Character Actors I Love: Nat Pendleton

Nat Pendleton, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways: The Thin Man, The Great Ziegfeld, Reckless, Manhattan Melodrama, Another Thin Man, and The Girl From Missouri.

Don’t let Nat’s bohunk physique and Brooklyn-accented characters fool you; he was a smart guy who accomplished more than most actors. Born in Davenport, Iowa, he graduated from Columbia University in 1916, where he was two-time Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association champion (1914-1915). He competed as a wrestler in the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium, losing only one match (on a controversial decision) and earning a silver medal. Afterwards, he went into pro-wrestling, and from there into acting. He also wrote a movie for himself, 1932’s Deception, in which he played a wrestler. He appeared in 112 movies between 1924 and 1947.

He came by one of his most famous roles, that of the strongman Sandow in The Great Ziegfeld, in an interesting manner. He’d played MacHardie in the Marx Brother movie Horse Feathers; that character was modeled after the real Eugene Sandow, and Nat’s performance was very impressive. When the time came to cast Ziegfeld, he won the part. Who among us will ever forget those magnificent biceps flexing in time to the music of Little Egypt. ;)

I first saw Nat as police Lt. John Guild in The Thin Man. Although he comes across as a little dim next to William Powell’s suave sleuthing, he gets in his share of wisecracks and lends his heroics to the case. He reprised the role in 1939’s Another Thin Man. Guild hero-worships Nick Charles and is constantly in awe of Nick’s detective abilities.

Another role of Nat’s I liked was that of Blossom, one of William Powell’s sidekicks (along with Ted Healy) in Reckless. Again, he plays a big oaf with a heart of gold; quite a bit dumber than Lt. Guild, but fun to watch nonetheless. When he takes a beating in a boxing match just to provide Powell with some backing money for Jean Harlow’s comeback show, you can’t help but love him. He may not be the brightest bulb on the tree, but he’s loyal and good-hearted, which counts for more.

Nat also appeared in six Dr. Kildare movies, and three Dr. Gillespie movies. His acting career seems to have ended in 1947, aside from one TV appearance in 1956, on "Schlitz Playhouse of Stars." Nat died in 1967 and is buried in Cypress View Mausoleum and Crematory. His Find-A-Grave biography was written by yours truly.