Eddie Quillan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Eddie Quillan
Eddie Quillan in 1931.
Born	Edward Quillan (1907-03-31)March 31, 1907 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	July 19, 1990(1990-07-19) (aged 83) North Hollywood, California, U.S.
Resting place	San Fernando Mission Cemetery
Occupation	Actor, singer
Years active	1922–1987

Edward Quillan (born March 31, 1907 – died July 19, 1990) was an American actor and singer. He started his career as a child performer in vaudeville shows and silent films. He continued acting all the way through the 1980s, appearing on television.

Early Days in Vaudeville and Silent Films

Eddie Quillan was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His family were all vaudeville performers. Vaudeville was a popular type of entertainment in the early 1900s, with different acts like singers, dancers, and comedians. Eddie first performed on stage when he was just seven years old. He acted alongside his parents, Joseph and Sarah, and his brothers and sisters in their family show called 'The Rising Generation'.

In the early 1920s, a famous film director named Mack Sennett noticed Eddie. Sennett asked him to try out for a movie role. Eddie did great, and Sennett signed him to a contract in 1922.

Eddie's very first movie was a short comedy called Up and at 'Em in 1922. He then appeared in many other short comedies throughout the 1920s. He often acted with actresses like Alice Day, Ruth Taylor, and Madeline Hurlock. In 1928, he starred in a short film called A Little Bit of Everything with his siblings Marie, Joseph, and John. His sister Marie Quillan later became an actress too.

Eddie's first full-length movie was the 1928 comedy-drama Show Folks. In this film, he played a vaudeville dancer, which was perfect for him! This movie was quite successful.

His big break came in 1929 with the silent film The Godless Girl, directed by the famous Cecil B. DeMille. This was Eddie's first serious acting role. After this film, he became even more well-known and signed a contract with Pathé studios.

From "Talkies" to Television

Quillan as Connie Rivers in The Grapes of Wrath (1940).

When movies started having sound (called "talkies"), Eddie Quillan remained a popular actor. He appeared in many famous films. Some of these include:

• Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) with Clark Gable.
• Young Mr. Lincoln (1939) with Henry Fonda.
• The Grapes of Wrath (1940), a film based on the famous book by John Steinbeck, also with Henry Fonda.
• Comedies like It Ain't Hay (1943) with the funny duo Abbott and Costello.

During the 1940s, Eddie was known for his cheerful personality on screen. He often appeared in "B" movies, which were smaller films like musicals and comedies. From 1948 to 1956, he teamed up with another comedian, Wally Vernon, for a series of short comedy films. They were known for their funny physical comedy, like pratfalls and slapstick.

In the late 1950s, Eddie started acting on television. By the 1960s, he was a frequent guest star on many popular TV shows. You might have seen him on:

• The Andy Griffith Show
• Petticoat Junction
• Perry Mason
• The Addams Family (he appeared about five times!)

He also had regular roles on TV shows. He was in Valentine's Day from 1964 to 1965, and he played Eddie Edson on the comedy Julia from 1968 to 1971.

Even while doing TV, Eddie continued to appear in movies, though often in smaller roles. He was in the musical Brigadoon (1954) with Gene Kelly. He also had a small role in the musical Hello, Dolly! (1969) starring Barbra Streisand. He also appeared on the western TV show The Rifleman.

In the 1970s, Eddie made guest appearances on many different TV shows, including Baretta, Gunsmoke, and Little House on the Prairie. He became friends with actor and director Michael Landon, who cast him in many small roles on Little House on the Prairie. Eddie also worked on Landon's other shows, Highway to Heaven and Father Murphy, in the 1980s. His very last TV appearance was in 1987 on the crime show Matlock.

Death

Eddie Quillan passed away from cancer in North Hollywood, California in 1990. He was buried at the San Fernando Mission Cemetery in Mission Hills, Los Angeles, California.

Selected Filmography

Images for kids

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  Quillan in 1931

External links/Sources

• Eddie Quillan at The International Silent Movie
• Eddie Quillan at The New York Times Movies