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Thomas Mitchell 1892 - 1962

Thomas Mitchell was born on July 11, 1892 in Elizabeth, Union County, New Jersey United States, and died at age 70 years old on December 17, 1962 at Beverly Hills in CA. Thomas Mitchell was buried on December 20, 1962 Thomas Mitchell Famous memorial Birth 11 Jul 1892 Elizabeth, Union County, New Jersey, USA Death 17 Dec 1962 (aged 70) Beverly Hills, Los Angeles County, California, USA Burial Chapel Of The Pines Crematory Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, USA Plot Cremated at the Chapel of the Pines and his ashes are in Vaultage in Beverly Hills.

Thomas Mitchell

Thomas John Mitchell at birth.

July 11, 1892

Elizabeth, Union County, New Jersey, United States

December 17, 1962

Beverly Hills in CA

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Thomas Mitchell Thomas Mitchell (1892 - 1962)

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Thomas Mitchell's History: 1892 - 1962

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Introduction

Thomas Mitchell played the father, Gerald O'Hara in GONE WITH THE WIND.
07/11

1892

Birthday

July 11, 1892

Birthdate

Elizabeth, Union County, New Jersey United States

Birthplace

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Ethnicity & Family History

Irish.
Professional Career

Overview - Actor and Playwright Born July 11, 1892, Elizabeth, New Jersey, USA Died December 17, 1962, Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA (bone cancer) Birth name Thomas John Mitchell Nickname Tommy Height 5′ 10″ (1.78 m) Mini Bio Thomas Mitchell was one of the great American character actors, whose credits read like a list of the greatest American films of the 20th century: Lost Horizon (1937); Stagecoach (1939); The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939); Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939); Gone with the Wind (1939); It's a Wonderful Life (1946) and High Noon (1952) His portrayals are so diverse and convincing that most people don't even realize that one actor could have played them all. He won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar in 1940 for his role as the drunken Doc Boone in John Ford's Stagecoach (1939). Certainly, there have been many phrases coined about Thomas Mitchell as one of the most recognizable and exemplary character actors of Hollywood's golden years, but behind that demeanor was a talent to fit many hats. He was a first-generation American of Irish immigrants who settled in New Jersey. The Mitchell family had a journalistic background, and after high school Thomas followed his father and brother into newspaper reporting. However, the writing talent in him searched for more. He began turning out comic skits for the theater. Finally, in 1913 he decided to become an actor. He met another future great character actor, Charles Coburn, a longtime Broadway stage actor--with his wife--who had formed his own company, the Coburn Players. Coburn provided young Mitchell with some much-needed experience in the works of William Shakespeare. In late 1916 Mitchell debuted on Broadway in the original play "Under Sentence" and would be a fixture on the Great White Way steadily from then to 1935. From performing he moved into writing and directing plays with his own "Little Accident" (1928) and "Cloudy with Showers" (1931) and would do directing, writing, and some producing for other companies through the 1930s. He was involved in the production of 29 plays. Amid this full theater life, however, Mitchell looked elsewhere to exercise his versatility. In 1923 he debuted in silent film before returning to Broadway. When he next appeared in film (1936) his "Little Accident" had already been produced as a film twice (1930 and 1932, in French). It was in fact optioned as a feature twice more (1939 and as the retitled Casanova Brown (1944)). Mitchell soon became much in demand in Hollywood for leading character parts. In 1937 his Hollywood fame was sealed with the Frank Capra classic Lost Horizon (1937), in which he was banker/embezzler Henry Barnard. His dramatic timing was flawless, but so were his to-become-trademark comic relief one-liners. That same year he was memorable and Oscar-nominated as Dr. Kersaint in the John Ford dramatic adventure The Hurricane (1937). In 1939 Mitchell had the unique good fortune to have memorable roles in such classic movies as Only Angels Have Wings (1939). His Best Supporting Actor Oscar for one of these, Stagecoach (1939), points up the fact that his considerable abilities would just as well have merited the award for any of these films. In so many of his roles, he was the cocky, self-assured man of the world. And this makes his performance of Uncle Billy in another of these - Capra's It's a Wonderful Life (1946) - all the more unusual, for this character, now in his elder years, is quick with the wisecrack but has been apparently a failure as a man of business and still works in the family business for his nephew, James Stewart. Outwardly cavalier but inwardly too self-absorbed with getting by to be reliable or competent, Mitchell's Uncle Billy is suddenly faced with an ultimate crisis - a near tragedy of circumstance he projects with profound pathos - when duped into believing he has once again been incompetent, losing the loan company's large bank deposit. His agony is multiplied by the emotional confrontation with a panic-stricken Stewart. The sequence is one of the really high dramatic gems of movie history. And Mitchell passes down one of his most thought-provoking screen characters. Of his 100 screen performances fully half of Mitchell's appearances were on the small screen. By 1951 he was immersed in the phenomenon of television playhouse, particularly and frequently appearing on Studio One, Lux Video Theater, The O. Henry Playhouse, The Ford Television Theater, but several others including Zane Grey Theater. He starred in two early TV series: Mayor of the Town (1954) and Glencannon (1959). He would become as well known and beloved to the new generation of TV watchers as he had been to the theater and film audiences going back to the early 20th century. - IMDb Mini Biography By: William McPeak Family Spouses Anne Stewart Brewer(June 30, 1941 - December 17, 1962) (his death) Rachel Barnes Hartzell(August 26, 1937 - 1939) (divorced, 1 child) Anne Stewart Brewer(1915 - 1935) (divorced, 1 child) Parents James Mitchell John Mitchell Janet Wilson Relatives James P. Mitchell (Sibling) Trivia Is one of 9 actors to have won the Triple Crown of Acting (an Oscar, Emmy, and Tony); the others in chronological order are Melvyn Douglas, Paul Scofield, Jack Albertson, Jason Robards, Jeremy Irons, Al Pacino, Geoffrey Rush, and Christopher Plummer.
12/17

