats, and Dick Tracy. His final role was General Winfield Schaeffer on the sitcom I Dream of Jeannie, a recurring part he took on during the show's fourth and fifth seasons after Barton MacLane, who had played General Martin Peterson, died in 1969. Hayworth died of a heart attack on May 21, 1970, at the age of 63, before the final episodes featuring his performance had aired.