| Staats Cotsworth | |
| Birth Name: | Staats Cotsworth, Jr. |
| Birth Date: | February 17, 1908 |
| Birth Place: | Oak Park, Illinois, US |
| Death Place: | New York City, US |
| Occupation: | Actor |
| Spouse: | Muriel Kirkland (1936–1968, her death) Josephine Hutchinson (1972–1979, his death) |
| Known For: | Title role in radio's Casey, Crime Photographer |
Staats Cotsworth (February 17, 1908 – April 9, 1979) was an American actor in old-time radio.[1] He is perhaps best known for playing the title role in Casey, Crime Photographer.[2]
Staats Cotsworth Jr. was born in Oak Park, Illinois, the son of Staats and Dorothy (Bodley) Cotsworth. He had a brother named John Littlefield Cotsworth.[3] In 1929, he earned a diploma in the Department of Art from the Pennsylvania Museum's School of Industrial Art.[4]
Cotsworth was once described as "the busiest actor in radio," having performed in 7,500 broadcasts in 12 years. His roles as a regular cast member included those shown in the table below.
| Program | Role | |
|---|---|---|
| Amanda of Honeymoon Hill | Edward Leighton[5] | |
| Big Sister | Dr. John Wayne[6] | |
| Casey, Crime Photographer | Casey[7] | |
| Front Page Farrell | David Farrell | |
| Inspector Thorne | Thorne | |
| Lone Journey | Wolfe Bennett[8] | |
| Ma Perkins | Gideon Harris[9] | |
| Mark Trail | Mark Trail[10] | |
| Mr. and Mrs. North | Lieutenant Weigand | |
| Pepper Young's Family | Jeff Taylor[11] | |
| Roger Kilgore, Public Defender | District Attorney Sam Howe | |
| The Man from G-2 | Major Hugh North | |
| When a Girl Marries | Phil Stanley |
Other programs on which Cotsworth appeared included The Chase, These Are Our Men, X Minus One, Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons, The Right to Happiness,[12] Cavalcade of America,[13] Grand Central Station,[14] The Story of Mary Marlin,[15] and Silver Theater.[16]
Cotsworth's professional debut on stage was in Alice in Wonderland, produced by Eva LeGallienne.[17] His Broadway credits include First Episode (1934), Othello (1935), Macbeth (1935 and 1941–1942), Damaged Goods (1937), As You Like It (1937), Stop-Over (1938), Madame Capet (1938), Boudoir (1941), She Stoops to Conquer (1949–1950), Richard III (1953), Inherit the Wind (1955–1957), Pictures in the Hallway (1956), I Knock at the Door (1957), Advise and Consent (1960–1961), The Right Honourable Gentleman (1965–1966), Weekend (1968), A Patriot for Me (1969), and Lost in the Stars (1972).[18]
Cotsworth was seen in Killer's Choice, the premiere episode of Kraft Mystery Theatre, in June 1958,[19] and in "The Thirty-first of February'", an episode of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, in January 1963.[20] He was in Macbeth when that play was presented on Hallmark Hall of Fame.
Cotsworth was also an artist.[21] "He attended several art schools in this country and studied for seven years in Paris,"[22] at the Académie Colarossi.[23] His work included illustrating Ernest Peixotto's book, A Bacchic Pilgrimage, published by Charles Scribner's Sons[24] and painting "three murals for some swank bowling alleys in Washington."[25] His work was exhibited at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington and at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the Water Color Club in Philadelphia.
A newspaper obituary described Cotsworth as "an accomplished painter of oils and watercolors," noting that at the time of his death he was "listed in the current Who's Who in American Art."
Cotsworth was elected a member of the New York Local Board of the American Federation of Radio Artists in 1946[26] and in 1949.[27]
Cotsworth married Muriel Kirkland, an actress, in New York City on May 24, 1936. They remained married until her death in 1968.[28] Later he married Josephine Hutchinson, who was also an actress.
Cotsworth died April 9, 1979, aged 71, in his apartment in Manhattan, New York. He was survived by his second wife Josephine.[29]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | That Night! | Salesman | ||
| 1957 | Peyton Place | Charles Partridge | ||
| 1963 | The Alfred Hitchcock Hour | Vincent | Season 1 Episode 15: "The Thirty-First of February" | |
| 1964 | Hamlet | Polonius | ||
| 1971 | They Might Be Giants | Winthrop | ||
| 1972 | Silent Night, Bloody Night | Wilfred Butler | Voice, (final film role) |