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person_profile-Ned Sparks

Ned Sparks Died at age: 73

Actor | Producer

Fullname:

Ned Sparks

Date of Birth:

Nov 18, 1883

Country of birth:

Canada

Died:

Apr 03, 1957

Biography of

Ned Sparks

    From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    Ned Sparks (born Edward Arthur Sparkman, November 19, 1883 – April 3, 1957) was a Canadian-born character actor of the American stage and screen. Sparks was known for his deadpan expression and deep, gravelly voice.

    Born in Guelph, Ontario, Sparks left home at age 16 and attempted to work as a gold prospector on the Klondike Gold Rush. After running out of money, he won a spot as a singer on a traveling musical company's tour. At age 19, he returned to Canada and briefly attended a Toronto seminary. After leaving the seminary, he worked for the railroad and worked in theater in Toronto. In 1907, he left Toronto for New York City to try his hand in the Broadway theatre, where he appeared in his first show in 1912.

    While working on Broadway, Sparks developed his trademark deadpan expression while portraying the role of a desk clerk in the play Little Miss Brown. His success on the stage soon caught the attention of MGM's Louis B. Mayer who signed Sparks to a six picture deal. Sparks began appearing in numerous silent films before finally making his "talkie" debut in the 1928 film The Big Noise.

    In the 1930s, Sparks became known for portraying dour-faced, sarcastic, cigar-chomping characters. He became so associated with the type that, in 1936, The New York Times reported that Sparks had his face insured for USD$100,000 with Lloyd's of London. The market agreed to pay the sum to any photographer who could capture Sparks smiling (Sparks later admitted that the story was a publicity stunt and he was only insured for $10,000). Sparks was also caricatured in cartoons including the Jack-in-the-Box character in the Disney short Broken Toys (1935), and the jester in Mother Goose Goes Hollywood (1938), a hermit crab in both Tex Avery's Fresh Fish (1939) and Bob Clampett's Goofy Groceries (1941), a chicken in Bob Clampett's Slap Happy Pappy (1940), Friz Freleng's Warner Bros. cartoon Malibu Beach Party (1940), and Tex Avery's Hollywood Steps Out (1940). Sparks also voiced the cartoon characters Heckle and Jeckle from 1947 to 1951.

    Sparks appeared in ten stage productions on Broadway and over 80 films. He retired from films in 1947, saying that everyone should retire at 65

Photos of

Ned Sparks

Photos ( 2 Photos

Filmography of

Ned Sparks

Found 61 Movies in total

Magic Town

Ike ( Actor )

... 1947

Stage Door Canteen

Ned Sparks ( Actor )

... 1943

For Beauty's Sake

Jonathan B. Sweet ( Actor )

... 1941

The Star Maker

'Speed' King ( Actor )

... 1939

Hawaii Calls

Strings ( Actor )

... 1938

This Way Please

Inky Wells ( Actor )

... 1937

Wake Up and Live

Steve Cluskey ( Actor )

... 1937

One in a Million

Danny Simpson ( Actor )

... 1937

The Bride Walks Out

Paul Dodson ( Actor )

... 1936

Collegiate

'Scoop' Oakland ( Actor )

... 1936

... 1935

Sweet Music

'Ten Percent' Nelson ( Actor )

... 1935

Sweet Adeline

Dan Herzig ( Actor )

... 1934

Imitation of Life

Elmer Smith ( Actor )

... 1934

Marie Galante

Plosser ( Actor )

... 1934

Servants' Entrance

Hjalmar Gnu ( Actor )

... 1934

Down to Their Last Yacht

Captain 'Sunny Jim' Roberts ( Actor )

... 1934

Private Scandal

Inspector Riordan ( Actor )

... 1934

Sing and Like it

Toots McGuire ( Actor )

... 1934

Hi, Nellie!

Shammy ( Actor )

... 1934

Going Hollywood

Conroy ( Actor )

... 1933

Alice in Wonderland

Caterpillar ( Actor )

... 1933

Too Much Harmony

Lem Spawn ( Actor )

... 1933

Lady for a Day

Happy McGuire ( Actor )

... 1933

Gold Diggers of 1933

Barney Hopkins ( Actor )

... 1933

Secrets

Sunshine ( Actor )

... 1933

42nd Street

Thomas Barry ( Actor )

... 1933

The Crusader

Eddie Crane ( Actor )

... 1932

Big City Blues

Mr. 'Stacky' Stackhouse ( Actor )

... 1932

Blessed Event

George Moxley ( Actor )

... 1932

The Miracle Man

Harry Evans ( Actor )

... 1932

Corsair

Slim ( Actor )

... 1931

The Secret Call

Bert Benedict ( Actor )

... 1931

Iron Man

Riley ( Actor )

... 1931

Kept Husbands

Hughie Hanready ( Actor )

... 1931

Leathernecking

Sparks ( Actor )

... 1930

Conspiracy

Winthrop 'Little Nemo' Clavering ( Actor )

... 1930

The Fall Guy

Danny Walsh ( Actor )

... 1930

The Devil's Holiday

Charlie Thorne ( Actor )

... 1930

Double Cross Roads

Happy Max ( Actor )

... 1930

Love Comes Along

Happy ( Actor )

... 1930

Street Girl

Happy Winter ( Actor )

... 1929

Nothing But the Truth

Clarence van Dyke ( Actor )

... 1929

Strange Cargo

Yacht First Mate ( Actor )

... 1929

The Canary Murder Case

Tony Skeel ( Actor )

... 1929

... 1928

The Big Noise

William Howard ( Actor )

... 1928

Alias The Deacon

Slim Sullivan ( Actor )

... 1927

Love's Blindness

Valet ( Actor )

... 1926

... 1926

The Hidden Way

Mulligan ( Actor )

... 1926

Mike

Slinky ( Actor )

... 1926

Money Talks

Lucius Fenton ( Actor )

... 1926

The Only Thing

Gibson ( Actor )

... 1925

Bright Lights

Barney Gallagher ( Actor )

... 1925

Faint Perfume

Orrin Crumb ( Actor )

... 1925

His Supreme Moment

Adrian ( Actor )

... 1925

The Bond Boy

Cyrus Morgan ( Actor )

... 1923

Good References

Peter Stearns ( Actor )

... 1920

In Search of a Sinner

Waiter ( Actor )

... 1920

... 1919