Billy Halop
Encyclopedia
William "Billy" Halop was an American actor born in New York City
.
He came from a Jewish theatrical family: his mother was a dancer, and his sister Florence Halop
was a child actress, who later worked on radio and in television. After several years as a radio juvenile, Billy was cast as "Tommy Gordon" in the Broadway production of Sidney Kingsley
's Dead End in 1935, and traveled to Hollywood with the rest of the Dead End Kids
when Samuel Goldwyn
produced a film version of the play
in 1937.
In an interview in his later years, he claimed that he was paid more than the other 'Dead End' actors, which had contributed to bad feelings in the group, and that he hated the name 'Dead End Kids'. He also played the vicious bully Flashman in the 1940 Tom Brown's School Days opposite Cedric Hardwicke
and Freddie Bartholomew
.
After serving in World War II
, Halop found that he had grown too old to be effective in the roles that had brought him fame. At one point, he was reduced to starring in a cheap East Side Kids imitation at PRC studios, Gas House Kids (1946). Diminishing film work, marital difficulties, and a drinking problem eventually ate away at Halop's show business career.
The nursing skills he learned while taking care of his third wife led him to steady work as a registered nurse at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California
. His fourth marriage, to a nurse coworker, whose name has not been publicized, was quickly annulled after she allegedly attacked him. He later moved back in with his third wife, Suzanne, but they chose not to remarry.
.
and is interred at Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery
in Los Angeles, California
.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
He came from a Jewish theatrical family: his mother was a dancer, and his sister Florence Halop
Florence Halop
Florence Halop was an American actress. Best known for her role as the raspy-voiced bailiff Florence Kleiner on the sitcom Night Court, Halop was the sister of Billy Halop, one of the original Dead End/East Side Kids....
was a child actress, who later worked on radio and in television. After several years as a radio juvenile, Billy was cast as "Tommy Gordon" in the Broadway production of Sidney Kingsley
Sidney Kingsley
Sidney Kingsley was an American dramatist. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play Men in White in 1934.- Biography :...
's Dead End in 1935, and traveled to Hollywood with the rest of the Dead End Kids
Dead End Kids
The Dead End Kids were a group of young actors from New York who appeared in Sidney Kingsley's Broadway play Dead End in 1935. In 1937 producer Samuel Goldwyn brought all of them to Hollywood and turned the play into a film...
when Samuel Goldwyn
Samuel Goldwyn
Samuel Goldwyn was an American film producer, and founding contributor executive of several motion picture studios.-Biography:...
produced a film version of the play
Dead End
Dead End is a 1937 crime drama film. It is an adaptation of the Sidney Kingsley 1935 Broadway play of the same name. It stars Humphrey Bogart, Joel McCrea, and Sylvia Sidney...
in 1937.
In an interview in his later years, he claimed that he was paid more than the other 'Dead End' actors, which had contributed to bad feelings in the group, and that he hated the name 'Dead End Kids'. He also played the vicious bully Flashman in the 1940 Tom Brown's School Days opposite Cedric Hardwicke
Cedric Hardwicke
Sir Cedric Webster Hardwicke was a noted English stage and film actor whose career spanned nearly fifty years...
and Freddie Bartholomew
Freddie Bartholomew
Frederick Cecil Bartholomew , known for his acting work as Freddie Bartholomew, was an English-American child actor. One of the most famous child actors of all time, he became very popular in 1930s Hollywood films...
.
After serving in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Halop found that he had grown too old to be effective in the roles that had brought him fame. At one point, he was reduced to starring in a cheap East Side Kids imitation at PRC studios, Gas House Kids (1946). Diminishing film work, marital difficulties, and a drinking problem eventually ate away at Halop's show business career.
Marriages
Halop was married at least four times, according to interviews given near the end of his life. His first wife, from 1946 until their divorce on January 14, 1947, was Helen Tupper. On Valentine's Day, 1948, he married Barbara Hoon. Their marriage lasted ten years, until their divorce on March 5, 1958. His third marriage, on December 17, 1960 to Suzanne Roe, who had multiple sclerosis, lasted until their divorce in 1967.The nursing skills he learned while taking care of his third wife led him to steady work as a registered nurse at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
. His fourth marriage, to a nurse coworker, whose name has not been publicized, was quickly annulled after she allegedly attacked him. He later moved back in with his third wife, Suzanne, but they chose not to remarry.
Last years
Late in life, Halop supplemented his nursing income with film and television roles, including the recurring role of Bert Munson on All in the FamilyAll in the Family
All in the Family is an American sitcom that was originally broadcast on the CBS television network from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979. In September 1979, a new show, Archie Bunker's Place, picked up where All in the Family had ended...
.
