Actor. Born in Yorkshire, England, he began his career in America in the 1930s, as a narrator and a lead character in the theatre. During the 1940s, he was a popular radio figure performing as a regular in the roles of Gillis and Digby "Digger" O'Dell on the "The Life of Riley" series. He also played AL on the radio series "My Friend Irma". For feature films, he appeared in "Casanova Brown" (1944), "It's in the Bag" (1945), "Strangers on a Train" (1951), "Something for the Birds" (1952) and "The Wild One" (1953). Falling as a victim of the Hollywood Red Channels blacklist, he was unable to find work in broadcasting or movies after 1953. He died of a heart attack at age 53 in West Hollywood, California.
Actor. Born in Yorkshire, England, he began his career in America in the 1930s, as a narrator and a lead character in the theatre. During the 1940s, he was a popular radio figure performing as a regular in the roles of Gillis and Digby "Digger" O'Dell on the "The Life of Riley" series. He also played AL on the radio series "My Friend Irma". For feature films, he appeared in "Casanova Brown" (1944), "It's in the Bag" (1945), "Strangers on a Train" (1951), "Something for the Birds" (1952) and "The Wild One" (1953). Falling as a victim of the Hollywood Red Channels blacklist, he was unable to find work in broadcasting or movies after 1953. He died of a heart attack at age 53 in West Hollywood, California.
Bio by: John "J-Cat" Griffith
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John H. Brown
1904 ✡ 1957
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