Richard Arlen (born Sylvanus Richard Mattimore, September 1, 1899 – March 28, 1976) was an American actor of film and television.

Early days

Arlen served in Canada as a pilot in the Royal Flying Corps during World War I. He later taught as a United States Army Air Forces flight instructor in World War II. Following his World War I service, he attended the University of Pennsylvania, then worked a variety of odd jobs before an accident as a film laboratory delivery boy landed him a roll as an extra in a silent Hollywood film.

Career

Arlen is best known for his role as a pilot in the Academy Award-winning Wings (1927) with Clara Bow, Charles 'Buddy' Rogers, Gary Cooper, El Brendel, and his second wife, Jobyna Ralston, whom he married in 1927. Arlen later appeared in the science fiction horror Island of Lost Souls (1932) with Charles Laughton, adapted from the H.G. Wells novel The Island of Dr. Moreau. He was among the more famous residents of the celebrity enclave, Toluca Lake, California. In 1939, Universal teamed him with Andy Devine for a series of 14 B-pictures, mostly action-comedies with heavy reliance on stock footage from larger-scale films. They are informally known as the "Aces of Action" series, which is how the stars were billed in the trailers. When Arlen left the studio in 1941, the series continued with Devine teamed with a variety of other actors. In the 1950s and early 1960s, Arlen was active in television, having guest starred in several anthology series, including Playhouse 90, The Loretta Young Show, The 20th Century Fox Hour, and in three episodes of the series about clergymen, Crossroads. He appeared on the November 9, 1968 episode of Petticoat Junction playing himself. The episode was called "Wings" and it was in direct reference to the 1927 silent movie Wings. Arlen appeared in westerns, such as Lawman, Branded, Bat Masterson, Wanted: Dead or Alive, Wagon Train, and Yancy Derringer, and in such drama/adventure programs as Ripcord, Whirlybirds, Perry Mason, The New Breed, Coronado 9, and Michael Shayne.

Personal life

Arlen supported Barry Goldwater in the 1964 United States presidential election. Arlen married actress Jobyna Ralston in January 1927, and they had one son. She divorced him in 1945 claiming in court that he had "packed up" and left her. He got married again in 1946 to New York socialite Margaret Kinsella.

Death

On March 28, 1976, Arlen died of pulmonary emphysema in North Hollywood, California.

Legacy

In 1960, Arlen was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame with a motion pictures star at 6755 Hollywood Boulevard for his contributions to the film industry.

Filmography

Short subjects