Wally Cassell (March 3, 1912 – April 2, 2015) was an Italian-born American character actor and businessman.
Wally Cassell | |
|---|---|
 Cassell in Quicksand (1950) | |
| Born | Oswaldo Silvestri Trippilini Rolando Vincenza Castellano March 3, 1912 |
| Died | April 2, 2015 (aged 103) Palm Desert, California, U.S. |
| Nationality | Sicilian American |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1942–1964 |
| Spouse | |
Early years edit
Wally Cassell was born as Oswaldo Silvestri Trippilini Rolando Vincenza Castellano. (A 1951 newspaper article gives Cassell's real name as Osvaldo Tripolini Ronaldo Vincennes Castelleno.)[1]The son of Luigi and Luisa Castellano,[2] Oswaldo was born in Agrigento, Sicily, and moved with his family to the United States when he was two years of age. (Another source says that his parents brought him to Brooklyn, New York, "when I was a babe in arms.")[3] As a youngster, Cassell was a dancer, but he abandoned dancing to concentrate on acting.[3]
Film edit
Cassell began his film career in 1942, initially working in small, uncredited roles.[4][2] Mickey Rooney, with whom Cassell appears in the 1950 film noir Quicksand, is credited with suggesting the change of name to Wally Cassell.[5] Rooney is also credited with helping Cassell gain a screen test and a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.[6]
His films include The Thin Man Goes Home (1945), The Story of G.I. Joe (1945), The Clock (1945), The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946), Guilty (1947), Loves of Carmen (1948), Saigon (1948), Sands of Iwo Jima (1949), White Heat (1949),Quicksand (1950), City That Never Sleeps (1953), Island in the Sky (1953), Law and Order (1953), Princess of the Nile (1954), Until They Sail (1957), and I, Madman (1989).
Television edit
Cassell was later cast in two syndicated programs starring Jim Davis: Stories of the Century, in the role of gunman Luke Short, and Rescue 8, as Johnny French in "One More Step." Cassell also guest-starred in several television series, including The Loretta Young Show (1955), as "Oley" in James Arness's TV Western series Gunsmoke in the 1956 episode "Hack Prine" (S1E26), the 1959 premiere episode of The Untouchables ("The Empty Chair"), Rawhide (1960), and The Beverly Hillbillies (1963).
Later years edit
Cassell retired from acting in 1964 and became a successful businessman.
Personal life and death edit
Cassell was married to actress and singer Marcy McGuire from August 30, 1947,[7] until his death.[8] Cassell's daughter, Cindy Cassell, became an actress. At age 13, she had the role of Pony Hutchinson in the Walt Disney Studios film Emil and the Detectives (1964).[9]
Cassell died at his home in Palm Desert, California in 2015 at age 103.[5]
Filmography edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 | Fingers at the Window | Photographer | Uncredited |
| Dr. Gillespie's New Assistant | Gangster | Uncredited | |
| Stand By for Action | Talker | Uncredited | |
| 1943 | The Human Comedy | Man flirting | Uncredited |
| Presenting Lily Mars | Man | Uncredited | |
| Pilot ♯5 | Soldier | Uncredited | |
| Salute to the Marines | Marine corporal | Uncredited | |
| Thousands Cheer | Jack | Uncredited | |
| Swing Fever | Cassidy | Uncredited | |
| 1943 | Maisie Goes to Reno | Reporter | Uncredited |
| Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo | Sailor | Uncredited | |
| The Thin Man Goes Home | Bill Burns | Uncredited | |
| National Velvet | Jockey | Uncredited | |
| Music for Millions | Soldier | Uncredited | |
| 1945 | Main Street After Dark | Jenkins | Uncredited |
| The Clock | Soda jerk | Uncredited | |
| Son of Lassie | POW | Uncredited | |
| Dangerous Partners | Drumman Son | Uncredited | |
| Story of G.I. Joe | Private Dondaro | ||
| Anchors Aweigh | Sailor | Uncredited | |
| 1946 | The Postman Always Rings Twice | Ben | |
| Bad Bascomb | Curley | Uncredited | |
| Gallant Bess | Mike | Uncredited | |
| 1947 | Ramrod | Virg Lea | |
| The Guilty | Johnny Dixon | ||
| Killer McCoy | Louie - Gambler | Uncredited | |
| 1948 | Summer Holiday | Salesman | Uncredited |
| Saigon | Sgt. Pete Rocco | ||
| Homecoming | Patient | Uncredited | |
| The Loves of Carmen | Dragoon Stagecoach Passenger | Uncredited | |
| Joan of Arc | French Soldier Offering Amulet | Uncredited | |
| 1949 | Streets of San Francisco | Den Driscoll | |
| We Were Strangers | Miguel | ||
| Arctic Manhunt | Tooyuk | ||
| White Heat | Cotton Valletti | ||
| Sands of Iwo Jima | PFC Benny Regazzi | ||
| 1950 | Quicksand | Chuck | |
| Highway 301 | Robert 'Bobby' Mais | ||
| 1951 | Oh! Susanna | Trooper Muro | |
| Little Big Horn | Pvt. Danny Zecca | ||
| The Wild Blue Yonder | Sgt. Pulaski | ||
| 1952 | Sound Off | Tony Baccigalupi | |
| Breakdown | Pete Sampson | ||
| One Minute to Zero | Pvt. Means | Uncredited | |
| Thunderbirds | Pfc. Sam Jacobs | ||
| 1953 | Law and Order | Durango Kid | |
| City That Never Sleeps | Gregg Warren | ||
| The Charge at Feather River | Member of Rescue Party | Uncredited | |
| Island in the Sky | D'Annunzia | ||
| 1954 | Princess of the Nile | Goghi | |
| 1955 | Timberjack | Veazie | |
| Paris Follies of 1956 | Harry | ||
| 1956 | The Come On | Tony | |
| Wetbacks | Coast Guard lieutenant | ||
| Accused of Murder | Cipriano's Doorman | Uncredited | |
| 1957 | Until They Sail | Phil Friskett aka Shiner | |
| 1958 | The Walter Winchell File | "David & Goliath" - Costa | |
| 1960 | The Rat Race | Hotel Clerk | Uncredited |
References and notes edit
- ^ Mason, Buddy (May 31, 1951). "Behind The Movie Sets". The Algona Upper Des Moines. Iowa, Algona. p. 31. Retrieved March 21, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Wally Cassell, Boro Vet, Forges Ahead in Films". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. New York, Brooklyn. December 9, 1945. p. 20. Retrieved March 21, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Todd, John (December 10, 1945). "In Hollywood". The Tipton Daily Tribune. Indiana, Tipton. p. 2. Retrieved March 21, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ With regard to the year that Cassell began his film career, another source states, "He...realized a childhood ambition to become an actor with a role in Labor Pains in 1937."
- ^ a b Wally Cassell, Gangster in 'White Heat,' Dies at 103, Hollywood Reporter, May 28, 2015
- ^ "(untitled brief)". The Kingston Spy. Wisconsin, Kingston. January 4, 1945. p. 3. Retrieved March 21, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "(untitled brief)". Medford Mail Tribune. Oregon, Milford. August 31, 1947. p. 1. Retrieved March 21, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Marcy McGuire". Des Moines Register. Archived from the original on April 11, 2014. Retrieved May 2, 2014.
- ^ "Girl 13 Chosen for Lead Role in Disney Movie". Valley News. California, Van Nuys. December 4, 1964. p. 25. Retrieved March 21, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
External links edit
- Wally Cassell at IMDb
- Wally Cassell at AllMovie
- Wally Cassell at the TCM Movie Database
