Ralph Sanford(1899-1963)
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Born on May 21, 1899 in Springfield, Massachusetts, veteran character actor
Ralph Sanford came from a theatrical family. His parents were in the
business, although not as actors.
An actor and stage manager on the Broadway stage in the early years of his career, Sanford appeared in such productions as "Half a Widow" (1927), "The Constant Sinner" (1931) and "Between Two Worlds" (1934). He began his screen work in 1937 at Vitaphone Pictures working in shorts, as a burly foil to such
established two-reeler comics as
Shemp Howard,
Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle and
Fritz Feld. He found steady employment in
primarily unbilled bits (truck driver, guard, etc.), notably for
Paramount. He upgraded to occasional featured parts in such films as
Undercover Agent (1939),
Wildcat (1942),
A Night for Crime (1943) and
My Pal Trigger (1946), but for the
most part he was utilized solely in "tough guy" parts. He would play
minor roles for other studios as well, usually typed as a two-bit
gangster or hassled cop. He continued his busy schedule throughout the
1950s with TV work and had a recurring part as Jim "Dog" Kelly on
Hugh O'Brian's
The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp (1955)
series for the 1958-59 season.
The heavyset actor died at the age of 64, succumbing to a heart ailment
on June 20, 1963.
Ralph Sanford came from a theatrical family. His parents were in the
business, although not as actors.
An actor and stage manager on the Broadway stage in the early years of his career, Sanford appeared in such productions as "Half a Widow" (1927), "The Constant Sinner" (1931) and "Between Two Worlds" (1934). He began his screen work in 1937 at Vitaphone Pictures working in shorts, as a burly foil to such
established two-reeler comics as
Shemp Howard,
Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle and
Fritz Feld. He found steady employment in
primarily unbilled bits (truck driver, guard, etc.), notably for
Paramount. He upgraded to occasional featured parts in such films as
Undercover Agent (1939),
Wildcat (1942),
A Night for Crime (1943) and
My Pal Trigger (1946), but for the
most part he was utilized solely in "tough guy" parts. He would play
minor roles for other studios as well, usually typed as a two-bit
gangster or hassled cop. He continued his busy schedule throughout the
1950s with TV work and had a recurring part as Jim "Dog" Kelly on
Hugh O'Brian's
The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp (1955)
series for the 1958-59 season.
The heavyset actor died at the age of 64, succumbing to a heart ailment
on June 20, 1963.