Cyril Ring (December 5, 1892 – July 17, 1967) was an American film actor. He began his career in silent films in 1921. By the time of his final performance in 1951, he had appeared in over 350 films, nearly all of them in small and/or uncredited bit parts. Ring is probably best known today for his role as Harvey Yates, a con artist and accomplice to fellow con artist Penelope, played by Kay Francis in the Marx Brothers first film The Cocoanuts (1929). He also appeared in uncredited small parts in two other Marx films, Monkey Business (1931) and A Day at the Races (1937).

Early life

Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Ring was the brother of actress Blanche Ring and the first husband of Charlotte Greenwood, an actress and dancer, from 1915 until their divorce in 1922.

Career

The Cocoanuts was Ring's most prominent role. In the New York Times review on May 25, 1929, Mordaunt Hall singled Ring out for criticism: "Cyril Ring, in an amateurish fashion, does the honors as the conspiring Mr. Yates, whose great hope in this adventure is to cash in on Mrs. Potter's gems. Mr. Ring, who has impersonated regiments of villains on the silent screen, here plays his part as though everybody but his determined female partner were both sightless and deaf." Marx Brothers historian Matthew Coniam observed, "It seems to me he makes a perfectly good job of villainous Harvey Yates in The Cocoanuts. But for some reason he got the most terrible reviews, and his career didn't so much decline as nosedive almost immediately afterwards."

Death

He died on July 17, 1967, in Hollywood, California, at age 74.

Selected filmography