Ned Sparks, Acting - KorPlix:Korean Person Archives

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Ned Sparks
Acting

Ned Sparks
Known For
Acting
Birthday
1883-11-18,Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Gender
Male
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

Filmography

6.9

42nd Street
1933-03-11

Gold Diggers of 1933

7.2

Gold Diggers of 1933
1933-05-27

Alice in Wonderland

6.1

Alice in Wonderland
1933-12-18

7.051

Lady for a Day
1933-09-13

6.5

Blessed Event
1932-09-10

5.7

Sweet Adeline
1934-12-29

In Search of a Sinner

0

In Search of a Sinner
1920-03-07

Imitation of Life

6.994

Imitation of Life
1934-11-23

The Canary Murder Case

5.5

The Canary Murder Case
1929-02-16

4.2

Corsair
1931-11-28

Nothing But the Truth

0

Nothing But the Truth
1920-01-01

Love's Blindness

0

Love's Blindness
1926-12-04

This Way Please

5.5

This Way Please
1937-10-15

5.8

Street Girl
1929-08-21

The Bride Walks Out

5.3

The Bride Walks Out
1936-07-10

One in a Million

7

One in a Million
1937-01-01

5.3

Big City Blues
1932-09-18

4.8

Marie Galante
1934-10-25

Seven Keys to Baldpate

0

Seven Keys to Baldpate
1925-10-19

4.5

Conspiracy
1930-08-10

5.7

Sweet Music
1935-02-23

George White's 1935 Scandals

4

George White's 1935 Scandals
1935-03-29

Sing and Like it

4.3

Sing and Like it
1934-04-20

The Wide Open Spaces

0

The Wide Open Spaces
1931-12-28

Big Dame Hunting

0

Big Dame Hunting
1932-01-15

0

The Bond Boy
1923-05-23

6.5

Hi, Nellie!
1934-01-20

5

The Crusader
1932-10-04

Wake Up and Live

5.3

Wake Up and Live
1937-08-23

Love Comes Along

5

Love Comes Along
1930-01-05

0

The Star Maker
1939-08-25

5.5

The Fall Guy
1930-06-15

Down to Their Last Yacht

6

Down to Their Last Yacht
1934-08-31

The Devil's Holiday

6.429

The Devil's Holiday
1930-05-09

6.7

Magic Town
1947-10-07

Too Much Harmony

5

Too Much Harmony
1933-09-23

5.1

Secrets
1933-03-16

5.4

Hawaii Calls
1938-03-12

The Miracle Man

5.6

The Miracle Man
1932-04-01

The Small Bachelor

0

The Small Bachelor
1927-11-06

0

The Hidden Way
1926-07-26

When the Wife's Away

0

When the Wife's Away
1926-10-20

Going Hollywood

5.5

Going Hollywood
1933-12-22

2

The Only Thing
1925-11-22

0

Mike
1926-05-10

Servants' Entrance

0

Servants' Entrance
1934-09-25

Private Scandal

0

Private Scandal
1934-05-11

Gold Diggers: FDR'S New Deal... Broadway Bound

5.5

Gold Diggers: FDR'S New Deal... Broadway Bound
2006-03-21

5.5

Kept Husbands
1931-02-22

Stage Door Canteen

6.1

Stage Door Canteen
1943-06-24

Double Cross Roads

0

Double Cross Roads
1930-04-20

Alias the Lone Wolf

0

Alias the Lone Wolf
1927-08-22

Nothing But the Truth

5

Nothing But the Truth
1929-04-20

4.8

Iron Man
1931-04-29

Alias The Deacon

0

Alias The Deacon
1927-06-20

7

Twinkletoes
1926-11-28

Good References

5.5

Good References
1920-08-01

The Secret Call

0

The Secret Call
1931-07-24

0

Faint Perfume
1925-06-08

His Supreme Moment

0

His Supreme Moment
1925-04-12

0

Leathernecking
1930-09-12

0

Money Talks
1926-05-10

0

Collegiate
1936-01-22

0

The Big Noise
1928-03-25

0

Bright Lights
1925-11-15

6

Strange Cargo
1929-03-31

The Magnificent Flirt

0

The Magnificent Flirt
1928-06-02

For Beauty's Sake

0

For Beauty's Sake
1941-06-06

A Temperamental Wife

5

A Temperamental Wife
1919-09-08

The Perfect Woman

0

The Perfect Woman
1920-07-01

0

Two's Company
1936-12-12

Courageous Cat and Minute Mouse

6

Courageous Cat and Minute Mouse
1960-01-01