John Ridgely


John Ridgely was an American film character actor with over 175 film credits.

Early years

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Ridgely was the son of John Ridgely Rea. Ridgely's elementary schooling was in Hinsdale, Illinois, and he attended Kemper Military School in Boonville, Missouri. He also attended Stanford University before going into a career in movies.

Film

He appeared in the 1946 Humphrey Bogart film The Big Sleep as blackmailing gangster Eddie Mars and had a memorable role as a suffering heart patient in the film noir Nora Prentiss.
The Chicago-born actor appeared in a large number of other Warner Bros. films in the 1930s and 1940s.
Freelancing after 1948, John Ridgely continued to essay general-purpose parts until he left films in 1953; thereafter, he worked in summer-theater productions and television until his death from a heart attack at the age of 58 in 1968.

Selected filmography