Acting · Guelph, Ontario, Canada · Born November 18, 1883
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 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
MovieGold Diggers: FDR'S New Deal... Broadway Bound
2006
as Self (archive footage)
TVCourageous Cat and Minute Mouse
1960
MovieKing Tut's Tomb
1950
as Heckle / Jeckle (voice)
MovieMagic Town
1947
as Ike
MovieStage Door Canteen
1943
as Ned Sparks
MovieFor Beauty's Sake
1941
as Jonathan B. Sweet
MovieThe Star Maker
1939
as 'Speed' King
MovieHawaii Calls
1938
as Strings
MovieThis Way Please
1937
as Inky Wells
MovieWake Up and Live
1937
as Steve Cluskey
MovieOne in a Million
1937
as Danny Simpson
MovieTwo's Company
1936
as Al
MovieThe Bride Walks Out
1936
as Paul Dodson
MovieCollegiate
1935
as 'Scoop' Oakland
MovieGeorge White's 1935 Scandals
1935
as Elmer
MovieSweet Music
1935
as 'Ten Percent' Nelson
MovieSweet Adeline
1934
as Dan Herzig
MovieImitation of Life
1934
as Elmer Smith
MovieMarie Galante
1934
as Plosser
MovieServants' Entrance
1934
as Hjalmar Gnu
MovieDown to Their Last Yacht
1934
as Captain 'Sunny Jim' Roberts
MoviePrivate Scandal
1934
as Inspector Riordan
MovieSing and Like It
1934
as Toots McGuire
MovieHi, Nellie!
1934
as Shammy
MovieGoing Hollywood
1933
as Conroy
MovieAlice in Wonderland
1933
as Caterpillar
MovieToo Much Harmony
1933
as Lem Spawn
MovieLady for a Day
1933
as Happy McGuire
MovieGold Diggers of 1933
1933
as Barney
MovieSecrets
1933
as Sunshine
Movie42nd Street
1933
as Barry
The Crusader
1932
as Eddie Crane
MovieBig City Blues
1932
as Mr. 'Stacky' Stackhouse
MovieBlessed Event
1932
as George Moxley
MovieThe Miracle Man
1932
as Harry Evans
Big Dame Hunting
1932
as Ned
MovieThe Wide Open Spaces
1931
as Sheriff Jack Rancid
MovieCorsair
1931
as Slim
MovieThe Secret Call
1931
as Bert Benedict
MovieIron Man
1931
as Riley
MovieKept Husbands
1931
as Hughie Hanready
MovieLeathernecking
1930
as Sparks
MovieConspiracy
1930
as Winthrop 'Little Nemo' Clavering
MovieThe Fall Guy
1930
as Danny Walsh
MovieThe Devil's Holiday
1930
as Charlie Thorne
MovieDouble Cross Roads
1930
as Happy Max
MovieLove Comes Along
1930
as Happy
MovieStreet Girl
1929
as Happy Winter
MovieNothing but the Truth
1929
as Clarence van Dyke
MovieStrange Cargo
1929
as Yacht First Mate
MovieThe Canary Murder Case
1929
as Tony Skeel
MovieThe Magnificent Flirt
1928
as Tim
MovieThe Big Noise
1928
as William Howard
MovieThe Small Bachelor
1927
as J. Hamilton Beamish
MovieAlias the Lone Wolf
1927
as Phinuit
MovieAlias The Deacon
1927
as Slim Sullivan
MovieThe Secret Studio
1927
as The Plumber
MovieLove's Blindness
1926
as Valet
MovieTwinkletoes
1926
When the Wife's Away
1926
MovieThe Hidden Way
1926
as Mulligan
MovieThe Auction Block
1926
as Nat Saluson
Mike
1926
as Slinky
MovieMoney Talks
1926
as Lucius Fenton
MovieThe Only Thing
1925
as Gibson
MovieBright Lights
1925
as Barney Gallagher
MovieSeven Keys to Baldpate
1925
MovieFaint Perfume
1925
as Orrin Crumb
MovieSoul Mates
1925
as Tancred's chauffeur
MovieHis Supreme Moment
1925
as Adrian
MovieThe Boomerang
1925
as Bert Hanks
MovieThe Law Forbids
1924
as Clyde Vernon
MovieThe Bond Boy
1923
as Cyrus Morgan
MovieA Wide Open Town
1922
as Si Ryan
MovieGood References
1920
as Peter Stearns
MovieThe Perfect Woman
1920
as Grimes, the Anarchist
MovieIn Search of a Sinner
1920
as Waiter
MovieNothing But the Truth
1920
as The Monocle Man
MovieA Virtuous Vamp
1919
as Mr. Bell
MovieA Temperamental Wife
1919
as The Hotel Clerk
The Little Miss Brown
1915
as Night Clerk
