Biography
Born on 3 July 1881 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and destined to die in Hollywood, California, on 12 October 1951, Errol crossed to the United States while still young and entered vaudeville as a comedian. Broadway offered him sustained acclaim; he joined the Ziegfeld Follies in 1911 and later staged the 1915 and 1916 editions. Additional assignments for Florenz Ziegfeld included the 1920 production of Sally, which featured Marilyn Miller, and he also took roles in straight dramatic plays. Screen work followed, beginning with the 1925 film adaptation of Sally and continuing through Paramount On Parade in 1930 and Make A Wish in 1937. Two-reel comedies ultimately defined his screen identity. Balding and rubber-faced, frequently rubber-legged as well, he excelled at portraying eccentric figures, most memorably the bewildered—and often cuckolded—husband. In 1939 he shared the spotlight with Lupe Velez in The Girl From Mexico; its popularity immediately generated Mexican Spitfire, essentially reusing the same cast and screenplay, after which six further entries completed the Mexican Spitfire cycle. Concurrent assignments encompassed Never Give A Sucker An Even Break in 1941 alongside W.C. Fields and Follow The Band in 1943. The Velez partnership concluded with Mexican Spitfire’s Blessed Event in 1943, after which Errol appeared in Higher And Higher that same year, Mama Loves Papa in 1945, Abbott And Costello’s The Noose Hangs High in 1948, and Footlight Varieties in 1951. Although many of these pictures proved ephemeral, Errol himself remained distinctive; at the moment of his death he was discussing a possible television series with network executives.