Grant Mitchell
Biography
Grant Mitchell, born John Grant Mitchell Junior, was an American stage and screen actor. He was born on June 17, 1874, in Columbus, Ohio, and died on May 1, 1957. A Yale postgraduate who attended Harvard Law, he gave up his law practice to pursue acting, making his stage debut at age 27. He appeared on Broadway from 1902 to 1939, taking lead roles in plays such as It Pays to Advertise, The Champion, The Whole Town's Talking, and The Baby Cyclone, which was specially written for him by George M. Cohan. He is best remembered for playing supporting film roles as fathers, husbands, bank clerks, businessmen, and school principals in the 1930s and 1940s, appearing in more than 125 films between 1930 and 1948.
Career overview
John Grant Mitchell Jr. was an American stage and screen actor born on June 17, 1874, in Columbus, Ohio. He was a Yale postgraduate who attended Harvard Law and gave up his law practice to pursue acting, making his stage debut at the age of 27. On stage, Mitchell appeared on Broadway from 1902 to 1939. He secured lead roles in various Broadway productions, including It Pays to Advertise, The Champion, The Whole Town's Talking, and The Baby Cyclone, which was specially written for him by George M. Cohan.
Following his stage career, Mitchell transitioned to film, with his screen career taking off with the advent of sound after he had appeared in earlier works. Between 1930 and 1948, he appeared in more than 125 films, accumulating 128 known credits in acting. On screen, he is best remembered for playing supporting characters such as fathers, husbands, bank clerks, businessmen, and school principals in films of the 1930s and 1940s.
Mitchell passed away on May 1, 1957, at the age of 82. His extensive career spanned decades on both the stage and in motion pictures, leaving behind a legacy primarily defined by his recognizable supporting work in classic cinema alongside his notable theatrical contributions on Broadway.
Ask the Vault
Ask anything about Grant Mitchell.
Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full Filmography
128 titles- Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? (1975) as Self (archive footage)
- The Big Parade of Comedy (1964) as Ed Loomis in 'Dinner at Eight' (archive footage) (uncredited)
- Who Killed Doc Robbin? (1948) as Judge
- It Happened on Fifth Avenue (1947) as Al Farrow
- The Corpse Came C.O.D. (1947) as Mitchell Edwards
- Blondie's Holiday (1947) as Samuel Breckenridge
- Blondie's Anniversary (1947) as Samuel Breckenbridge
- Honeymoon (1947) as Congressman Crenshaw
- Easy to Wed (1946) as Homer Henshaw
- Leave Her to Heaven (1945) as Carlson (uncredited)
- Guest Wife (1945) as House Detective
- Conflict (1945) as Dr. Grant
- Watchtower Over Tomorrow (1945) as Passenger with newspaper
- Crime, Inc. (1945) as Wayne Clark
- Bring on the Girls (1945) as Ralph Neely
- Bedside Manner (1945) as Mr. Pope
- A Medal for Benny (1945) as Mayor of Pantera
- Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) as Reverend Harper
- See Here, Private Hargrove (1944) as Uncle George
- Step Lively (1944) as Dr. Gibbs
- The Impatient Years (1944) as Hotel Clerk
- And Now Tomorrow (1944) as Uncle Wallace
- When the Lights Go On Again (1944) as Arnold Benson
- Dixie (1943) as Mr. Mason
- The Amazing Mrs. Holliday (1943) as Edgar Holliday
- All by Myself (1943) as J.D. Gibbons
- Meet the Stewarts (1942) as Mr. Goodwin
- Larceny, Inc. (1942) as Mr. Aspinwall
- The Gay Sisters (1942) as Gilbert Wheeler
- My Sister Eileen (1942) as Walter Sherwood
- Orchestra Wives (1942) as Dr. Ward
- Cairo (1942) as Mr. O.H.P. Boggs
- March On, America! (1942) as John Quincy Adams (archive footage) (uncredited)
- The Man Who Came to Dinner (1941) as Ernest W. Stanley
- Tobacco Road (1941) as George Payne
- The Great Lie (1941) as Joshua Mason
- One Foot in Heaven (1941) as Clayton Potter
- Nothing but the Truth (1941) as Mr. Bishop
- Footsteps in the Dark (1941) as Wellington Carruthers
- The Feminine Touch (1941) as Dean Hutchinson
- The Penalty (1941) as Judge
- Skylark (1941) as Frederick Vantine
- The Grapes of Wrath (1940) as Caretaker
- Father Is A Prince (1940) as John W. Bower
- Castle on the Hudson (1940) as Dr. Ames - the Psychologist (uncredited)
- It All Came True (1940) as Rene Salmon
- Edison, the Man (1940) as Snade
- We Who Are Young (1940) as Jones
- The Bride Wore Crutches (1940) as E.J. Randall
- My Love Came Back (1940) as Dr. Kobbe
- New Moon (1940) as Governor of New Orleans
- Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) as Senator MacPherson
- The Secret of Dr. Kildare (1939) as John Archley
- Hell's Kitchen (1939) as Hiram Krispan
- On Borrowed Time (1939) as Mr. Pilbeam
- 6,000 Enemies (1939) as Warden Alan Parkhurst
- The Monroe Doctrine (1939) as John Quincy Adams
- Reformatory (1938) as Arnold Frayne
- That Certain Age (1938) as Jeweler
- Hollywood Hotel (1938) as B.L. Faulkin
- The Headleys at Home (1938) as Ernest Headley
- Peck's Bad Boy with the Circus (1938) as Henry Peck
- Women Are Like That (1938) as Mr. Snell
- Youth Takes a Fling (1938) as Duke
- The Life of Emile Zola (1937) as Georges Clemenceau
- The Last Gangster (1937) as Warden
- Music for Madame (1937) as District Attorney Ernest Robinson
- Lady Behave! (1937) as Burton Williams
- First Lady (1937) as Ellsworth T. Banning
- My American Wife (1936) as Robert Cantillon
- The Ex-Mrs. Bradford (1936) as John Summers, Luxury's Owner
- The Garden Murder Case (1936) as District Attorney Markham
- Parole! (1936) as Marty Crawford
- Her Master's Voice (1936) as Horace J. Twilling
- The Devil Is a Sissy (1936) as Paul Krumpp
- Moonlight Murder (1936) as Paul Adams
- Next Time We Love (1936) as Michael Jennings
- Piccadilly Jim (1936) as Herbert Pett
- A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935) as Egeus
- In Person (1935) as Thaddeus Parks
- Things You Never See on the Screen (1935) as Self
- Seven Keys to Baldpate (1935) as Thomas Hayden
- Gold Diggers of 1935 (1935) as Louis Lamson
- Straight from the Heart (1935) as Austin
- Redheads on Parade (1935) as Minor Role (uncredited)
- Men Without Names (1935) as Andrew Webster, banker
- It's in the Air (1935) as W. R. Gridley
- A Dream Comes True (1935) as Egeus (archive footage) (uncredited)
- Broadway Gondolier (1935) as E.V. Richards, Radio Producer
- One More Spring (1935) as Henry Sheridan
- Traveling Saleslady (1935) as Rufus Twitchell
- The Case of the Howling Dog (1934) as District Attorney Claude Drumm
- The Show-Off (1934) as Mr. 'Pa'
- The Cat's-Paw (1934) as Silk Hot McGee
- Twenty Million Sweethearts (1934) as Sharpe
- The Poor Rich (1934) as Tom Hopkins
- The Secret Bride (1934) as Willis Martin
- Gridiron Flash (1934) as Howard Smith
- 365 Nights in Hollywood (1934) as J. Walter Delmar
- We're Rich Again (1934) as Wilbur Page
- One Exciting Adventure (1934) as Fussli
- Convention City (1933) as J.B. Honeywell
- Dinner at Eight (1933) as Ed Loomis
- Central Airport (1933) as Mr. Blaine
- Heroes for Sale (1933) as George Gibson
- Wild Boys of the Road (1933) as James Smith
- Shadows of Sing Sing (1933) as Joe Martel
- He Learned About Women (1933) as Appleby
- King for a Night (1933) as Rev. John Williams
- Dancing Lady (1933) as Jasper Bradley Sr.
- I Love That Man (1933) as Dr. Crittenden - Dentist
- The Stranger's Return (1933) as Allen
- Lilly Turner (1933) as Dr. Hawley
- Our Betters (1933) as Thornton Clay
- Saturday's Millions (1933) as Ezra Fowler
- Tomorrow at Seven (1933) as Austin Winters
- If I Had a Million (1932) as Prison Priest (uncredited)
- Three on a Match (1932) as Mr. Gilmore (uncredited)
- 20,000 Years in Sing Sing (1932) as Tester of Convicts' IQs (uncredited)
- No Man of Her Own (1932) as Vane
- A Successful Calamity (1932) as Connors
- The Famous Ferguson Case (1932) as Martin Collins
- Week-End Marriage (1932) as Doctor
- Big City Blues (1932) as Station Agent
- The Star Witness (1931) as Pa Leeds
- Man to Man (1930) as Barber John Martin Bolton
- The Man from M.A.R.S. (1922) as Arthur Wyman
- The Misleading Lady (1916) as Stephen Weatherbee
Frequently Asked Questions
What movies or TV shows is Grant Mitchell best known for?
Grant Mitchell is widely recognized for notable roles and projects including Judge Roy Bean (1955), Arsenic and Old Lace (1944), Luna Nera (2020), The Grapes of Wrath (1940).
When and where was Grant Mitchell born?
Grant Mitchell was born on June 17, 1874 in Columbus, Ohio, USA. They passed away on May 1, 1957.
How many credits does Grant Mitchell have?
Grant Mitchell has accumulated over 128 film and television credits across a career spanning from 1922 to 1975.
What is Grant Mitchell's background in cinema and television?
Grant Mitchell, born John Grant Mitchell Junior, was an American stage and screen actor. He was born on June 17, 1874, in Columbus, Ohio, and died on May 1, 1957. A Yale postgraduate who attended Harvard Law, he gave up his law practice to pursue acting, making his stage debut at age 27. He appeared on Broadway from 19...