1962

Death

December 17, 1962

Death date

Cancer

Cause of death

Beverly Hills in CA
Death location

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12/20

1962

Gravesite & Burial

December 20, 1962

Funeral date
Thomas Mitchell Famous memorial Birth 11 Jul 1892 Elizabeth, Union County, New Jersey, USA Death 17 Dec 1962 (aged 70) Beverly Hills, Los Angeles County, California, USA Burial Chapel Of The Pines Crematory Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, USA Plot Cremated at the Chapel of the Pines and his ashes are in Vaultage in Beverly Hills, CA
Burial location
Obituary

Thomas Mitchell, Actor, Dead; Star of Stage and Screen, 70; Actor's Career in the Movies and in Theater Spanned a Half Century FROM: The New York Times (December 18th, 1962) By The United Press International BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., Dec. 17 Thomas Mitchell, Academy Award-winning character actor, died of cancer today at the age of 70--the second star to die in two days. Charles Laughton died Saturday also of cancer. Ironically, both men had been patients of the same hospital during the fall in their unsuccessful battle against the disease. Mr. Mitchell's wife, Susan, and daughter, Anne M. Lange, were at his bedside when he died at his home this afternoon. Mr. Mitchell, uncle of James Mitchell, former Secretary of Labor, was most fond of the stage but made his greatest success as an exuberant character actor in the movies. He had also appeared on television, last being featured on the Perry Como show. Appeared in Many Films Mr. Mitchell appeared in a score of motion pictures, TV shows, and Broadway plays. He is best remembered for his "Mayor of the Town" TV series, and his role as Scarlett O'Hara's father in "Gone with the Wind." Mr. Mitchell was one of the few character actors along with Walter Brennan, to reach top stardom. He won an Oscar in 1939 for his portrayal of the whiskey-soaked doctor in "Stagecoach." He was born in Elizabeth, N.J., on July 11, 1892, one of seven children of James and Mary Mitchell, both of whom were born in Ireland. His father was in the newspaper business, and his older brother, John was a newspaperman. After graduating from Elizabeth High School, Mr. Mitchell also became a newspaper reporter, working for publications in Newark, Washington, Baltimore, and Pittsburgh. He moved to show business by writing skits in his spare time. He then turned to acting and by 1913 he had traveled throughout the United States with stock companies and had played in a Shakespeare festival in Madison Square Garden. He spent the next two years touring the country with Charles Coburn's Shakespearean company performing at colleges. His first Hollywood appearance was in the 1934 movie "Cloudy with Showers in 1934. But it was not until 1936 when Mr. Mitchell played a character role in "Lost Horizons," that his career began to take shape. His best-known pictures were "The Hurricanes," "Mr. Smith Goes To Washington" and "The Hunchback of Notre Dame." Mr. Mitchell was a noted collector of fine arts.

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