Ned Sparks
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Ned Sparks (born Edward Arthur Sparkman, November 19, 1883 – April 3, 1957) was a Canadian-born character actor of the American stage and screen. Sparks was known for his deadpan expression and deep, gravelly voice. Born in Guelph, Ontario, Sparks left home at age 16 and attempted to work as a gold prospector on the Klondike Gold Rush. After running out of money, he won a spot as a singer on a traveling musical company's tour. At age 19, he returned to Canada and briefly attended a Toronto seminary. After leaving the seminary, he worked for the railroad and worked in theater in Toronto. In 1907, he left Toronto for New York City to try his hand in the Broadway theatre, where he appeared in his first show in 1912. While working on Broadway, Sparks developed his trademark deadpan expression while portraying the role of a desk clerk in the play Little Miss Brown. His success on the stage soon caught the attention of MGM's Louis B. Mayer who signed Sparks to a six picture deal. Sparks began appearing in numerous silent films before finally making his "talkie" debut in the 1928 film The Big Noise. In the 1930s, Sparks became known for portraying dour-faced, sarcastic, cigar-chomping characters. He became so associated with the type that, in 1936, The New York Times reported that Sparks had his face insured for USD$100,000 with Lloyd's of London. The market agreed to pay the sum to any photographer who could capture Sparks smiling (Sparks later admitted that the story was a publicity stunt and he was only insured for $10,000). Sparks was also caricatured in cartoons including the Jack-in-the-Box character in the Disney short Broken Toys (1935), and the jester in Mother Goose Goes Hollywood (1938), a hermit crab in both Tex Avery's Fresh Fish (1939) and Bob Clampett's Goofy Groceries (1941), a chicken in Bob Clampett's Slap Happy Pappy (1940), Friz Freleng's Warner Bros. cartoon Malibu Beach Party (1940), and Tex Avery's Hollywood Steps Out (1940). Sparks also voiced the cartoon characters Heckle and Jeckle from 1947 to 1951. Sparks appeared in ten stage productions on Broadway and over 80 films. He retired from films in 1947, saying that everyone should retire at 65
Known For
Courageous Cat and Minute Mouse
1960
Gold Diggers of 1933
1933
Magic Town
1947
42nd Street
1933
Alice in Wonderland
1933
Lady for a Day
1933
Wake Up and Live
1937
Imitation of Life
1934
Stage Door Canteen
1943
Hi, Nellie!
1934
Nothing But the Truth
1920
The Canary Murder Case
1929
Filmography
Courageous Cat and Minute Mouse
· 1960
Gold Diggers of 1933
as Barney · 1933
Magic Town
as Ike · 1947
42nd Street
as Barry · 1933
Alice in Wonderland
as Caterpillar · 1933
Lady for a Day
as Happy McGuire · 1933
Wake Up and Live
as Steve Cluskey · 1937
Imitation of Life
as Elmer Smith · 1934
Stage Door Canteen
as Ned Sparks · 1943
Hi, Nellie!
as Shammy · 1934
Nothing But the Truth
as The Monocle Man · 1920
The Canary Murder Case
as Tony Skeel · 1929
The Bride Walks Out
as Paul Dodson · 1936
Collegiate
as 'Scoop' Oakland · 1935
Private Scandal
as Inspector Riordan · 1934
Kept Husbands
as Hughie Hanready · 1931
Down to Their Last Yacht
as Captain 'Sunny Jim' Roberts · 1934
Alias the Lone Wolf
as Phinuit · 1927
For Beauty's Sake
as Jonathan B. Sweet · 1941
One in a Million
as Danny Simpson · 1937
George White's 1935 Scandals
as Elmer · 1935
A Wide Open Town
as Si Ryan · 1922
Gold Diggers: FDR'S New Deal... Broadway Bound
as Self (archive footage) · 2006
Sing and Like It
as Toots McGuire · 1934
The Miracle Man
as Harry Evans · 1932
The Devil's Holiday
as Charlie Thorne · 1930
The Wide Open Spaces
as Sheriff Jack Rancid · 1931
The Little Miss Brown
as Night Clerk · 1915
Seven Keys to Baldpate
· 1925
The Magnificent Flirt
as Tim · 1928
Marie Galante
as Plosser · 1934
Corsair
as Slim · 1931
The Secret Call
as Bert Benedict · 1931
Nothing but the Truth
as Clarence van Dyke · 1929
Big City Blues
as Mr. 'Stacky' Stackhouse · 1932
Hawaii Calls
as Strings · 1938
The Hidden Way
as Mulligan · 1926
The Fall Guy
as Danny Walsh · 1930
Sweet Music
as 'Ten Percent' Nelson · 1935
When the Wife's Away
· 1926
Iron Man
as Riley · 1931
Going Hollywood
as Conroy · 1933
The Star Maker
as 'Speed' King · 1939
This Way Please
as Inky Wells · 1937
Secrets
as Sunshine · 1933
Conspiracy
as Winthrop 'Little Nemo' Clavering · 1930
The Secret Studio
as The Plumber · 1927
Servants' Entrance
as Hjalmar Gnu · 1934
Love's Blindness
as Valet · 1926
The Big Noise
as William Howard · 1928
Street Girl
as Happy Winter · 1929
Too Much Harmony
as Lem Spawn · 1933
Two's Company
as Al · 1936
Sweet Adeline
as Dan Herzig · 1934
Blessed Event
as George Moxley · 1932
The Bond Boy
as Cyrus Morgan · 1923
Faint Perfume
as Orrin Crumb · 1925
The Perfect Woman
as Grimes, the Anarchist · 1920
The Only Thing
as Gibson · 1925
King Tut's Tomb
as Heckle / Jeckle (voice) · 1950
Love Comes Along
as Happy · 1930
The Auction Block
as Nat Saluson · 1926
Alias The Deacon
as Slim Sullivan · 1927
A Temperamental Wife
as The Hotel Clerk · 1919
Strange Cargo
as Yacht First Mate · 1929
Money Talks
as Lucius Fenton · 1926
His Supreme Moment
as Adrian · 1925
Double Cross Roads
as Happy Max · 1930
The Law Forbids
as Clyde Vernon · 1924
Big Dame Hunting
as Ned · 1932
The Boomerang
as Bert Hanks · 1925
Soul Mates
as Tancred's chauffeur · 1925
The Small Bachelor
as J. Hamilton Beamish · 1927
Mike
as Slinky · 1926
Leathernecking
as Sparks · 1930
The Crusader
as Eddie Crane · 1932
A Virtuous Vamp
as Mr. Bell · 1919
Twinkletoes
· 1926
Bright Lights
as Barney Gallagher · 1925
Good References
as Peter Stearns · 1920
In Search of a Sinner
as Waiter · 1920