J. Carrol Naish
Biography
J. Carrol Naish was an American actor who appeared in more than 200 films during the Golden Age of Hollywood. Born in New York City, he performed in Paris and New York before starting his screen career. He said his film work truly began in 1930, when stage actors were recruited for talking pictures, though he had an uncredited bit part in What Price Glory? (1926), a silent film. A dialect specialist, he played characters of many nationalities and was nicknamed Hollywood's one-man U.N. He often portrayed villains, gangsters and mad scientists, including Dr. Daka in Batman (1943). He earned two Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor, for Giuseppe in Sahara (1943) and for the title character's father in A Medal for Benny (1945), and won a Golden Globe for the latter. His other work included House of Frankenstein (1944), the radio and television series Life with Luigi, and Dracula vs. Frankenstein (1971).
77years old at death
- Born New York City
- Died La Jolla
- Star sign: AquariusThe sign runs January 20 to February 18
- Also credited as Joseph Patrick Carrol Naish, Joseph Carrol Naish, J. Carroll Naish, Carol Naish, Carroll Naish and Carrol J. Naish
Movie Career
- Films
- 43
- Career span
- 52 years1931 to 1983
Genres
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A role that slipped away
J. Carrol Naish was originally cast as The Joker in Columbia's Batman serial, but was recast as the Japanese supervillain Dr. Daka to suit the wartime plotline.
A first
Naish was the first Alfieri in the 1955 Broadway one-act verse staging of Arthur Miller's A View from the Bridge. Van Heflin and Eileen Heckart appeared alongside him.
Beyond film
Naish played Luigi Basco on the CBS radio show Life with Luigi from 1948 to 1953. Because the character was popular, CBS made a television series with the same title, and Naish took the part again.
J. Carrol Naish movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
Most often with
Michael Curtiz directed three of these films, John Ford two and William A. Wellman two. Two actors appear in five of them each. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Lon Chaney Jr.'s page
Fortunio Bonanova's page
Robert Barrat's page
Nestor Paiva's page
E.E. Clive's page
Forrester Harvey's page
Michael CurtizDirector, 3 films, 1935 to 1936
All films by Michael Curtiz
All films by John Ford
All films by William A. Wellman
Box office
What J. Carrol Naish's films earned in cinemas worldwide.
Combined worldwide box office
$93.6 million
6 of the 43 films have a worldwide figure.
Of the 43 films: 6 worldwide figure; 4 us gross only; 33 figure not found.
- 6Worldwide figure
- 4US gross only
- 33Figure not found
Highest grossing
The six biggest films earned 100% of the total. The bars are drawn to scale.
- 1$76M81.2% of the total
- 2$8.0M8.6% of the total
- 3$3.0M3.2% of the total
- 4$2.7M2.9% of the total
- 5$2.3M2.5% of the total
- 6$1.5M1.6% of the total
Awards
Two awards and honors, one of them major.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Globes | |||
| 1946 | Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture | A Medal for Benny | Won |
| Other honors | |||
| Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame | Honored | ||
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.