Jimmy Noel

Jimmy Noel
Noel (right) with Douglas Fowley in The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, 1957
Born
Herbert James Noel[1]

(1903-05-15)May 15, 1903
Haverhill, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedJanuary 31, 1985(1985-01-31) (aged 81)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)Actor, musician, stuntman
Years active1933–1981
Spouse(s)DeLories Ziegfeld (1933 - ?)
Dawn Hope[2]

Herbert James Noel (May 15, 1903[1] – January 31, 1985) was an American actor, musician and stuntman.[1]

Life and career

Noel was born in Haverhill, Massachusetts.[1][3] He was guitarist and singer with the trio The Rhythm Boys. Noel decided to leave the trio in 1935. After leaving, he worked as a police officer in Chicago, Illinois. He later moved to California, where he began his film and television career.[1]

In 1938, Noel had his own band and appeared 12 times a week on radio. He played banjo, drums, guitar, and piano.[4]

Noel's film career began with the 1944 film The Big Bonanza. He then appeared in the 1945 film Colorado Pioneers.[5] Noel made numerous appearances in films such as Border Saddlemates, Ride the Man Down, The Oklahoman, Man from Del Rio, The Rawhide Years, The Fighting Chance, North to Alaska (with John Wayne), The Brass Legend and Masterson of Kansas.

Noel began appearing on television in 1953, initially in the television series The Gene Autry Show, where he made at least eleven appearances. He then appeared in the action and adventure television series Sergeant Preston of the Yukon. Noel made over 200 appearances in the American western television series Gunsmoke, in which he also served as the double for Milburn Stone as "Doc".[3] He made numerous appearances in the television programs Bonanza, Tales of Wells Fargo, Wagon Train, Death Valley Days, The Rifleman, Bat Masterson, The Deputy, Tombstone Territory and Johnny Ringo. He also made at least 140 appearances in The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp.[3]

Personal life and death

Noel married DeLories Ziegfeld on November 7, 1933, in Cambridge, Massachusetts.[6] He was also married to Dawn Hope. That marriage ended with her death in 1939.[7] He died in January 1985 in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 81.[1][3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Rayno, Don (2003). Paul Whiteman: Pioneer in American Music, 1930–1967. Scarecrow Press. p. 485. ISBN 9780810883222 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ Frasier, David (September 11, 2015). Suicide in the Entertainment Industry: An Encyclopedia of 840 Twentieth Century Cases. McFarland. p. 239. ISBN 9781476608075 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ a b c d "Jimmy Noel". The Rifleman. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
  4. ^ Rosenberg, Murray (March 3, 1938). "The Kilocycle Spotlight!". The Brooklyn Citizen. p. 14. Retrieved November 1, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Colorado Pioneers (1945)". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved September 29, 2022 – via Wayback Machine.
  6. ^ Abrams, Norma (December 15, 1934). "Mother-in-law budgeted kisses, hubby's lament". Daily News. New York, New York City. p. 3. Retrieved November 1, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Suicide's Daughter Is a Suicide". The Durham Sun. July 21, 1939. p. 10. Retrieved November 1, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.