Leon Janney

Leon Janney was an American actor who also became a prolific radio performer, beginning as a child with a theatrical appearance at age two in Ogden, Utah, and later working in vaudeville. He made his film debut in Victor Sjöström's The Wind (1928) with Lillian Gish, then played boyhood versions of several stars and appeared as Spud in the Our Gang comedy Bear Shooters. In 1931 he starred in Penrod and Sam. By the mid-1930s he was a leading juvenile star, but he shifted to radio, where he played Richard Parker on The Parker Family and became known for his skill with dialects and accents. He appeared in many radio dramas, including Suspense and CBS Radio Mystery Theater, and did voice-overs for commercials. On television he hosted Stop Me If You've Heard This One and was a panelist on Think Fast. On Broadway he appeared in plays such as The Gazebo, and his final film was Charly (1968).