George Mathews (actor)
George Mathews was an American actor whose film career stretched from an uncredited appearance in Stage Door Canteen in 1943 to Going Home in 1971.
Biography
Mathews was born in Brooklyn, New York.Matthews's stage career began during the Great Depression when he became manager of an Italian stock theater company. Although he knew no Italian and had no experience as a stage manager, he took the job to end his jobless status. At one point the actor who portrayed the good cop in the play was sick, and Mathews was drafted to fill in for him. Mathews said the impresario "thought I made such a good cop that he turned the role over to me permanently. That was the beginning of my acting career."
Mathews was often cast as heavies or hardened military types. He appeared in both the stage and film version of The Eve of St. Mark, as Sergeant Ruby. He also portrayed a comedic thug in Pat and Mike. In a 1956 episode of The Phil Silvers Show, he played a brutish seargent nicknamed "The Beast", whose imposing stature and brawn gets cleverly outwitted by Bilko and his platoon.
He appeared on Broadway in the Garson Kanin-directed musical comedy Do Re Mi, as Fatso O'Rear. He later appeared on Broadway in Catch Me If You Can in 1965.
In 1962, he appeared in Have Gun – Will Travel, Season 6, Episode 6. That same year, he played ex-fighter, “Champ”, in the Season 7 Episode 28 of Gunsmoke, “The Dealer”. He demonstrated his comedic talent in the short-lived television comedy series Glynis, playing ex-cop Chick Rogers, who assists a mystery writer and amateur sleuth, played by Glynis Johns, in solving "whodunnits".
Perhaps his most memorable role was as the bully "Harvey" in 'The Bensonhurst Bomber' episode of The Honeymooners. He retired from the screen in 1972.