Square-jawed, intense, no-nonsense Frank Lovejoy played a succession of
detectives, street cops, reporters, soldiers and such over his career.
Born in the Bronx, New York, in 1912, he worked on Wall Street as a
teenager, but the Great Stock Market Crash of 1929 cost him his job,
and to make ends meet he got into acting. He played in touring
companies throughout the Northeast before making his Broadway debut in
1934. His gritty, authoritative voice was perfect for radio, and he
became a staple on such shows as "Gangbusters", "Night Beat" and "Damon
Runyon Theater". Making his film debut in 1948, he worked steadily,
mainly in supporting parts but also as a first or second lead (one of
his best roles was as one of the hunters kidnapped by murderous
psychopath
William Talman in the classic
The Hitch-Hiker (1953), directed by
Ida Lupino). He
played soldiers in such war pictures as
Breakthrough (1950) and
Retreat, Hell! (1952) and even
showed up in a western or two. During the 1950s he starred in his own
TV shows,
Man Against Crime (1956) and
The Adventures of McGraw (1957). He died of a heart attack in New York
City in 1962.
The Adventures of Superman(1940)as Captain Anderson
Bus Stop(1961)as Lieutenant Kincaid
Target: The Corruptors(1961)as Judge Loren Tolliver
The DuPont Show of the Week(1961)as Major Ludwig Gesner
The United States Steel Hour(1953)as Andrew Kirk, Mike Corriden
Starlift(1951)
The Tonight Show(1962)as Self - Actor
The Tonight Show Starring Jack Paar(1957)as Self
The Arthur Murray Party(1950)as Self - Actor
The Juke Box Jury(1953)as Self
This Is Your Life(1950)as Self
Compression(1995)as Self
Cinemassacre's Monster Madness(2007)as Det. Lt. Tom Brennan
The Rules of Film Noir(2009)as Det. Sgt. Brub Nicolai (clip from In a Lonely Place (1950))
Classified X(2007)as Self
Red Skelton: Bloopers, Blunders and Ad-Libs(1994)as Ace - Gangster
The Great Detectives of Old Time Radio(2009)as Randy Stone
