Joseph Patrick Carrol Naish (January 21, 1896 – January 24, 1973) was an American actor. He appeared in over 200 films during the Golden Age of Hollywood.
He became a dialect specialist, and was called upon to play character roles of many nationalities, including Southern European (especially Italian), Eastern European, Latin American, American Indians, Middle Eastern, South Asian, East Asian, Pacific Islander—even black, which earned him the moniker "Hollywood's one-man U.N." His own heritage was Irish, but he rarely played Irish characters, explaining, "When the part of an Irishman comes along, nobody ever thinks of me."
Naish received two Oscar nominations for his supporting roles in the films Sahara (1943) and A Medal for Benny (1945), the latter of which also earned him a Golden Globe. He was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960.
Early life Naish was born in New York City on January 21, 1896. According to the actor's 1945 résumé, he was educated at St. Cecilia's Academy in New York City, and appeared on stage in Paris and New York before beginning his screen career.Naish's professional profile, published in International Motion Picture Almanac, 1945-46 Edition, New York: Quigley Publishing, 1945, p. 279.
Career Although he played an uncredited bit role in the silent film What Price Glory? (1926), Naish said his screen career didn't actually begin until 1930, when stage actors were being recruited for the new talking pictures.Naish's professional profile, 1945. He became a prolific supporting actor, appearing in more than 200 films. He was twice nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, the first for his role as Giuseppe in the movie Sahara (1943), in which he delivers the propaganda speech: Mussolini is not so clever like Hitler, he can dress up his Italians only to look like thieves, cheats, murderers, he cannot like Hitler make them feel like that. He cannot like Hitler scrape from their conscience the knowledge right is right and wrong is wrong, or dig holes in their heads to plant his own Ten Commandments- Steal from thy neighbor, Cheat thy neighbor, Kill thy neighbor! But are my eyes blind that I must fall to my knees to worship a maniac who has made of my country a concentration camp, who has made of my people slaves? Must I kiss the hand that beats me, lick the boot that kicks me? NO! The second was for his performance as the title character's Hispanic father in the movie A Medal for Benny (1945). For the latter film, he won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture.
He often played villains, from gangsters in numerous Paramount pictures to mad scientists, such as Dr. Daka in Columbia's Batman serial. In this screen adaptation of the comic book, Naish was originally cast as The Joker, but was recast as a Japanese supervillain suitable to the patriotic wartime plotline.
In the 1940s Naish was a supporting character in a number of horror films. He played Boris Karloff's assistant in House of Frankenstein (1944).
On radio, Naish starred as Luigi Basco on the CBS program Life with Luigi (1948–1953). Luigi popularity resulted in a CBS television series of the same name, with Naish reprising his role.
In 1955, Naish originated the role of Alfieri in the one-act, verse version of Arthur Miller's A View from the Bridge on Broadway, also starring Van Heflin and Eileen Heckart.
In 1957–1958, Naish played the lead role in the television series The New Adventures of Charlie Chan. Speaking in 2023, co-star James Hong said Naish had him fired from the series just because Hong had missed a single line, and accused Naish of having held "a deep prejudice".
Naish worked mostly in guest roles on television through the 1960s; his most recent motion picture credit was from 1964. In 1971, the 75-year-old actor was coaxed out of retirement by producer and horror-film enthusiast Samuel M. Sherman to star in a new big-screen thriller, Dracula vs. Frankenstein (1971). Naish played a descendant of the original Dr. Frankenstein, who takes to murdering young women for experimentation in hopes of reviving his ancestor's creation. His mute assistant was played by Lon Chaney Jr. Dracula vs. Frankenstein was the last film of both Naish and Chaney.
Personal life Naish was married (from 1929 until his death) to actress Gladys Heaney; they had one daughter, Elaine.
Death Naish retired to San Diego and died of emphysema on January 24, 1973, at Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, California, three days after his 77th birthday. He is interred at Calvary Cemetery in East Los Angeles, California. For his contributions to television, he has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6145 Hollywood Boulevard.
Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1926 What Price Glory French Soldier Uncredited 1930 Cheer Up and Smile Bit Part Uncredited 1931 The Royal Bed Laker Credited as Carrol Naish 1931 Gun Smoke Mink Gordon 1931 Surrender French Prisoner of War Uncredited 1931 Tonight or Never Radio Announcer Uncredited 1931 The Finger Points Phone Voice ("The Finger is on You") Uncredited 1932 The Hatchet Man Sun Yat Ming Credited as J. Carroll NaishAlternative title: The Honorable Mr. Wong 1932 The Beast of the City Cholo 1932 No Living Witness Nick 1932 The Mouthpiece Tony Rocco Credited as J. Carroll Naish 1932 The Famous Ferguson Case Claude Wright 1932 Two Seconds Tony Credited as J. Carroll Naish 1932 Crooner Nick Meyer 1932 Big City Blues Bootlegger Uncredited 1932 Tiger Shark Tony Credited as J. Carroll Naish 1932 The Kid from Spain Pedro 1932 Frisco Jenny Ed Harris Uncredited 1932 Week-End Marriage Joe Uncredited 1933 No Other Woman Bonelli 1933 The Past of Mary Holmes Gary Kent 1933 Infernal Machine Bryan Uncredited 1933 Central Airport Drunk in wreck Uncredited 1933 The World Gone Mad Ramon Salvadore 1933 Elmer, the Great Jerry Credited as J. Carroll Naish 1933 The Devil's in Love Salazar 1933 Arizona to Broadway Tommy Monk 1933 Captured! Cpl. Guarand Credited as J. Carroll Naish 1933 Ann Vickers Dr. Sorelle Credited as J. Carroll Naish 1933 The Mad Game Chopper Allen 1933 Havana Widows First Taxi Driver Uncredited 1933 The Mystery Squadron Collins Film serial 1934 Upper World Lou Colima Credited as J. Carroll Naish 1934 What's Your Racket? Dick Graves 1934 Murder in Trinidad Duval 1934 One Is Guilty Jack Allen 1934 British Agent Commissioner of War Trotsky Credited as J. Carroll Naish 1934 Maria Galante French Sailor Painting Ship Uncredited 1934 The President Vanishes Anti-War Demonstrator Uncredited 1935 The Lives of a Bengal Lancer Grand Vizier 1935 Black Fury Steve Croner 1935 Front Page Woman Robert Cardoza Credited as J. Carroll Naish 1935 The Crusades Arab Slave Dealer Uncredited 1935 Little Big Shot Bert Credited as J. Carroll Naish 1935 Special Agent Joe Durell Credited as J. Carroll Naish 1935 Confidential 'Lefty' Tate 1935 Captain Blood Cahusac Credited as J. Carroll Naish 1936 Two in the Dark Burt Mansfield 1936 Exclusive Story Comos 1936 Robin Hood of El Dorado Three-Fingered Jack 1936 Charlie Chan at the Circus Tom Holt 1936 Moonlight Murder Bejac 1936 Absolute Quiet Pedro 1936 Special Investigator Edward J. Selton 1936 Anthony Adverse Maj. Doumet Credited as J. Carroll Naish 1936 Ramona Juan Can 1936 The Charge of the Light Brigade Subahdar-Major Puran Singh 1936 Exclusive Story Comos 1936 Crack-Up Operative #77 1937 Border Cafe Rocky Alton 1937 Think Fast, Mr. Moto Adram 1937 Hideaway Mike Clarke 1937 Sea Racketeers Harry Durant 1937 Bulldog Drummond Comes Back Mikhail Valdin 1937 Thunder Trail Rafael Lopez 1937 Daughter of Shanghai Frank Barden 1938 Her Jungle Love Kuasa 1938 Bulldog Drummond in Africa Richard Lane 1938 King of Alcatraz Steve Murkil 1939 Persons in Hiding Freddie 'Gunner' Martin 