An American actor, born on July 14, 1901, to a Jewish family in New York. He began his career in 1927 at the Pasadena Playhouse. He spent some years working with theater groups, then moved to Broadway, then Hollywood in 1939. Among his most notable work are Ninotchka (1939), Sergeant York (1941), Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942), and Silk Stockings (1957). He died on February 27, 1980 in Los Angeles, California.