Louis Jean Heydt

• Date of Birth:

  29 January 1905 Montclair, New Jersey, USA

American character actor who specialized in "average joes", often timid or down-on-their-luck. Heydt was born in Montclair, New Jersey and educated at Worcester Academy and Dartmouth College. He intended a career in journalism and worked as a reporter for the old New York World. He developed an interest in acting and landed a number of roles on the New York stage (active there from 1927-48). In the mid-Thirties, he came to Hollywood and quickly established himself as a reliable supporting playe... more

American character actor who specialized in "average joes", often timid or down-on-their-luck. Heydt was born in Montclair, New Jersey and educated at Worcester Academy and Dartmouth College. He intended a career in journalism and worked as a reporter for the old New York World. He developed an interest in acting and landed a number of roles on the New York stage (active there from 1927-48). In the mid-Thirties, he came to Hollywood and quickly established himself as a reliable supporting player. Although he played dozens of roles in many fine films including Gone with the Wind (1939), They Were Expendable (1945), and The Big Sleep (1946), and though his face is exceptionally familiar to viewers of that period's films, his name never quite broke through. He remained a pleasant presence in scores of films of Forties and Fifties, while continuing to work on the stage and on television. He died in 1960.