Edward Everett Horton, a ubiquitous presence in Hollywood comedies of the 1930s, consistently played the perfect counterpart to the great gentlemen and protagonists of the films. Born in Brooklyn, New York City, to Isabella S. (Diack) and Edward Everett Horton, a compositor for the New York Times, Horton's maternal grandparents were Scottish, and his father was of English and German ancestry.
As was common among his contemporaries, Horton transitioned to the movies from the theatre, where he debuted in 1906. He made his film debut in 1922. Unlike many of his silent-film colleagues, Horton had no difficulties adapting to the sound, partly due to his distinctive, crackling voice.
Between 1932 and 1938, Horton collaborated frequently with Ernst Lubitsch, and later with Frank Capra. He has appeared in over 120 films, in addition to a substantial body of work on television, including the befuddled Hekawi medicine man Roaring Chicken on the western comedy F Troop, which aired in 1965.
