Thomas Mitchell

Trivia

• Certainly there have been many phrases coined about Thomas Mitchell as one of the most recognizable and exemplary character actor of Hollywood's golden years, but behind that elfish demeanor that could fit anywhere in a film was a talent to fit many hats.
• He was a first generation American of Irish immigrants, who settled in New Jersey.
• A trait to mark for later consideration was that the Mitchells were a journalist family.
• After high school Thomas followed his father and brother into newspaper reporting.
• But the writing talent in him searched for more.
• He began turning out comic skits for the theater.
• And finally in 1913 he decided to become an actor.
• He met another future great screen character actor Charles Coburn, who as a long time Broadway stage actor with his wife, formed his own company, the Coburn Players.
• Coburn provided young Mitchell with some well absorbed experience playing Shakespeare.
• In late 1916 Mitchell debuted on Broadway in the original play "Under Sentence" and would be a fixture on the Great White Way steadily from then to 1935.

Quotes

• "A man looks bigger in the bathtub than he does in the ocean."