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IMDbPro

Regis Toomey(1898-1991)

  • Actor
  • Soundtrack
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Regis Toomey
Burke's Law: Season 1
Play trailer2:25
Burke's Law (1963–1966)
8 Videos
99+ Photos
Pittsburgh-born and -raised character actor Regis Toomey, of Irish descent, took an early interest in the performing arts and initially studied drama at the university of his home town. One of four children of Francis X. and Mary Ellen Toomey, John Regis Toomey initially pondered a law career, but acting won out and he gradually established himself as a musical stage performer. Dropping his first name for acting purposes, he was touring in a production of "Little Nellie Kelly" in England when he developed an acute case of laryngitis. The severity of the problem forced a serious rethinking of his career goals.

With the birth of sound pictures, Toomey made an auspicious debut with Alibi (1929) starring Chester Morris where a climactic death scene sparked controversy--and a movie career that would include almost 200 pictures and a number of other notorious death scenes. His lead/second lead status opposite such stars as Clara Bow, Constance Bennett, Barbara Stanwyck and Evelyn Brent fell away within a few years, and he found more work in streetwise character roles. Fast-paced crime action was his forte and he was prevalent throughout the 1930s and 1940s. He appeared in many classic films including 'G' Men (1935), Meet John Doe (1941), The Big Sleep (1946), Rachel and the Stranger (1948) and Spellbound (1945). In 1955 he played Uncle Arvide of The Salvation Army in Guys and Dolls (1955) alongside Marlon Brando, Frank Sinatra, Jean Simmons and Vivian Blaine, a role for which he is still well remembered.

In the 1950s he found employment on TV as a good guy, typically playing judges, sheriffs, businessmen and police sergeants. He was a regular on The Mickey Rooney Show (1954). Fellow one-time singer Dick Powell became a friend and Powell, having turned producer, saw to it that Toomey had involving roles on a couple of his TV series such as Richard Diamond, Private Detective (1957) and Burke's Law (1963). He was later a regular on Petticoat Junction (1963). Toomey played roles well past his 80th year.

His marriage (from 1925) to Kathryn Scott produced two children. They met in 1924 when he appeared in a musical production of "Rose Marie" that Kathryn assistant choreographed. Toomey died of natural causes on October 12, 1991, at the Motion Picture Country House in Woodland Hills, California at age 93.
BornAugust 13, 1898
DiedOctober 12, 1991(93)
BornAugust 13, 1898
DiedOctober 12, 1991(93)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Awards
    • 1 win

Photos179

Constance Bennett and Regis Toomey in Rich People (1929)
Clive Brook and Regis Toomey in 24 Hours (1931)
Roscoe Karns, Forrest Lewis, Tyler McVey, and Regis Toomey in Man's Favorite Sport? (1964)
Rock Hudson, Roscoe Karns, Forrest Lewis, John McGiver, Tyler McVey, and Regis Toomey in Man's Favorite Sport? (1964)
Regis Toomey in 'G' Men (1935)
James Cagney and Regis Toomey in 'G' Men (1935)
Kirk Douglas, Carol Lynley, and Regis Toomey in The Last Sunset (1961)
Kirk Douglas, Carol Lynley, Dorothy Malone, and Regis Toomey in The Last Sunset (1961)
Kirk Douglas, Carol Lynley, Dorothy Malone, and Regis Toomey in The Last Sunset (1961)
Regis Toomey in The Last Sunset (1961)
Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons, and Regis Toomey in Guys and Dolls (1955)
Sally O'Neil and Regis Toomey in Murder by the Clock (1931)

Known for

Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart in The Big Sleep (1946)
The Big Sleep
7.9
  • Chief Inspector Bernie Ohls
  • 1946
Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell in His Girl Friday (1940)
His Girl Friday
7.8
  • Sanders
  • 1940
Marlon Brando, Frank Sinatra, Jean Simmons, and Vivian Blaine in Guys and Dolls (1955)
Guys and Dolls
7.1
  • Arvide Abernathy
  • 1955
Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck in Spellbound (1945)
Spellbound
7.5
  • Det. Sgt. Gillespie
  • 1945

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Actor

  • Evil Town (1987)
    Evil Town
    • Doc. Hopper
    • 1987
  • Gail Edwards, Ann Jillian, Marian Mercer, Wendy Schaal, Susan Sullivan, and Barrie Youngfellow in It's a Living (1980)
    It's a Living
    • Samuel
    • TV Series
    • 1982
  • Valerie Bertinelli, Red Buttons, and Conrad Bain in C.H.O.M.P.S. (1979)
    C.H.O.M.P.S.
    • Chief Patterson
    • 1979
  • Ricardo Montalban and Hervé Villechaize in Fantasy Island (1977)
    Fantasy Island
    • Dr. Thomas
    • TV Series
    • 1978
  • Bruce Dern, Madeline Kahn, and Augustus von Schumacher in Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976)
    Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood
    • Burlesque Stagehand
    • 1976
  • Arthur Hill in Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law (1971)
    Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law
    • Admiral Chasen
    • TV Series
    • 1974
  • The Phantom of Hollywood (1974)
    The Phantom of Hollywood
    • Joe
    • TV Movie
    • 1974
  • Robert Forster, David Birney, and Richard E. Kalk in Police Story (1973)
    Police Story
    • Judge
    • TV Series
    • 1973
  • Kent McCord and Martin Milner in Adam-12 (1968)
    Adam-12
    • Billy Heckman
    • TV Series
    • 1973
  • Jigsaw
    • TV Series
    • 1972
  • The F.B.I. (1965)
    The F.B.I.
    • Calvin Betts
    • TV Series
    • 1972
  • Circle of Fear (1972)
    Circle of Fear
    • Sam Streeter
    • TV Series
    • 1972
  • James Coburn in The Carey Treatment (1972)
    The Carey Treatment
    • Sanderson the Pathologist
    • 1972
  • The Doris Day Show (1968)
    The Doris Day Show
    • Charley Smith
    • TV Series
    • 1972
  • Cover Me Babe (1970)
    Cover Me Babe
    • Michael Atterbury
    • 1970

Soundtrack

  • Barbara Stanwyck in Shopworn (1932)
    Shopworn
    • Soundtrack ("Bridal Chorus (Here Comes the Bride)" (1850), uncredited)
    • 1932

Videos8

Trailer
Trailer 1:57
Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 1:13
Official Trailer
They Died With Their Boots On
Trailer 2:46
They Died With Their Boots On
His Girl Friday
Trailer 2:50
His Girl Friday
Dive Bomber
Trailer 3:17
Dive Bomber
Burke's Law: Season 1
Trailer 2:25
Burke's Law: Season 1
Burke's Law
Trailer 1:54
Burke's Law
Cheyenne: The Storm Riders
Trailer 1:14
Cheyenne: The Storm Riders

Personal details

Edit
  • Alternative name
    • Mr. Regis Toomey
  • Height
    • 5′ 11″ (1.80 m)
  • Born
    • August 13, 1898
    • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
  • Died
    • October 12, 1991
    • Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA(natural causes)
  • Spouse
    • Kathryn ScottJanuary 14, 1925 - June 16, 1981 (her death, 2 children)
  • Parents
      Francis X. Toomey
  • Other works
    Attended University of Pittsburgh to study law, then majored in drama at Carnegie Institute.
  • Publicity listings
    • 2 Articles

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Musical buffs will remember him as Uncle Arvide of The Salvation Army in the film version of Guys and Dolls (1955).
  • Quotes
    I'd rather be a supporting actor than a star. Supporting actors last longer.

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