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Famous Like Me > Actor > F > Paul Ford

Profile of Paul Ford on Famous Like Me

 
Name: Paul Ford  
   
Also Know As:
   
Date of Birth: 2nd November 1901
   
Place of Birth: Baltimore, Maryland, USA
   
Profession: Actor
 
 
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Paul Ford (November 2, 1901 - April 12, 1976) Was a well known American character actor who came to specialize in authority figures whose ineptitude and pompous demaeanors were played for comic effect. Ford became an "overnight" success at age 54 when he had a role opposite Phil Silvers on Silvers' "Sgt. Bilko" TV show. His signature role may well be the part of Mayor George Shinn, a befuddled politico in the film adaptaion of the Broadway show "The Music Man". Ford played the role straight, and recieved glowing reviews. Ford had an active career in both films and television until his retirement in the early 1970's.

Ford was born Paul Ford Weaver on November 2, 1901. At a young age, he showed an adept talent for performance, but was discouraged when directors thought he was tone-deaf. However, in later years, he made his hollow, reverberating voice one of the most recognized of his era. His success was long in the making, and he did little acting, but rather raised his family during the Great Depression. Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Public Works programs provided Ford work, and to the day he died, he was a passionate Democrat. Ford auditioned for a play under his birth name, and didn't get the part. So, he dropped 'Weaver' and became Paul Ford. His most remembered performances were on "Sgt. Bilko", and "The Music Man", as well as "The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!".

Most actors who worked with Ford claimed he was a kindly, and very funny man. He was known for his quotes about the depression in later years, including his most famous: "My kids used to think everyone lived on Peanut-butter sandwhiches".

Paul Ford died after suffering a massive heart attack at his home in New York on the date of April 12, 1976. Ford was cremated, and his ashes were given to his family.

This content from Wikipedia is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Paul Ford