Clarence Kolb


Clarence William Kolb, sometimes given as C. William Kolb, was an American vaudeville performer and actor known for his comedy routines that featured a Dutch dialect.

Biography

Kolb started out as one half of a vaudeville comedy team, Kolb and Dill, with Max Dill. They styled their act on the famous team of Weber and Fields. In addition to their stage work, they appeared in a series of short films and a feature-length movie in 1917. Afterwards, Kolb made a return to vaudeville, only returning to the movies in the late 1930s.
In 1935, Kolb left the act to work in films as a character actor, eventually appearing in 75 feature films. He became famous for portraying similar characters in several films, usually, a businessman or politician. He is best remembered for his role as Henry Kilbourne, the flustered father in the multi-Academy Award-nominated hit comedy film Merrily We Live, and as the corrupt mayor in the comedy His Girl Friday. On television, he was known for his role Mr. Honeywell in the sitcom My Little Margie. Kolb played himself in his final movie appearance, Man of a Thousand Faces, opposite Danny Beck.
On September 1, 1917, Kolb married dancer May Cloy. They remained married until his death.
Kolb died on November 25, 1964 at the Orchard Gables Sanitarium in Hollywood. He was 90 years old.

Partial filmography