- Born
- Died
- Birth nameEdward Everett Horton Jr.
- Nicknames
- Eddie
- Ned
- Height1.83 m
- It seemed like Edward Everett Horton appeared in just about every Hollywood comedy made in the 1930s. He was always the perfect counterpart to the great gentlemen and protagonists of the films. Horton was born in Brooklyn, New York City, to Isabella S. (Diack) and Edward Everett Horton, a compositor for the NY Times. His maternal grandparents were Scottish and his father was of English and German ancestry. Like many of his contemporaries, Horton came to the movies from the theatre, where he debuted in 1906. He made his film debut in 1922. Unlike many of his silent-film colleagues, however, Horton had no problems in adapting to the sound, despite--or perhaps because of--his crackling voice. From 1932 to 1938 he worked often with Ernst Lubitsch, and later with Frank Capra. He has appeared in more than 120 films, in addition to a large body of work on TV, among which was the befuddled Hekawi medicine man Roaring Chicken on the western comedy F Troop (1965).- IMDb Mini Biography By: Volker Boehm
- ParentsEdward Everett Horton Sr.Edward Everett HortonIsabella Horton
- Quavering, slightly effeminate voice
- The triple take--an extended double take
- Beginning in 1959 through 1964, he narrated the "Fractured Fairy Tales" segment as well as playing multiple characters in various supporting features of the The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show .
- He owned an estate in Encino on Amestoy Avenue that he named "Belly Acres".
- Played the role of Professor Nick Potter in Holiday (1930) and again in the 1938 remake directed by George Cukor.
- His father, Edward Everett Horton, Sr., had English and German ancestry, and his mother, Isabella S. (Diack), was born in Matanzas, Cuba, to Scottish parents. He was the eldest of four children; George, Winter Davis, and Hannahbelle were his siblings. The family remained close throughout their lives. Edward's mother lived with him until she died at the age of 101. His brothers and sister also spent their later years residing at his Encino estate.
- Like Zasu Pitts, Horton excelled in comedy and specialized in the fretful, woebegone "Nervous Nellie" types. The duo were the only actors who could utter the simple words "Oh, dear!" and make it sound like it was the end of the world.
- [at the suggestion of retirement, c. 1966, aged 80] Dear Lord! I would go right out of my mind.
- [on Rita Hayworth] She was so sweet and hard-working. She asked me to watch her work out her dance routines and go over her lines with her. I'd tell her little things and she'd whisper, "Don't tell the director, please." She was so modest and affectionate.
- [on Douglas Sirk] He was delightful and ambitious and so well-informed.
- I have my own little kingdom. I do the scavenger parts no one else wants and I get well paid for it.
- Roar of the Dragon (1932) - $3,500 /week
- Too Much Business (1922) - $150 /week
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