In his many supporting roles, Mitchell was what moviemakers and audiences wanted – a chameleon. His characters were never superfluous, but were vital to the stories, and he played them to the hilt.
Thomas Mitchell Broadway Performer and Playwright
Born July 11, 1892 Thomas was son of an Irish immigrant couple who settled in New Jersey. As his father and brother had, he entered the field of journalism, but decided in 1913 that he preferred the acting profession.
He received great training as a member of actor Charles Coburn’s Shakespeare touring company. His Broadway debut was in Under Sentence in 1916 at the Cohan and Harris Theatre. Mitchell performed in eight more plays at the theatre before 1923. During that period, he was also writing.
His first foray into movies was the silent Six Cylinder Love (1923). It seems that silent movies had no appeal for Mitchell. He quickly returned to Broadway to continue with his acting as well as writing and producing.
He later performed in two original comedies, Little Accident (1928), co-authored by Floyd Dell and Thomas Mitchell, and Cloudy with Showers (1931. He was involved in the production as writer, producer, or actor in twenty-nine plays.
Golden Age of Hollywood Movies
When Thomas returned to Hollywood in 1936, he was cast in two successful films. The first, Craig’s Wife, starred Rosalind Russell. The second was the screw-ball comedy, Theodora Goes Wild featuring Irene Dunne.
Mitchell was praised for his impeccable dramatic timing and delivery of one liners as the embezzler in Lost Horizon (1937). That was described as his breakthrough role. He received a supporting actor Academy Award nomination for his work in The Hurricane that same year.
1939 was a banner year for Hollywood movies and for Thomas Mitchell. He had prominent roles in five films that year that are acknowledged classics of the Golden Age.
- Stagecoach
- Only Angels Have Wings
- Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
- Gone With the Wind
- The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Stagecoach and Gone with the Wind
John Ford’s Stagecoach was a huge critical and financial success that took John Wayne to stardom. Thomas Mitchell’s skilled portrayal of the alcoholic Doctor Josiah Boone earned him the best supporting actor Academy Award.
Many people believe the award was for his brilliant work as Gerald O’Hara in Gone with the Wind. His memorable performance as Scarlett O’Hara’s father who lost his mind and his life because of the Civil War was heart wrenching. It has been said that his was the most outstanding portrayal in the film.
Triple Crown for Character Actor
During the 1950s, he and many performers turned to television for work. He became a regular in prestigious anthology programs’ live and filmed presentations. Mitchell earned the Emmy Award for best actor in a single performance for The Good of His Soul on The Ford Television Theatre (1952).
Mitchell returned to perform in Broadway plays periodically during those heady days in Hollywood. In 1953, he received the Tony Award for best actor in a musical (Hazel Flagg). With that, he became the first performer to earn the triple crown of Oscar, Emmy, and Tony awards
Today, Thomas Mitchell is well known by audiences as Uncle Billy Bailey in the 1946 Christmas classic film, It’s a Wonderful Life.
Thomas, who died in 1962 in Los Angeles, was married to Rachel Hartzell in 1938. Little is known of his personal life, but in later years he apparently was married to Ann Stuart Breswer.
Throughout his career, whether in Broadway plays, Hollywood films, or on television, audiences knew that this brilliant character actor would not disappoint them.
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