Si Jenks, the American character actor, was born Howard Hansell Jenkins on September 23, 1876, in Norristown, Pennsylvania, to John and Catherine Jenkins. He was the sixth of seven children, and little is known about his childhood.
At the age of 21, Jenks enlisted in the Pennsylvania National Guard on April 21, 1898, the first day of the Spanish-American War. He served until October of the same year, but never left the United States. In January 1899, he enlisted in the U.S. Army for three years, but only served eight months as an artilleryman, again without leaving the country.
After his military service, Jenks returned to Norristown and worked at a local inn as a hostler until at least 1904. He later developed an interest in entertainment as a career, and by 1919, he was married to Victoria Allen. They formed a vaudeville act called "Small Town Wise Crackers" and toured the Orpheum Circuit, appearing in 45 theaters in 36 cities across the United States.
The marriage and the act eventually broke up, and Jenks continued to work with various partners in the act. In 1922, the tour brought him to Los Angeles, where he was given small parts in a couple of comedy shorts at Fox. He also appeared in his first feature film, John Ford's "The Village Blacksmith," that same year.
Jenks's career in film and television spanned over three decades, during which he made over 220 films and a handful of TV episodes. He was often cast in comedic roles, primarily in Westerns, and became known for his ability to work without his dentures and with a scrubby beard. Despite his familiarity as a bearded sidekick type, he never achieved the fame of actors like George 'Gabby' Hayes or Al 'Fuzzy' St. John.
Jenks retired from acting in 1954 at the age of 78 and lived the rest of his life with his wife, British actress Lilian Hartford, at the Motion Picture Country House & Hospital in Woodland Hills, California. He died of heart disease on January 6, 1970, at the age of 93. His wife passed away in 1983 at the age of 100.
