Joe Sawyer
Biography
Joe Sawyer, born Joseph Sauers on August 29, 1906, in Guelph, Ontario, Canada, was a Canadian film actor who also used his birth name for billing. Active in his career between 1927 and 1962, he appeared in more than 200 films and accumulated 192 known acting credits. He gained his acting experience at the Pasadena Playhouse. Among his popular roles, he portrayed Sergeant Biff O'Hara across the Rin Tin Tin television program, radio, and a film. In 1954, he played Butch Cassidy on Stories of the Century, a role he reprised in a 1958 episode of Frontier Doctor titled The Outlaw Legion, which starred Rex Allen along with fellow guest stars Doris Singleton and Michael Ansara. Joe Sawyer passed away on April 21, 1982.
Career overview
Joe Sawyer was a Canadian film actor born Joseph Sauers on August 29, 1906, in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. During his career, he appeared in more than 200 films and had 192 known acting credits between 1927 and 1962. He was occasionally billed under his birth name and gained his initial acting experience in the Pasadena Playhouse.
Among his popular roles, Sawyer portrayed Sergeant Biff O'Hara across a television program, a film, and on radio involving Rin Tin Tin. In 1954, he appeared on Stories of the Century in the role of Butch Cassidy. He later reprised the role of Butch Cassidy in a 1958 episode titled The Outlaw Legion for the syndicated western series Frontier Doctor, which starred Rex Allen and featured Doris Singleton and Michael Ansara as fellow guest stars.
Sawyer passed away on April 21, 1982, at the age of 75. His extensive body of work on both the big and small screens cemented his prolific presence in twentieth-century film and television acting.
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Career timeline
Full filmography
- Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey (1995) as Frank Daylon (archive footage) (uncredited)
- Legends of the West (1992) as Curley Bill in 'Frontier Marshall' (archive footage) (uncredited)
- Rin-Tin-Tin: Hero of the West (1991) as Sgt. Biff O'Hara
- How the West Was Won (1962) as Riverboat Officer (uncredited)
- Everglades (1961)
- Surfside 6 (1960) as Leon Huff
- North to Alaska (1960) as Land Commissioner
- Harrigan and Son (1960)
- Lock-Up (1959) as Sgt. McEvoy
- Peter Gunn (1958)
- The Challenge of Rin Tin Tin (1958) as Sgt. 'Biff' O'Hara
- Sugarfoot (1957) as Fighting Sam Brown
- The Killing (1956) as Mike O'Reilly
- The Kettles in the Ozarks (1956) as Bancroft Baines
- The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin (1954)
- Riding Shotgun (1954) as Tom Biggert
- Taza, Son of Cochise (1954) as Sgt. Hamma
- Johnny Dark (1954) as Carl Svenson
- It Came from Outer Space (1953) as Frank Daylon
- The Abbott and Costello Show (1952) as Chopper
- Deadline - U.S.A. (1952) as Whitey Franks (uncredited)
- Mr. Walkie Talkie (1952) as Sgt. Ames
- Red Skies of Montana (1952) as R. A. 'Pop' Miller
- Indian Uprising (1952) as Sgt. Maj. Phineas T. Keogh
- Racket Squad (1951)
- Comin' Round the Mountain (1951) as Kalem McCoy
- Pride of Maryland (1951) as Knuckles
- As You Were (1951) as Sgt. Ames
- Blondie's Hero (1950) as Sergeant Gateson
- The Flying Missile (1950) as Fuss Payne
- The Traveling Saleswoman (1950) as Cactus Jack
- Curtain Call at Cactus Creek (1950) as Jake
- Operation Haylift (1950) as George Swallow
- Operation Haylift (1950) Writer
