Henry Armetta

Sicilian-born character actor who appeared in scores of American films, usually as an exuberant and demonstrative Italian. As a teenager in 1902, Armetta stowed away on a boat bound for New York. There he did menial jobs until landing a position as a valet and presser at the Lambs Club, the New York actors' club. One of the members took a liking Armetta and arranged a small role for him in a Broadway show. Armetta followed this with many stage roles both in New York and in stock. In the early Twenties, he moved to California in search of work in movies, of which he'd had a taste while in New York. In Hollywood, Armetta slowly gained a name for himself as a character actor, and by the end of the decade, he had carved a niche for himself as a portrayer of humorous and sympathetic Italian immigrants, a position he maintained into the 1940s. He died of heart failure at 57.