Ian Wolfe
Ian Marcus Wolfe was an American character actor with around 400 film and television credits. Until 1934, he worked in the theatre. That year, he appeared in his first film role and later television, as a character actor. His career lasted seven decades and included many films and TV series; his last screen credit was in 1990.
Early years
Born in Canton, Illinois, Wolfe studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.Career
Wolfe's stage debut came in The Claw. His Broadway credits include The Deputy, Winesburg, Ohio, Lone Valley, Devil in the Mind, The Barretts of Wimpole Street, Lysistrata, The Seagull, At the Bottom, Skyrocket, Gods of the Lightning, and The Claw.Wolfe made his film debut in The Barretts of Wimpole Street. He appeared in many notable films, including Mutiny on the Bounty, Alfred Hitchcock's Saboteur, Julius Caesar, James Dean's Rebel Without a Cause and George Lucas's THX 1138. Although he was American by birth, his experience in the theatre gave him precise diction, and he was often cast as Englishmen on screen, including a fictional commissioner of Scotland Yard in the final film in the 1939-1946 Sherlock Holmes film series, Dressed to Kill. He also appeared as an American antiques dealer in another film in the series, Sherlock Holmes in Washington, and Carter, Sir Wilfrid Robarts's clerk and office manager in Witness for the Prosecution.
Wolfe played a crooked small town doctor in "Six Gun's Legacy", an episode from the first season of The Lone Ranger. Wolfe appeared in the 1966 Perry Mason episode "The Case of the Midnight Howler" as Abel Jackson. In 1966, he portrayed the new Rev. Leighton on The Andy Griffith Show. He also appeared in two episodes of the original television series: "Bread and Circuses |Bread and Circuses" as Septimus, and "All Our Yesterdays |All Our Yesterdays" as Mr. Atoz, guest-starred in a 1977 episode of the ABC crime drama The Feather and Father Gang, and portrayed the wizard Traquil in the series Wizards and Warriors. In 1982, Wolfe had a small recurring role on the TV series WKRP in Cincinnati as Hirsch, the sarcastic, irreverent butler to WKRP owner Lillian Carlson.
Central to Wolfe's appeal as a character actor was that, until he reached actual old age, he always looked considerably older than he actually was. In the film Mad Love, he played Colin Clive's stepfather, yet he was only four years older than Clive. In the film Houdini, he warned the magician to avoid occult matters, telling him to "take the advice of an old man". He appeared in movies for another 37 years; his last film credit was for Dick Tracy.
Personal life
Wolfe was a veteran of World War I, serving as a volunteer medical specialist. He was married to Elizabeth Schroder for 68 years, from 1924 until his death; the couple had two daughters.Wolfe wrote and self-published two books of poetry, Forty-Four Scribbles and a Prayer: Lyrics and Ballads and Sixty Ballads and Lyrics In Search of Music.
Wolfe continued acting until the last few years of his life and died of natural causes at the age of 95 on January 23, 1992.
Partial filmography
- The Fountain as Van Arkel
- The Barretts of Wimpole Street as Harry Bevan
- The Mighty Barnum as Swedish consul
- Clive of India as Mr. Kent
- The Raven as Col. Bertram Grant / Geoffrey "Pinky"
- Mad Love as Henry Orlac
- 1,000 Dollars a Minute as Davidson
- Mutiny on the Bounty as Maggs
- The Leavenworth Case as Hudson
- The Music Goes 'Round as doctor
- The White Angel as patient
- Romeo and Juliet as apothecary
- The Devil Is a Sissy as pawnbroker
- The Bold Caballero as the priest
- Maytime as court official
- The Prince and the Pauper as proprietor
- The League of Frightened Men as Nicholas Cabot
- The Devil Is Driving as Elias Sanders
- The Emperor's Candlesticks as Leon
- The Firefly as Izquierdo
- Conquest as Prince Metternich
- Arsène Lupin Returns as Le Marchand
- Marie Antoinette as Herbert
- You Can't Take It with You as Kirby's secretary
- Blondie as judge
- Orphans of the Street as Eli Thadius Bunting
- Lincoln in the White House as a member of Lincoln's cabinet
- Fast and Loose as Wilkes
- Society Lawyer as Schmidt
- Tell No Tales as Fritz
- On Borrowed Time as Charles Wentworth
- The Great Commandment as tax collector
- Blondie Brings Up Baby as police judge
- Allegheny Uprising as Poole
- The Return of Doctor X as cemetery caretaker
- The Earl of Chicago as reading clerk
- Abe Lincoln in Illinois as Horace Greeley
- Earthbound as Amos Totten
- We Who Are Young as judge
- Foreign Correspondent as Stiles
- The Son of Monte Cristo as Conrad Stadt
- Hudson's Bay as mayor
- The Trial of Mary Dugan as Dr. Wriston
- Singapore Woman as Lawyer Sidney P. Melrose
- Love Crazy as sanity-hearing doctor
- Adventure in Washington as Emerson
- Shining Victory as Mr. Carew
- Paris Calling as thin workman
- Born to Sing as critic
- Secret Agent of Japan as Capt. Larsen
- Saboteur as Robert, the butler
- Mrs. Miniver as dentist
- Bombs Over Burma as man
- Eagle Squadron as Sir Charles Porter
- Now, Voyager as Lloyd
- Nightmare as James
