Ted North

Ted North was an American film actor active in the 1940s who sometimes went by Michael North. Born in Topeka, Kansas, in 1916, he came from a family of theater operators and gained early acting experience in their stock and tent shows. He studied law at the University of Kansas, from which he graduated in 1939, but a trip to Hollywood and a screen test set up by Warner Baxter led to a role in The Bride Wore Crutches. Three years in the Navy during World War II interrupted his film work. When he came back, director Michael Curtiz changed his first name from Ted to Michael, thinking Ted sounded like a cowboy. His later credits included the film noirs The Unsuspected and The Devil Thumbs a Ride, both from 1947. He then became an agent for entertainers such as Red Skelton, Milburn Stone, and Amanda Blake. He died in 1975.