Emmett Earl Lynn (February 14, 1897 – October 20, 1958) was an American actor of the stage and screen.

Early life

Lynn was born in Muscatine, Iowa. When he was nine years old, Lynn became a song plugger in Denver, Colorado. From that beginning he moved to performing in a children's revue. Gus Edwards spotted Lynn and put him in a production of Edwards' School Days. Lynn served in the Army during World War I.

Career

An eccentric character comedian in vaudeville, he later produced travelling road companies known variously as the Novelty Players, the Emmett Lynn Musical Comedy Company and the Emmett Lynn Players, of which he was its star comedian and usually billed as "Emmett 'Pap' Lynn; his troupes flourished in the 1920s and early 1930s. By 1935, he was just one of the comedians in a travelling musical revue called The Passing Show. Lynn began working in films for Biograph Studios in 1913. On screen, Lynn appeared in over 140 films between 1940 and 1956. He made several television appearances from 1949 until his death, especially in westerns. He was featured in nine episodes of The Lone Ranger during the final decade of his life. On Broadway, Lynn appeared in Gasoline Gypsies (1931). Near the end of his career, Lynn was cast as Uncle Birdie in the 1955 film classic The Night of the Hunter, but director Charles Laughton did not like his performance and replaced him with James Gleason during filming.

Death

He died in Hollywood, California from ventricular fibrillation due to a coronary occlusion.

Selected filmography

Selected television