Larry Wheat

Laurence Wheat (October 10, 1876 – August 7, 1963) was an American character actor of the silent and sound film eras.

Larry Wheat
Wheat in Irene (1926)
Born	Laurence Wheat (1876-10-10)October 10, 1876 Wheeling, West Virginia, U.S.
Died	August 7, 1963(1963-08-07) (aged 86) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place	Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1921–1947
Relatives	Kate Rolla (sister)

Biography

Born on October 20, 1876,^[1] in Wheeling, West Virginia, Wheat entered the film industry in 1921 with a supporting role in the film, The Land of Hope, which starred Jason Robards Sr.^[2] During his 27-year career he would appear in over 70 films, in small and supporting roles, many of which were unbilled.^[3] Some of the more notable films in which Wheat appeared include: Peck's Bad Boy (1934), starring Jackie Cooper;^[4] Frank Capra's Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936), starring Gary Cooper and Jean Arthur;^[5] 1936's The Great Ziegfeld, starring William Powell and Myrna Loy;^[6] arguably one of the greatest films ever made, Citizen Kane (1941), directed, starring and co-written by Orson Welles;^[7] the classic film noir, Murder, My Sweet (1944), directed by Edward Dmytryk, and starring Dick Powell, Claire Trevor, and Anne Shirley;^[8] and 1946's The Spiral Staircase, with Dorothy McGuire, George Brent, and Ethel Barrymore.^[9] Wheat's final film role would be in a small unbilled role in the 1947 film, Killer McCoy, starring Mickey Rooney, Brian Donlevy and Ann Blyth.^[10] Wheat died on August 7, 1963, in Los Angeles, California, and was buried at Hollywood Forever Cemetery.^[1]

Wheat's older sister was opera singer Kate Rolla.^[11][12]

Filmography

(Per AFI database)^[3]

• The Land of Hope (1921)
• Hush Money (1921)
• Our Leading Citizen (1922)
• Hollywood (1923)
• The Song of Love (1923)
• The Confidence Man (1924)
• Inez from Hollywood (1924)
• Not So Long Ago (1925)
• Irene (1926)
• The Loudspeaker (1934)
• Student Tour (1934)
• Peck's Bad Boy (1934)
• Ever Since Eve (1934)
• The Big Broadcast of 1936 (1935)
• The Case of the Curious Bride (1935)
• It's in the Air (1935)
• Show Them No Mercy! (1935)
• Public Hero No. 1 (1935)
• Diamond Jim (1935)
• Night Life of the Gods (1935)
• Annapolis Farewell (1935)
• The Preview Murder Mystery (1936)
• 15 Maiden Lane (1936)
• Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936)
• Postal Inspector (1936)
• To Mary - with Love (1936)
• The Great Ziegfeld (1936)
• Big City (1937)
• It's All Yours (1937)
• Time Out for Romance (1937)
• Checkers (1938)
• There's That Woman Again (1938)
• Broadway Serenade (1939)
• Turnabout (1940)
• The Trial of Mary Dugan (1941)
• Citizen Kane (1941) - Man Singing at Inquirer Party (uncredited)
• It Happened in Flatbush(1942)
• The Magnificent Dope (1942)
• My Gal Sal (1942)
• The Postman Didn't Ring (1942)
• Gildersleeve on Broadway (1943)
• Gildersleeve's Bad Day (1943)
• Bombardier (1943)
• The White Cliffs of Dover (1944)
• Heavenly Days (1944)
• Experiment Perilous (1944)
• The Canterville Ghost (1944)
• Murder, My Sweet (1944)
• Nevada (1944)
• A Night of Adventure (1944)
• Step Lively (1944)
• Bride by Mistake (1944)
• The Body Snatcher (1945)
• The Enchanted Cottage (1945)
• George White's Scandals (1945)
• Having Wonderful Crime (1945)
• Man Alive (1945)
• Wanderer of the Wasteland (1945)
• West of the Pecos (1945)
• What a Blonde (1945)
• Abie's Irish Rose (1946)
• Badman's Territory (1946)
• The Bamboo Blonde (1946)
• Bedlam (1946)
• Deadline at Dawn (1946)
• The Falcon's Alibi (1946)
• Genius at Work (1946)
• Lady Luck (1946)
• Riverboat Rhythm (1946)
• The Spiral Staircase (1946)
• The Truth About Murder (1946)
• Killer McCoy (1947)
• Magic Town (1947)
• Merton of the Movies (1947)