Death
Halop died on November 9, 1976, aged 56, from a heart attackMyocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
and is interred at Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery
Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery
Mount Sinai Memorial Parks and Mortuaries refers to two Jewish cemeteries in the Los Angeles, California metropolitan area. The original cemetery is located at 5950 Forest Lawn Drive in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles. The cemetery was originally established in 1953 by the neighboring Forest...
in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
.
Partial filmography
- Dead EndDead EndDead End is a 1937 crime drama film. It is an adaptation of the Sidney Kingsley 1935 Broadway play of the same name. It stars Humphrey Bogart, Joel McCrea, and Sylvia Sidney...
(1937) - Crime SchoolCrime SchoolCrime School is a 1938 Warner Bros. film directed by Lewis Seiler and starring the Dead End Kids and Humphrey Bogart.-Plot:A junkman is attacked by the Dead End Kids Crime School is a 1938 Warner Bros. film directed by Lewis Seiler and starring the Dead End Kids and Humphrey Bogart.-Plot:A junkman...
(1938) - Little Tough GuyLittle Tough GuyLittle Tough Guy is a 1938 Universal Studios film that starred several of the Dead End Kids. Although re-release posters and the DVD release credit them as The Dead End Kids they did not go by that title in the on screen credits. It was in the follow-up films that they began using the team name...
(1938) - Angels with Dirty FacesAngels with Dirty FacesAngels with Dirty Faces is a 1938 American gangster film directed by Michael Curtiz and starring James Cagney, Pat O'Brien, the Dead End Kids and Humphrey Bogart, along with Ann Sheridan and George Bancroft...
(1938) - They Made Me a CriminalThey Made Me a CriminalThey Made Me a Criminal is a 1939 American Warner Bros. drama crime film directed by Busby Berkeley and starring John Garfield, Claude Rains, and The Dead End Kids. It is a remake of the 1933 film The Life of Jimmy Dolan. The film was later featured in an episode of Cinema Insomnia.-Plot:Johnnie...
(1939) - Hell's KitchenHell's Kitchen (1939 film)Hell's Kitchen is a 1939 Warner Bros. film starring Ronald Reagan and The Dead End Kids.-Plot:Buck Caesar is a paroled convict who makes a contribution to a reform school on the advice of his nephew, Jim Donahue , a lawyer...
(1939) - The Angels Wash Their FacesThe Angels Wash Their FacesThe Angels Wash Their Faces is a 1939 Warner Bros. film starring Ronald Reagan and The Dead End Kids.-Plot:Gabe Ryan is released from reform school and it taken to a new house by his sister Joy to start a new life where no one knows of his past...
(1939) - Dust Be My DestinyDust Be My DestinyDust Be My Destiny is a drama film released in 1939. John Garfield stars as a man who gets into trouble after being sentenced to a work farm.-Plot:...
(1939) - On Dress ParadeOn Dress ParadeOn Dress Parade is a 1939 Warner Bros. film that marked the first time The Dead End Kids headlined a film without any other well-known actors.-Plot:...
(1939) - Tom Brown's School Days (1940)
- Junior G-MenJunior G-Men (serial)Junior G-Men is a Universal film serial. It was Universal's 116th serial of their total of output of 137. It is one of the three serials starring "The Dead End Kids and Little Tough Guys" who were under contract to Universal at the time...
(1940 serial) - Sky RaidersSky RaidersSky Raiders is a Universal film serial.-Plot:Captain Dayton, owner of Sky Raiders, Inc., has invented a new fighter plane and bomb sight. Nazi agent Felix Lynx attempts to steal these inventions for his own country...
(1941 serial) - Sea RaidersSea RaidersSea Raiders is a Universal film serial starring the Dead End Kids and Little Tough Guys. This was the child stars' second of three serials, between Junior G-Men and Junior G-Men of the Air . Sea Raiders was the 52nd serial to be released by Universal...
(1941 serial) - Junior G-Men of the AirJunior G-Men of the AirJunior G-Men of the Air is a Universal film serial starring the Dead End Kids and the Little Tough Guys.-Plot:Japanese sabateurs attack America in preparation for an invasion during World War II. They are discovered by "Ace" Holden and The Dead End Kids, who do not trust the police enough to help...
(1942 serial) - Dangerous YearsDangerous YearsDangerous Years is a 1947 film produced by Sol M. Wurtzel, directed by Arthur Pierson, starring Billy Halop and Ann E. Todd. Marilyn Monroe makes a cameo appearance as Evie the waitress in the restaurant scene....
(1947) - Mister BuddwingMister BuddwingMister Buddwing is a 1966 American film drama starring James Garner, directed by Delbert Mann.It is the story of a well-dressed man who finds himself on a bench in Central Park with no idea of who he is...
(1966)