Al Bridge
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Bridge in Dick Tracy's Dilemma (1947)
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| Born | Alfred Morton Bridge (1891-02-26)February 26, 1891 |
| Died | December 27, 1957(1957-12-27) (aged 66)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| Resting place | Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1905–1954 |
| Spouse | Blanche Valarie Soules (married 1935-1945) |
Alfred Morton Bridge (February 26, 1891 – December 27, 1957[1] ) was an American character actor who played mostly small roles in over 270 films between 1931 and 1954. Bridge's persona was an unpleasant, gravel-voiced man with an untidy moustache. Sometimes credited as Alan Bridge, and frequently not credited onscreen at all, he appeared in many Westerns, especially in the Hopalong Cassidy series, where he played crooked sheriffs and henchmen.
Bridge and his sister, who became actress Loie Bridge,[2] were raised by their mother and stepfather, a Philadelphia butcher.[3] Bridge went into vaudeville with relatives when he was still a teenager[4] Bridge served in the American infantry during World War I.[5] Rejoining relatives in a theatrical troupe, Bridge toured the U.S. as an actor[6] and wrote a few scripts. He married Blanche Valarie Soules December 24, 1935 at the United Christian Church of America in Los Angeles, California. She died April 19, 1945 and was buried in Eaton, Colorado. He broke into movies with a pair of minor screenplays (the comedy short Her Hired Husband in 1930 and a Western, God's Country and the Man[7] (1931), in which he also appeared. He spent the next 25 years as a familiar face in B-Westerns and mainstream comedies and dramas. In the forties, Bridge was part of Preston Sturges' unofficial "stock company" of character actors, appearing in ten of the eleven American films that Sturges wrote and directed.[8] He is perhaps best remembered for his role as "The Mister", the chain-gang boss over Joel McCreainPreston Sturges' Sullivan's Travels.[9] Bridge played against type as a kindly lawyer in Sturges' The Miracle of Morgan's Creek.[10]
Bridge's television work, which began in 1950 includes appearances on The Range Rider and The Gene Autry Show as well as other programs.
Bridge died in Los Angeles at age 66. His remains are interred at Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery in North Hollywood.[11]
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