Louis Natheaux was a Hollywood actor who appeared in more than 150 films. Throughout his career, he appeared in films alongside many of Hollywood’s elite like Humphrey Bogart, Ginger Rogers, Spencer Tracy, Orson Welles, Bette Davis, James Stewart, Charlie Chaplin and Jean Harlow. His best-known films include “Why Be Good?” (1929), “Go-Get-‘Em, Haines” (1936) and “Broadway Babies” (1929).
He was born Louis Frederick Natho on Dec. 10, 1894, in Pine Bluff, to William Lewis Natho and Anna Louis Gottwald. He attended Culver Military Academy (now known as Culver Academies), a military boarding school in Culver, Ind. After graduating high school, he attended Northwestern University in Cook County, Ill.
On Sept. 21, 1915, he married Credwyn Ann “Annie” Evans in Los Angeles, Calif. From 1919 to 1942, Natheaux appeared in more than 150 films. Following the end of the silent film era in 1929, many of Natheaux’s movie roles were uncredited.
From 1933 to 1937, he acted alongside Ted Healy, the creator of The Three Stooges and the slapstick comedy they made famous, in films like “Bombshell” (1933), “Reckless” (1935), “It’s in the Air” (1935) and “Man of the People” (1937).
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
In “Bombshell,” he played the car salesman. In “Man of the People,” he played a picnic rally gambler. In “Reckless,” he played a reporter, and in “It’s in the Air,” he played the race track clerk.
In 1936, he appeared in “Gold Diggers of 1937” alongside actress Helen Seamon, another Pine Bluff native. That same year, he also appeared in “Modern Times,” a film produced, written, directed and starred in by Charlie Chaplin.
Throughout his career, Natheaux appeared in films alongside many of Hollywood’s elite like Humphrey Bogart in “Brother Orchid” (1940), Ginger Rogers in “Kitty Foyle” (1940), Spencer Tracy in “Edison, The Man” (1940), Orson Welles in “Citizen Kane” (1941), Bette Davis in “Kid Galahad” (1937) and James Stewart in “It’s a Wonderful World” (1939), just to name a few.
On Aug. 23, 1942, Natheaux died suddenly at his home near Los Angeles. He was survived by his wife and their daughter.
This article is from ExplorePineBluff.com, a program of the Pine Bluff Advertising and Promotion Commission. Sources: The Billboards: The World’s Foremost Amusement Weekly. (1942, September 5). Vol. 54, No. 36. Pg. 25. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.; ancestors.familysearch.org — Louis Frederick Natho; www.imdb.com — Louis Natheaux(1894-1942); threestooges.net — Cast Members: Louis Natheaux; www.themoviedb.org — Louis Natheaux; www.amazon.com — Louis Natheaux; pro.imdb.com — Louis Natheaux (1894–1942); Image credit: https://www.themoviedb.org.
Ninfa O. Barnard wrote this article for ExplorePineBluff.com.