- Random Harvest as registrar of births
- The Moon Is Down as Joseph
- Sherlock Holmes in Washington as antique store clerk
- The Falcon in Danger as Thomas
- The Man from Down Under as soldier seeking Father Antoine
- Holy Matrimony as Strawley
- Corvette K-225 as paymaster commander
- Flesh and Fantasy as librarian
- Government Girl as Thomas - hotel clerk
- The Falcon and the Co-eds as Eustace L. Harley
- The Song of Bernadette as minister of the interior
- The Impostor as Sgt. Clerk
- Her Primitive Man as Caleb
- Seven Days Ashore as process server
- Once Upon a Time as Joe
- The White Cliffs of Dover as skipper of honeymoon boat
- The Scarlet Claw as Drake
- The Invisible Man's Revenge as Feeney
- Are These Our Parents? as Pa Henderson
- Wilson as reporter
- The Pearl of Death as Amos Hodder
- Reckless Age as Prof. Mellasagus
- In Society as butler
- The Merry Monahans as clerk
- Babes on Swing Street as Anjsel
- National Barn Dance as minister
- Mystery of the River Boat as Herman Einreich
- Murder in the Blue Room as Edwards
- The Bandit of Sherwood Forest as Lord Mortimer
- A Song to Remember as Pleyel's clerk
- Zombies on Broadway as Prof. Hopkins
- Counter-Attack as Ostrovski
- Blonde Ransom as Oliver
- The Brighton Strangler as Lord Mayor Herman Brandon R. Clive
- Love Letters as Vicar
- Strange Confession as Frederick
- This Love of Ours as Dr. Straus
- Confidential Agent as Dr. Bellows
- The Fighting Guardsman as Prefect Berton
- Tomorrow Is Forever as Norton
- Three Strangers as Gillkie the Barrister
- The Notorious Lone Wolf as Adam Wheelright
- Bedlam as Sidney Long
- Without Reservations as Charlie Gibbs
- Dressed to Kill as commissioner of Scotland Yard
- The Searching Wind as Sears
- Gentleman Joe Palooka as Editor W.W. Dwight
- The Verdict as Jury Foreman
- The Falcon's Adventure as J.D. Denison
- California as President James K. Polk
- That Way with Women as L.B. Crandall
- Pursued as Coroner
- Dishonored Lady as Dr. E.G. Lutz
- The Marauders as Deacon Black
- Wild Harvest as Martin
- Desire Me as Dr. Poulin
- The Judge Steps Out as Hector Brown
- If Winter Comes as Dr. Clement Avington
- Three Daring Daughters as Martin
- The Miracle of the Bells as Grave Digger
- Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House as Smith
- Johnny Belinda as rector
- Silver River as process server
- They Live by Night as Hawkins
- Julia Misbehaves as Hobson, the butler
- Homicide as Fritz
- Bride of Vengeance as councillor
- The Younger Brothers as chairman of parole board
- Manhandled as Charlie
- Colorado Territory as Homer Wallace
- Joe Palooka in the Counterpunch as Prof. Lilliquist
- My Friend Irma as minister
- Please Believe Me as Edward Warrender
- No Way Out as Watkins
- The Petty Girl as President Webb
- Copper Canyon as Mr. Henderson
- Emergency Wedding as Dr. White
- The Magnificent Yankee as Adams
- A Place in the Sun as Dr. Wyeland
- The Great Caruso as Hutchins
- Mask of the Avenger as Signor Donner
- Here Comes the Groom as Uncle Adam
- On Dangerous Ground as Sheriff Carrey
- The Captive City as Rev. Nash
- Holiday for Sinners as Monsignor Lavaud
- Les Misérables as presiding judge
- Captain Pirate as Viceroy
- Something for the Birds as Foster
- Julius Caesar as Ligarius
- Scandal at Scourie as Councilman Hurdwell
- Young Bess as Stranger
- Houdini as Malue
- 99 River Street as Waldo Daggett
- The Actress as Mr. Bagley
- About Mrs. Leslie as Mr. Pope
- Seven Brides for Seven Brothers as Rev. Elcott
- Her Twelve Men as Roger Frane
- The Steel Cage as Curly Henderson
- The Silver Chalice as Theron
- Moonfleet as Tewkesbury
- The King's Thief as Fell
- Rebel Without a Cause as Dr. Minton
- Sincerely Yours as Mr. Rojeck
- The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell as President Calvin Coolidge
- Diane as Lord Tremouille
- Gaby as registrar
- Witness for the Prosecution as H. A. Carter
- Pollyanna as Mr. Neely
- The Lost World as Burton White
- All in a Night's Work as O'Hara
- The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm as Gruber
- Diary of a Madman as Pierre
- One Man's Way as Bishop Hardwick
- Games as Dr. Edwards
- THX 1138 as PTO
- The Terminal Man as priest
- Homebodies as Mr. Loomis
- The Fortune as justice of peace
- I Wonder Who's Killing Her Now? as Philips the butler
- Mr. Sycamore as Abner / Arnie
- Mean Dog Blues as judge
- The Seniors as Mr. Bleiffer
- The Frisco Kid as Father Joseph
- Up the Academy as Commandant Causeway
- Reds as Mr. Partlow
- Jinxed! as Morley
- Creator as Prof. Brauer
- Checking Out as Mr. D'Amato
- Dick Tracy as forger
Partial television credits
- Bonanza, episode "The Avenger" as Ed Baxter; episode "Bank Run" as John J. Harrison; episode "The Many Faces of Gideon Flinch" as Gideon Flinch; episode "The Spotlight" as Amos
- The Twilight Zone, episode "Uncle Simon", as Schwimmer
- The Partridge Family, episode "Road Song", as Maggie's grandfather
- A Touch of Grace, episode "The Reunion"
- Cheers, episode "One for the Book", as Buzz Crowder
- Star Trek, episode "Bread and Circuses", as Septimus; and episode "All Our Yesterdays", as Mr. Atoz