John Ridgely (born John Huntington Rea, September 6, 1909 – January 18, 1968 ) was an American film character actor with over 175 film credits.John Ridgely Roles Now Number 175, The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, October 2, 1951, p. 6
Early years Ridgely was born in Chicago, Illinois,Katz, Ephraim (1979). The Film Encyclopedia: The Most Comprehensive Encyclopedia of World Cinema in a Single Volume. Perigee Books. . P. 973. the son of John Ridgely Rea. He completed his elementary schooling was in Hinsdale, Illinois, and he attended Kemper Military School in Boonville, Missouri. He also studied at Stanford University before making his movie debut.
Film He appeared in the 1946 Humphrey Bogart film The Big Sleep as blackmailing gangster Eddie Mars and had a pivotal role as a suffering heart patient in the film noir Nora Prentiss (1947). His most prominent other roles were his top-billed part as the bomber captain in Howard Hawks's Air Force and as real-life fighter pilot Tex Hill in 1945's God is My Co-Pilot.
The Chicago-born actor appeared in a large number of other films, particularly for Warner Bros., in the 1930s and 1940s.
Freelancing after 1948, Ridgely continued to essay general-purpose parts until he left films in 1953.
Later life and death He worked in summer-theater productions and television until his death from a heart attack at the age of 58 in 1968.Willis, John, Screen World, 1969, Vol. 20, London: Frederick Muller Ltd, p. 239
Selected filmography
Streamline Express (1935) as 2nd Steward (uncredited) They Won't Forget (1937) as Boy in Pool Room (uncredited) Submarine D-1 (1937) as Lieutenant Junior Grade (uncredited) Missing Witnesses (1937) as Train Ticket Clerk (uncredited) Hollywood Hotel (1937) as Tall Hotel Desk Clerk (uncredited) The Spy Ring (1938) as Spy Ring Member (uncredited) The Patient in Room 18 (1938) as Jim Warren The Invisible Menace (1938) as Pvt. Innes (scenes deleted) White Banners (1938) as Charles Ellis Blondes at Work (1938) as Regan Forbidden Valley (1938) as Duke Lafferty He Couldn't Say No (1938) as Ed the reporter Torchy Blane in Panama (1938) as Reynolds Crime School (1938) as Reporter Covering 'Escape' (uncredited) Western Trails (1938) as Ben McClure Little Miss Thoroughbred (1938) as Jim Slug, Becker's Henchman Men Are Such Fools (1938) as Jerry (uncredited) When Were You Born (1938) as Crenshaw, Policeman (uncredited) My Bill (1938) as Mr. Martin, Florist Cowboy from Brooklyn (1938) as Beacon Reporter Racket Busters (1938) as Yellow Stripe Truck Driver (uncredited) Boy Meets Girl (1938) as Simmons – Friday's Film Cutter (uncredited) Garden of the Moon (1938) as Sound Control Engineer (uncredited) Broadway Musketeers (1938) as Master of Ceremonies (scenes deleted) Hard to Get (1938) as Burke Torchy Gets Her Man (1938) as Bugs Nancy Drew... Detective (1938) as Radio Station Technician (uncredited) Going Places (1938) as Desk Clerk King of the Underworld (1939) as Jerry They Made Me a Criminal (1939) as Magee Torchy Blane in Chinatown (1939) as Submarine Officer (uncredited) Wings of the Navy (1939) as Dan Morrison Nancy Drew... Reporter (1939) as Hotel Clerk (uncredited) Secret Service of the Air (1939) as Joe LeRoy The Adventures of Jane Arden (1939) as Reporter You Can't Get Away with Murder (1939) as Gas Station Attendant On Trial (1939) as Radio Announcer (uncredited) Women in the Wind (1939) as Salesman (uncredited) Dark Victory (1939) as man Making Crack About Judith (uncredited) Confessions of a Nazi Spy (1939) as Army Hospital Clerk (uncredited) Torchy Runs for Mayor (1939) as Photographer in Mayor's Office (uncredited) The Kid from Kokomo (1939) as Sam, a 50% Owner Naughty but Nice (1939) as Harry, Hudson's Assistant (uncredited) Indianapolis Speedway (1939) as Ted Horn Waterfront (1939) as Orchestra Leader (uncredited) Each Dawn I Die (1939) as Reporter (uncredited) The Cowboy Quarterback (1939) as Mr. Walters Torchy Blane... Playing with Dynamite (1939) as Reporter at the Wrestling Match Everybody's Hobby (1939) as Ranger Mike Morgan The Angels Wash Their Faces (1939) as Reporter at Pillory (uncredited) Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase (1939) as Reporter Smashing the Money Ring (1939) as Policeman (uncredited) On Dress Parade (1939) as Fort Lewis Firing Range Sergeant (uncredited) The Roaring