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Ned Sparks
Ned Sparks
Age 73 years (Nov 18, 1883 – Apr 3, 1957)
Birthplace Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Movies 71

Ned Sparks

Actor · Since 1933
Ned Sparks turns up in cast lists as a Canadian actor with a profile that the databases keep short. Between the first credit and the last there are 111 years and 71 titles. The record puts him in '42nd Street' as Barry. He is credited in 'Gold Diggers of 1933'.
Ned Sparks turns up in cast lists as a Canadian actor with a profile that the databases keep short. Between the first credit and the last there are 111 years and 71 titles. The record puts him in '42nd Street' as Barry. He is credited in 'Gold Diggers of 1933'.
Movies
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King Tut's Tomb
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King Tut's Tomb
Full Filmography 71
King Tut's Tomb
Heckle / Jeckle (voice)
★ 8.0
1950
Magic Town
Ike
★ 6.8
1947
Stage Door Canteen
Ned Sparks
★ 6.3
1943
For Beauty's Sake
Jonathan B. Sweet
★ 10.0
1941
The Star Maker
'Speed' King
★ 7.0
1939
Hawaii Calls
Strings
★ 6.0
1938
This Way Please
Inky Wells
★ 7.0
1937
Wake Up and Live
Steve Cluskey
★ 6.2
1937
One in a Million
Danny Simpson
★ 7.0
1937
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ned Sparks still alive?
Ned Sparks passed away on April 3, 1957 at age 73.
What are the most famous roles of Ned Sparks?
Ned Sparks is best known for roles in 42nd Street, Gold Diggers of 1933, Lady for a Day.
How many movies has Ned Sparks been in?
Over a 42-year career (since 1915), Ned Sparks has appeared in 71 movies and 0 TV shows.
What was Ned Sparks's first movie?
The career of Ned Sparks began with The Little Miss Brown (1915).
What is Ned Sparks's most recent movie or series?
Ned Sparks's most recent release is Courageous Cat and Minute Mouse, which premiered on January 1, 1960.
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Ned Sparks
Ned Sparks
1883-11-18 · Guelph, Ontario, Canada

Ned Sparks (born Edward Arthur Sparkman, November 19, 1883 – April 3, 1957) was a Canadian-born character actor of the American stage and screen. Sparks was known for his deadpan expression and deep, gravelly voice.

Born in Guelph, Ontario, Sparks left home at age 16 and attempted to work as a gold prospector on the Klondike Gold Rush. After running out of money, he won a spot as a singer on a traveling musical company's tour. At age 19, he returned to Canada and briefly attended a Toronto seminary. After leaving the seminary, he worked for the railroad and worked in theater in Toronto. In 1907, he left Toronto for New York City to try his hand in the Broadway theatre, where he appeared in his first show in 1912.

While working on Broadway, Sparks developed his trademark deadpan expression while portraying the role of a desk clerk in the play Little Miss Brown. His success on the stage soon caught the attention of MGM's Louis B. Mayer who signed Sparks to a six picture deal. Sparks began appearing in numerous silent films before finally making his "talkie" debut in the 1928 film The Big Noise.

In the 1930s, Sparks became known for portraying dour-faced, sarcastic, cigar-chomping characters. He became so associated with the type that, in 1936, The New York Times reported that Sparks had his face insured for USD$100,000 with Lloyd's of London. The market agreed to pay the sum to any photographer who could capture Sparks smiling (Sparks later admitted that the story was a publicity stunt and he was only insured for $10,000). Sparks was also caricatured in cartoons including the Jack-in-the-Box character in the Disney short Broken Toys (1935), and the jester in Mother Goose Goes Hollywood (1938), a hermit crab in both Tex Avery's Fresh Fish (1939) and Bob Clampett's Goofy Groceries (1941), a chicken in Bob Clampett's Slap Happy Pappy (1940), Friz Freleng's Warner Bros. cartoon Malibu Beach Party (1940), and Tex Avery's Hollywood Steps Out (1940). Sparks also voiced the cartoon characters Heckle and Jeckle from 1947 to 1951.

Sparks appeared in ten stage productions on Broadway and over 80 films. He retired from films in 1947, saying that everyone should retire at 65

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