John Ridgely
Ridgely in the trailer for Destination Tokyo (1943)
Born
John Huntington Rea

(1909-09-06)September 6, 1909
DiedJanuary 18, 1968(1968-01-18) (aged 58)
New York City, U.S.
Alma materStanford University
OccupationActor
Years active1935–1954
SpouseVirginia Robinson[1]

John Ridgely (born John Huntington Rea,[2] September 6, 1909 – January 18, 1968 ) was an American film character actor with over 175 film credits.[3]

Early years

Ridgely was born in Chicago, Illinois,[4] the son of John Ridgely Rea. Ridgely's elementary schooling was in Hinsdale, Illinois, and he attended Kemper Military School in Boonville, Missouri.[5] He also attended Stanford University before his debut in movies.[6]

Film

He appeared in the 1946 Humphrey Bogart film The Big Sleep as blackmailing gangster Eddie Mars and had a pivotal role as a suffering heart patient in the film noir Nora Prentiss (1947). His most prominent other roles were his top-billed part as the bomber captain in Howard Hawks's Air Force and as real-life fighter pilot Tex Hill in 1945's God is My Co-Pilot.

The Chicago-born actor appeared in a large number of other films, particularly for Warner Bros., in the 1930s and 1940s.[7]

Freelancing after 1948, Ridgely continued to essay general-purpose parts until he left films in 1953.

Later life and death

He worked in summer-theater productions and television until his death from a heart attack at the age of 58 in 1968.[8]

Selected filmography

Radio appearances

YearProgramEpisode/source
1938Warner Brothers Academy TheaterSpecial Agent[9]

References

  1. "Hollywood Movie Actor John Ridgely Biography, News, Photos, Videos".
  2. Room, Adrian (2010). Dictionary of Pseudonyms: 13,000 Assumed Names and Their Origins, 5th ed. McFarland. p. 406. ISBN 9780786457632. Retrieved January 20, 2017.
  3. John Ridgely Roles Now Number 175, The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, October 2, 1951, p. 6
  4. Katz, Ephraim (1979). The Film Encyclopedia: The Most Comprehensive Encyclopedia of World Cinema in a Single Volume. Perigee Books. ISBN 0-399-50601-2. P. 973.
  5. Dudley, Fredda (August 1943). "Man with a Future". Screenland. XLVII (4): 25–29, 62. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
  6. John Ridgely Roles Now Number 175, The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, October 2, 1951, p. 6
  7. John Ridgely Roles Now Number 175, The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, October 2, 1951, p. 6
  8. Willis, John, Screen World, 1969, Vol. 20, London: Frederick Muller Ltd, p. 239
  9. "Those Were the Days". Nostalgia Digest. 39 (1): 32–41. Winter 2013.
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