1939 Hotel Imperial Kuprin 1939 Beau Geste Rasinoff 1939 Island of Lost Men Gregory Prin 1940 Typhoon Mekaike 1940 Queen of the Mob George Frost 1940 Golden Gloves Joe Taggerty 1940 Down Argentine Way Casiano 1941 Mr. Dynamite Professor 1941 That Night in Rio Machado 1941 Blood and Sand Garabato 1941 Accent on Love Manuel Lombroso 1941 Forced Landing Andros Banshek 1941 Birth of the Blues Blackie 1941 The Corsican Brothers Lorenzo 1942 A Gentleman at Heart Gigi 1942 Sunday Punch Matt Bassler 1942 Dr. Broadway Jack Venner 1942 Jackass Mail Signor Michel O'Sullivan 1942 The Pied Piper Aristide Rougeron 1942 Tales of Manhattan Costello 1942 Dr. Renault's Secret Noel 1943 Batman Dr. Tito Daka/Prince Daka Film serial 1943 Behind the Rising Sun Reo Seki 1943 Sahara Giuseppe Nominated: Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor 1943 Calling Dr. Death Inspector Gregg 1943 Gung Ho! Lt. C.J. Cristoforos 1944 Voice in the Wind Luigi 1944 The Whistler The Killer 1944 The Monster Maker Dr. Igor Markoff 1944 Jungle Woman Dr. Carl Fletcher 1944 Waterfront Dr. Karl Decker 1944 Dragon Seed Japanese Kitchen Overseer 1944 Enter Arsène Lupin Ganimard 1944 House of Frankenstein Daniel 1945 A Medal for Benny Charley Martin Won: Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion PictureNominated: Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor 1945 The Southerner Devers 1945 Strange Confession Roger Graham Alternative title: The Missing Head 1945 Star in the Night Nick Catapoli Short film 1945 Getting Gertie's Garter Charles, the butler 1946 Bad Bascomb Bart Yancy 1946 The Beast with Five Fingers Police Commissario Ovidio Castanio 1946 Humoresque Rudy Boray 1947 Carnival in Costa Rica Papa Rico Molina 1947 The Fugitive A Police Informer 1948 Joan of Arc John, Count of Luxembourg (Joan's captor) 1948 The Kissing Bandit Chico 1949 Canadian Pacific Dynamite Dawson 1949 That Midnight Kiss Papa Donnetti 1950 Black Hand Louis Lorelli 1950 Please Believe Me "Lucky" Reilly 1950 Annie Get Your Gun Chief Sitting Bull 1950 The Toast of New Orleans Nicky Duvalle 1950 Rio Grande Lt. Gen. Philip Sheridan 1951 The Mark of the Renegade Luis 1951 Across the Wide Missouri Looking Glass 1951 Bannerline Frankie Scarbine 1952 Denver and Rio Grande Gil Harkness 1952 Clash by Night Uncle Vince 1952 Ride the Man Down Sheriff Joe Kneen 1952 The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima Narrator Uncredited 1953 Fighter Attack Bruno 1953 Beneath the 12-Mile Reef Socrates "Soc" Houlis 1954 Saskatchewan Batouche 1954 Sitting Bull Sitting Bull 1955 New York Confidential Ben Dagajanian 1955 Hit the Deck Mr. Peroni 1955 Rage at Dawn Simeon "Sim" Reno 1955 Violent Saturday Chapman, Bank Robber 1955 The Last Command General Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana 1955 Desert Sands Sgt. Diepel 1956 Rebel in Town Bedloe Mason 1956 Yaqui Drums Yacqi Jack 1957 This Could Be the Night Leon 1957 The Young Don't Cry Plug 1961 Force of Impulse Antonio Marino 1971 Dracula vs. Frankenstein Dr. Frankenstein, aka Dr. Duryea
Television