Walter Connolly

Walter Connolly (April 8, 1887 – May 28, 1940) was an American actor born in Cincinnati, Ohio, to Ella Burke and Walter Joseph Connolly. He pursued his early education at St. Xavier College and the College of Music of Cincinnati, where he also participated in amateur theatrical productions. His path to a professional career was interrupted by service with the U.S. Marines during World War I, after which he traveled to Ireland rather than returning immediately to the United States. There he enrolled in non-theatre-related courses at the University of Dublin, reportedly intending to leave acting behind. Repeated visits to the Abbey Theater during this period reignited his interest in the profession, and within four months of his return to the United States he was receiving praise for his stage work.

Connolly's Broadway career spanned from 1912 to 1935, during which he appeared in twenty-two productions. His credits included The Woman of Bronze, an adaptation by Paul Kester of Henry Kistemaeckers' play, in which he performed alongside Margaret Anglin. Additional Broadway appearances included Anatol, Come Out of the Kitchen, The Love Thief, and The Good Fairy, as well as revivals of Pirandello's Six Characters in Search of an Author and Chekhov's Uncle Vanya.

His screen career began with two silent films, The Marked Woman in 1914 and A Soldier's Oath in 1915. His first sound film was Many Happy Returns in 1930, though his Hollywood career gained sustained momentum in 1932, when he appeared in four films that year alone. Over the course of his film work he appeared in nearly fifty productions through 1939. Connolly became closely associated with the role of the flustered business tycoon or newspaper editor, frequently cast as the father of the female lead. That characterization was central to his performances in It Happened One Night (1934) with Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert, Broadway Bill (1934) alongside Warner Baxter and Myrna Loy, and Libeled Lady (1936), which again featured Powell and Loy. He played General Yen's American advisor in The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1933), the worthless uncle of Paul Muni's character in The Good Earth (1937), and one of two con men opposite Mickey Rooney in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1939).

Though primarily a supporting player, Connolly took on lead roles on several occasions, including the title role of detective Nero Wolfe in The League of Frightened Men (1937), a starring part opposite Ginger Rogers in RKO's 5th Ave Girl (1939), and the title character in The Great Victor Herbert (1939), which proved to be his final film. On radio, he starred as Charlie Chan in The Adventures of Charlie Chan on NBC Radio from 1932 to 1938.

Connolly died on May 28, 1940, in Beverly Hills following a stroke. He was buried at St. Joseph New Cemetery in Cincinnati, Ohio.