Moroni Olsen

Biography

Moroni Olsen (Ogden, Utah, 1889 - Los Angeles, California, 1954) was an American character actor who worked in theatre and classic Hollywood cinema from the mid-1930s through the 1950s.

Born in Ogden to Latter-day Saint parents, he trained in drama and taught the subject in Ogden and Seattle. Before turning to film he worked on Broadway and ran his own theatre company in his hometown. His screen debut came in 1935 with a version of The Three Musketeers, in which he played Porthos. He then moved between westerns, dramas and comedies, usually in supporting roles, appearing in Santa Fe Trail as Robert E. Lee and in Mildred Pierce. His most famous role was the voice of the Magic Mirror in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Late in his career he took on family comedies such as Father of the Bride, playing the heroine's father. He was an active member of his church and for several years directed the Pilgrimage Play of Hollywood. He died of a heart attack in Los Angeles in 1954, aged 65, and was buried in Ogden. He is remembered today as one of the familiar faces of classic American film.

Key films

• Notorious (1946): plays Walter Beardsley, a Secret Service agent, in Alfred Hitchcock's thriller.
• Mildred Pierce (1945): plays Inspector Peterson in Michael Curtiz's drama.
• Father of the Bride (1950): the heroine's father in this family comedy.
• Santa Fe Trail (1940): plays Robert E. Lee in this Michael Curtiz western.