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
Known For
Credits
- 2006 · Gold Diggers: FDR'S New Deal... Broadway Bound as Self (archive footage)
- 1960 · Courageous Cat and Minute Mouse as
- 1947 · Magic Town as Ike
- 1943 · Stage Door Canteen as Ned Sparks
- 1941 · For Beauty's Sake as Jonathan B. Sweet
- 1939 · The Star Maker as 'Speed' King
- 1938 · Hawaii Calls as Strings
- 1937 · This Way Please as Inky Wells
- 1937 · Wake Up and Live as Steve Cluskey
- 1937 · One in a Million as Danny Simpson
- 1936 · Two's Company as Al
- 1936 · The Bride Walks Out as Paul Dodson
- 1936 · Collegiate as 'Scoop' Oakland
- 1935 · George White's 1935 Scandals as Elmer
- 1935 · Sweet Music as 'Ten Percent' Nelson
- 1934 · Sweet Adeline as Dan Herzig
- 1934 · Imitation of Life as Elmer Smith
- 1934 · Marie Galante as Plosser
- 1934 · Servants' Entrance as Hjalmar Gnu
- 1934 · Down to Their Last Yacht as Captain 'Sunny Jim' Roberts
- 1934 · Private Scandal as Inspector Riordan
- 1934 · Sing and Like it as Toots McGuire
- 1934 · Hi, Nellie! as Shammy
- 1933 · Going Hollywood as Conroy
- 1933 · Alice in Wonderland as Caterpillar
- 1933 · Too Much Harmony as Lem Spawn
- 1933 · Lady for a Day as Happy McGuire
- 1933 · Gold Diggers of 1933 as Barney Hopkins
- 1933 · Secrets as Sunshine
- 1933 · 42nd Street as Thomas Barry
- 1932 · The Crusader as Eddie Crane
- 1932 · Big City Blues as Mr. 'Stacky' Stackhouse
- 1932 · Blessed Event as George Moxley
- 1932 · The Miracle Man as Harry Evans
- 1932 · Big Dame Hunting as Ned
- 1931 · The Wide Open Spaces as Sheriff Jack Rancid
- 1931 · Corsair as Slim
- 1931 · The Secret Call as Bert Benedict
- 1931 · Iron Man as Riley
- 1931 · Kept Husbands as Hughie Hanready
- 1930 · Leathernecking as Sparks
- 1930 · Conspiracy as Winthrop 'Little Nemo' Clavering
- 1930 · The Fall Guy as Danny Walsh
- 1930 · The Devil's Holiday as Charlie Thorne
- 1930 · Double Cross Roads as Happy Max
- 1930 · Love Comes Along as Happy
- 1929 · Street Girl as Happy Winter
- 1929 · Nothing But the Truth as Clarence van Dyke
- 1929 · Strange Cargo as Yacht First Mate
- 1929 · The Canary Murder Case as Tony Skeel
- 1928 · The Magnificent Flirt as Tim
- 1928 · The Big Noise as William Howard
- 1927 · The Small Bachelor as J. Hamilton Beamish
- 1927 · Alias the Lone Wolf as Phinuit
- 1927 · Alias The Deacon as Slim Sullivan
- 1926 · Love's Blindness as Valet
- 1926 · Twinkletoes as
- 1926 · When the Wife's Away as
- 1926 · The Hidden Way as Mulligan
- 1926 · Mike as Slinky
- 1926 · Money Talks as Lucius Fenton
- 1925 · The Only Thing as Gibson
- 1925 · Bright Lights as Barney Gallagher
- 1925 · Seven Keys to Baldpate as
- 1925 · Faint Perfume as Orrin Crumb
- 1925 · His Supreme Moment as Adrian
- 1923 · The Bond Boy as Cyrus Morgan
- 1920 · Good References as Peter Stearns
- 1920 · The Perfect Woman as Grimes, the Anarchist
- 1920 · In Search of a Sinner as Waiter
- 1920 · Nothing But the Truth as The Monocle Man
- 1919 · A Temperamental Wife as The Hotel Clerk