- Operation Haylift (1950) Producer
- Tucson (1949) as Tod Bryant
- Kazan (1949) as Sandz Jepson
- The Gay Amigo (1949) as Sergeant McNulty
- And Baby Makes Three (1949) as Police officer
- Deputy Marshal (1949) as Eli Cressett
- Stagecoach Kid (1949) as Thatcher
- The Lucky Stiff (1949) as Tony
- Ford Theatre (1948)
- Fighting Back (1948) as Police Sergeant Scudder
- Here Comes Trouble (1948) as Officer Ames
- Coroner Creek (1948) as Frank Yordy
- Fighting Father Dunne (1948) as Steve Davis
- The Untamed Breed (1948) as Hoy Keegan
- If You Knew Susie (1948) as Zero Zantini
- Half Past Midnight (1948) as Det. Lt. Joe Nash
- A Double Life (1947) as Pete Bonner
- Christmas Eve (1947) as Private Detective
- Big Town After Dark (1947) as Monk
- Roses Are Red (1947) as Police Lt. Rocky Wall
- Gilda (1946) as Casey
- Inside Job (1946) as Police Capt. Thomas
- Deadline at Dawn (1946) as Babe Dooley
- G.I. War Brides (1946) as Sgt. Frank Moraski
- The Runaround (1946) as Hutchins
- Joe Palooka, Champ (1946) as Lefty
- The Naughty Nineties (1945) as Bailey
- Brewster's Millions (1945) as Hacky Smith
- High Powered (1945) as Spike Kenny
- Raiders of Ghost City (1944) as Idaho Jones
- The Singing Sheriff (1944) as Squint
- Moon Over Las Vegas (1944) as Joe
- Hey, Rookie (1944) as Sergeant
- South of Dixie (1944) as Ernest Hatcher
- The Outlaw (1943) as Charley Woodruff
- Tarzan's Desert Mystery (1943) as Karl Straeder
- Hit the Ice (1943) as Buster
- Let's Face It (1943) as Sgt. Wiggins
- Taxi, Mister (1943) as Eddie Corbett
- Buckskin Frontier (1943) as Brannigan
- Cowboy in Manhattan (1943) as Louie
- Prairie Chickens (1943) as Albertson
- Tornado (1943) as Charlie Muscles
- Yanks Ahoy (1943) as Sgt. Ames
- Sleepy Lagoon (1943) as Lumpy
- Alaska Highway (1943) as Roughhouse
- Hay Foot (1942) as Sergeant Ames
- About Face (1942) as Sgt. William Ames
- Sundown Jim (1942) as Ben Moffitt
- The McGuerins from Brooklyn (1942) as Eddie Corbett
- A Letter From Bataan (1942) as Roy - John's Brother-in-Law
- Wrecking Crew (1942) as Fred Bunce
- Brooklyn Orchid (1942) as Eddie Corbett
- Fall In (1942) as Sgt. Ames
- Sergeant York (1941) as Sergeant Early
- They Died with Their Boots On (1941) as Sgt. Doolittle
- Belle Starr (1941) as John Cole
- Down Mexico Way (1941) as Allen
- The Lady from Cheyenne (1941) as Sheriff 'Noisy' Burkett, Henchman
- You're in the Army Now (1941) as Sergeant Madden
- Down in San Diego (1941) as Dutch
- Swamp Water (1941) as Hardy Ragan
- Last of the Duanes (1941) as Bull Lossomer
- Tanks a Million (1941) as Sgt. William Ames
- The Grapes of Wrath (1940) as Bookkeeper
- Santa Fe Trail (1940) as Kitzmiller
- The Long Voyage Home (1940) as Davis
- Dark Command (1940) as Bushropp
- King of the Lumberjacks (1940) as Jigger
- Women Without Names (1940) as Principal Keeper Grimley
- Melody Ranch (1940) as Jasper Wildhack
- The House Across the Bay (1940) as Charlie
- Wildcat Bus (1940) as Burke
- Lucky Cisco Kid (1940) as Bill Stevens
- The Border Legion (1940) as Jim Gulden
- Honeymoon Deferred (1940) as Detective James
- The Roaring Twenties (1939) as The Sergeant
- Union Pacific (1939) as Shamus (uncredited)
- Confessions of a Nazi Spy (1939) as Werner Renz
- You Can't Get Away with Murder (1939) as Red
- Frontier Marshal (1939) as Curley Bill
- Sabotage (1939) as Gardner
- I Stole a Million (1939) as Billings
- The Lady and the Mob (1939) as Blinky Mack
