American actor, born on August 31, 1897 in Racine, Wisconsin, US. He was of English, German, and Scottish origins. He studied at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and graduated with a degree in economics. He also served in the United States Army during World War I. He entered the banking business in New York in 1920 before pursuing his real dream of becoming an actor. His debut was on Broadway in 1926, and he would return there between screen appearances later on. He is known for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931), The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), and Inherit the Wind (1960). Among his many nominations and awards, he won two Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Leading Role for two different movies, won the Silver Berlin Bear for Best Actor for Inherit the Wind (1960), and was nominated twice for Primetime Emmy Awards. He was also honored with a Star on the Walk of Fame in 1960. He was married to Ellis Baker before Florence Eldridge, with whom he had two children and stayed with her till he passed away on April 14, 1975, of prostate cancer in Los Angeles, California, USA.