Twenties (1939) as Cab Driver (uncredited) Kid Nightingale (1939) as Whitey The Return of Doctor X (1939) as Rodgers A Child Is Born (1939) as Intern Going to See Operation (uncredited) Private Detective (1939) as Donald Norton Invisible Stripes (1939) as Employment Clerk (uncredited) The Fighting 69th (1940) as Moran (uncredited) Castle on the Hudson (1940) as Intake Guard (uncredited) Three Cheers for the Irish (1940) as Photographer (uncredited) 'Til We Meet Again (1940) as Junior Officer (uncredited) Saturday's Children (1940) as Mr. MacReady (voice, uncredited) Torrid Zone (1940) as Gardner Flight Angels (1940) as Lt. Parsons Brother Orchid (1940) as Texas Pearson Gambling on the High Seas (1940) as Police Radio Operator (uncredited) The Man Who Talked Too Much (1940) as Brooks They Drive By Night (1940) as Hank Dawson (uncredited) River's End (1940) as Constable Jeffers Money and the Woman (1940) as Doctor (uncredited) No Time for Comedy (1940) as Cashier (uncredited) Knute Rockne All American (1940) as Reporter (scenes deleted) The Letter (1940) as Driver (uncredited) Father Is a Prince (1940) as Salesman Lady with Red Hair (1940) as Actor Playing Paul (uncredited) Honeymoon for Three (1941) as Tomahawk Inn Desk Clerk (uncredited) The Great Mr. Nobody (1941) as Eddie Williams Here Comes Happiness (1941) as Jim Knockout (1941) as Pat Martin Strange Alibi (1941) as Tex The Wagons Roll at Night (1941) as Arch Million Dollar Baby (1941) as Ollie Ward Highway West (1941) as Alex – Armored Car Guard International Squadron (1941) as Bill Torrence Navy Blues (1941) as Jersey Nine Lives Are Not Enough (1941) as Mechanic (uncredited) They Died with Their Boots On (1941) as 2nd Lt. Davis (uncredited) Steel Against the Sky (1941) as Joe (uncredited) Dangerously They Live (1941) as John The Bride Came C.O.D. (1941) (uncredited) The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942) as Radio Man Bullet Scars (1942) as Hank O'Connor The Big Shot (1942) as Tim Wings for the Eagle (1942) as Johnson Secret Enemies (1942) as Agent John Trent Air Force (1943) as Capt. Quincannon, B-17 Pilot Northern Pursuit (1943) as Jim Austin Destination Tokyo (1943) as Reserve Officer Raymond The Doughgirls (1944) as Julian Cadman Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) as Officer Saunders Hollywood Canteen (1944) as himself God Is My Co-Pilot (1945) as David 'Tex' Hill Pride of the Marines (1945) as Jim Merchant Danger Signal (1945) as Thomas Turner My Reputation (1946) as Cary Abbott Two Guys from Milwaukee (1946) as Mike Collins The Big Sleep (1946) as Eddie Mars The Man I Love (1947) as Roy Otis Nora Prentiss (1947) as Walter Bailey, Heart Patient That Way with Women (1947) as Sam Possessed (1947) as Harker That's My Man (1947) as Ramsey Cheyenne (1947) as Chalkeye Cry Wolf (1947) as Jackson Laidell High Wall (1947) as David Wallace The Iron Curtain (1948) as RCMP Officer Murphy (uncredited) Night Wind (1948) as Walters Luxury Liner (1948) as Chief Officer Carver Sealed Verdict (1948) as Capt. Lance Nissen Trouble Makers (1948) as 'Silky' Thomas Command Decision (1948) as James Carwood Tucson (1949) as Ben Task Force (1949) as Dixie Rankin Once More, My Darling (1949) as Burke Border Incident (1949) as Mr. Neley Backfire (1950) as Plainclothesman (uncredited) Beauty on Parade (1950) as Jeffrey Woodstock The Lost Volcano (1950) as Fred Barton Edge of Doom (1950) as 1st Detective The Petty Girl (1950) as Patrolman South Sea Sinner (1950) as Don Williams Rookie Fireman (1950) as Harry Williams Saddle Tramp (1950) as Slim Al Jennings of Oklahoma (1951) as Railroad Detective Dan Hanes The Last Outpost (1951) as Sam McQuade A Place in the Sun (1951) as Coroner Thunder in God's Country (1951) as Bill Stafford Half Angel (1951) as Tim McCarey When the Redskins Rode (1951) as Christopher Gist When Worlds Collide (1951) as Chief Customs Inspector (uncredited) As You Were (1951) as Captain The Blue Veil (1951) as Doctor (uncredited) Room for One More (1952) as Harry Foreman The Greatest Show on Earth (1952) as Assistant Manager Fort Osage (1952) as Henry Travers The Outcasts of Poker Flat (1952) as Bill Akeley (uncredited) Off Limits (1952) as Lt. Cmdr. Parnell The Congregation (1952)
Radio appearances Year Program Episode/source 1938 Warner Brothers Academy Theater Special Agent
References
External links