John Ridgely
1909–1968 · American character actor
Biography
John Ridgely (born John Huntington Rea; Chicago, 1909 - New York, 1968) was an American character actor whose work spanned the Hollywood studio era of the 1930s and 1940s. He is most associated with Warner Bros., which cast him in a large number of genre pictures during those years.
Born in Chicago, he attended schools in Illinois and Missouri and studied for a time at Stanford University before making his film debut. Over more than a decade he built a steady career in supporting parts, many of them uncredited, appearing in westerns, adventure films and action pictures. His best-remembered roles include the gangster Eddie Mars in The Big Sleep (1946), opposite Humphrey Bogart, and the suffering heart patient in the film noir Nora Prentiss (1947). After 1948 he worked as a freelance actor and left films in 1953.
He then turned to summer theater and television. He died in New York in 1968 from a heart attack, at the age of 58, and was buried in Glendale, California. His legacy rests on a dependable supporting presence rather than stardom, visible across many titles of the period.
Key films
- The Big Sleep (1946): plays the gangster Eddie Mars, one of the figures entangled in the plot alongside Bogart.
- Nora Prentiss (1947): plays a heart patient, a pivotal role in this film noir.
- Air Force (1943): plays the captain of a B-17 bomber in Howard Hawks's film.
- Arsenic and Old Lace (1944): plays a police officer in Frank Capra's dark comedy.
Trivia
Birth name
He was born John Huntington Rea, the son of John Ridgely Rea. The name under which he appeared in films was John Ridgely.
A real pilot on screen
In God Is My Co-Pilot (1945) he played David 'Tex' Hill, a real-life fighter pilot whose story the film told.
On Cinematopedia
A Place in the Sun1951
The Greatest Show on Earth1952
The Big Sleep1946
Arsenic and Old Lace1944
Air Force1943
They Drive by Night1940
Possessed1947
They Died with Their Boots On1941
The Man Who Came to Dinner1942
Knute Rockne, All American1940
Invisible Stripes1939
Destination Tokyo1943- Racket Busters 1930 · cast
- Cowboy from Brooklyn 1938 · cast
- Invisible Stripes 1939 · cast
- They Made Me a Criminal 1939 · cast
- Each Dawn I Die 1939 · cast
- You Can't Get Away with Murder 1939 · cast
- The Return of Doctor X 1939 · cast
- Indianapolis Speedway 1939 · cast
- Wings of the Navy 1939 · cast
- They Drive by Night 1940 · cast
- Knute Rockne, All American 1940 · cast
- Brother Orchid 1940 · cast
- They Died with Their Boots On 1941 · cast
- The Wagons Roll at Night 1941 · cast
- The Man Who Came to Dinner 1942 · cast
- The Big Shot 1942 · cast
- Air Force 1943 · cast
- Destination Tokyo 1943 · cast
- Northern Pursuit 1943 · cast
- Arsenic and Old Lace 1944 · cast
- Pride of the Marines 1945 · cast
- The Big Sleep 1946 · cast
- Possessed 1947 · cast
- The Man I Love 1947 · cast
- Nora Prentiss 1947 · cast
- That's My Man 1947 · cast
- Command Decision 1948 · cast
- Border Incident 1949 · cast
- Once More, My Darling 1949 · cast
- A Place in the Sun 1951 · cast
- The Greatest Show on Earth 1952 · cast
- Room for One More 1952 · cast
Original Cinematopedia text based on Wikipedia (es) and Wikipedia (en) and Wikidata.