Home >

Moroni Olsen

Moroni Olsen

Birthday: 1889-06-27 | Place of Birth: Ogden, Utah, USA

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Moroni Olsen (June 27, 1889 – November 22, 1954) was an American actor. Olsen was born in Ogden, Utah, to Mormon parents Edward Arenholt Olsen and Martha Hoverholst, who named him after the Moroni found in the Book of Mormon. Some sources have claimed that Olsen's birth name was John Willard Clawson, but there appears to be no support for this claim. Olsen studied at Weber Stake Academy, the predecessor of Weber State University. He then went to study at the University of Utah, where one of his teachers was Maud May Babcock. During World War I, he sold war bonds for the United States Navy. He also studied and performed in the Eastern United States around this time. In 1923, Olsen organized the "Moroni Olsen Players" out of Ogden. They performed at both Ogden's Orpheum Theatre and at various other locations spread from Salt Lake City to Seattle. After having worked on Broadway, he made his film debut in a 1935 adaptation of The Three Musketeers. He later played a different role in a 1939 comedy version of the story, starring Don Ameche as D'Artagnan and the Ritz Brothers as three dimwitted lackeys who are forced to substitute for the musketeers, who have drunk themselves into a stupor. His most famous role was the voice of the Slave in The Magic Mirror in Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). Olsen also provided the voice of the senior angel in It's a Wonderful Life. Olsen was an active member of the LDS Church, being a teacher of youth in the Hoolwood Ward. He also was director of the Pilgramage Play of Hollywood for several years.

...

Known For

Acting

Year
Title

Role

1954
The Long, Long Trailer

as    Mr. Tewitt

1952
Lone Star

as    Sam Houston

1951
Father's Little Dividend

as    Herbert Dunstan

1951
Submarine Command

as    Rear Adm. Joshua Rice

1950
Father of the Bride

as    Herbert Dunstan

1949
The Fountainhead

as    Chairman

1948
Call Northside 777

as    Parole Board Chairman

1947
The Long Night

as    Chief of Police Bob McManus

1947
Possessed

as    Dr. Ames - Mrs. Smith's psychiatrist

1947
Life with Father

as    Dr. Humphries

1947
High Wall

as    Dr. Philip Dunlap

1946
The Walls Came Tumbling Down

as    Bishop Martin

1946
The Strange Woman

as    Rev. Thatcher

1945
Don't Fence Me In

as    Henry Bennett

1945
Mildred Pierce

as    Inspector Peterson

1944
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves

as    Caliph Hassan

1944
Cobra Woman

as    MacDonald

1944
Roger Touhy, Gangster

as    Riley

1944
Buffalo Bill

as    Sen. Frederici

1942
Nazi Agent

as    Brenner

1942
My Favorite Spy

as    Major Allen

1942
Reunion in France

as    Paul Grebeau

1941
Dangerously They Live

as    Mr. John Goodwin

1941
Three Sons o' Guns

as    Philip G. Talbot

1940
Virginia City

as    Cameron

1940
East of the River

as    Judge R.D. Davis

1939
Rose of Washington Square

as    Buck Russell

1939
Susannah of the Mounties

as    Supt. Andrew Standing

1939
Invisible Stripes

as    The Warden

1939
Allegheny Uprising

as    Tom Calhoon