- The Man from Montreal (1939) as Biff Anders (as Joseph Sawyer)
- Inside Information (1939) as Detective Grazzi
- Passport Husband (1938) as Duke Selton
- Stolen Heaven (1938) as Bako
- Tarzan's Revenge (1938) as Olaf Punch
- Gambling Ship (1938) as Tony Garzoni
- Heart of the North (1938) as Red Crocker
- Always in Trouble (1938) as Buster Mussendorfer
- The Storm (1938) as Kelly
- Slim (1937) as Windy Wilcox
- Motor Madness (1937) as Steve Dolan
- Black Legion (1937) as Cliff Summers
- They Gave Him a Gun (1937) as Doyle - Gangster (uncredited)
- San Quentin (1937) as 'Sailor Boy' Hansen
- Navy Blues (1937) as Chips
- Midnight Madonna (1937) as Wolfe
- Reported Missing (1937) as 'Brad' Martin
- A Dangerous Adventure (1937) as Dutch
- The Lady Fights Back (1937) as Swede Jannsen
- Behind the Criminal (1937) as Red Manders
- The Petrified Forest (1936) as Jackie
- The Walking Dead (1936) as 'Trigger' Smith
- Two in a Crowd (1936) as Bonelli's Henchman
- Great Guy (1936) as Joe Burton
- The Country Doctor (1936) as Joe, the Logger Lifting Log (uncredited)
- Big Brown Eyes (1936) as Jack Sully
- The Accusing Finger (1936) as Father Regan, chaplain
- High Tension (1936) as Terry Madden
- Crash Donovan (1936) as Henchman (uncredited)
- Special Investigator (1936) as Jim Plummer
- The Leathernecks Have Landed (1936) as Sgt. Regan
- Pride of the Marines (1936) as Tennessee
- Murder with Pictures (1936) as Inspector Tom Bacon
- A Son Comes Home (1936) as First Truck Driver
- Rose Bowl (1936) as Announcer
- And Sudden Death (1936) as Police Sgt. Sanborn
- Freshman Love (1936) as Coach Kendall
- Special Agent (1935) as Rich - Chief Henchman
- The Informer (1935) as Bartly Mulholland
- The Whole Town's Talking (1935) as Mannion's Thug (uncredited)
- I Found Stella Parish (1935) as Chuck (as Joseph Sawyer)
- Moonlight on the Prairie (1935) as Luke Thomas
- Frisco Kid (1935) as Slugs Crippen (as Joseph Sawyer)
- Car 99 (1935) as Whitey, burly henchman
- Little Big Shot (1935) as Doré's Henchman
- Broadway Gondolier (1935) as 'Red'
- Man of Iron (1935) as Crawford
- The Arizonian (1935) as Henchman Keeler
- Sequoia (1935) as Forest Ranger (uncredited)
- Jimmy the Gent (1934) as Mike (uncredited)
- The Case of the Howling Dog (1934) as Carl Trask (uncredited)
- The Prescott Kid (1934) as Marshal Willoughby
- Death on the Diamond (1934) as "Dunc" Spencer
- The Band Plays On (1934) as Mr. Thomas
- College Rhythm (1934) as Spud Miller
- The Notorious Sophie Lang (1934) as Building Guard (uncredited)
- Sing and Like It (1934) as Gunner - Hood
- Looking for Trouble (1934) as Max Stanley
- The Westerner (1934) as Bob Lockhart
- Gridiron Flash (1934) as Coach Eversmith
- College Humor (1933) as Tex Roust (as Joseph Sauers)
- Ace of Aces (1933) as Captain Daly
- Golden Harvest (1933) as Farmhand (uncredited)
- Son of a Sailor (1933) as Slug
- College Coach (1933) as Holcomb
- Eskimo (1933) as Sergeant Hunt (uncredited)
- Three Cornered Moon (1933) as Head Lifeguard (uncredited)
- Hold Your Man (1933) as Policeman at Reformatory (uncredited)
- The Stranger's Return (1933) as Thresher
- Saturday's Millions (1933) as Coach
- Olsen’s Big Moment (1933) as Dapper' Danny Reynolds
- Arsène Lupin (1932) as Leroux (uncredited)
- Huddle (1932) as Slater
- The Public Enemy (1931) as Pool Player (uncredited)
- Maker of Men (1931) as Bennett the Monroe Coach (uncredited)
- Campus Sweethearts (1930)