CineScope
Tom D'Andrea picture

Tom D'Andrea

Acting
Known For

88 Years Old

Thomas J. D'Andrea was an American actor in films and on television. D'Andrea's first job was at the Chicago Public Library, after which he worked in publicity at the Sherman Hotel in Chicago. Contacts with entertainers at the hotel led to an opportunity to work in Hollywood. After moving there in 1934, he became a publicist for Betty Grable, Gene Autry, Mae Clarke and Jackie Coogan. He began writing scripts in 1937, creating lines for Ben Bernie, Jack Benny, Eddie Cantor and Olsen and Johnson and continued in television, writing for Cantor and Donald O'Connor on their shows. In 1941, D'Andrea was drafted into the Army Air Corps. He was assigned to write a Gracie Fields program after being stationed at Camp Roberts, California..Reading lines at a rehearsal, Fields decided to have him read the lines in the show. He was assigned to the Overseas Radio Unit in 1943, and he began performing comedy in addition to writing. While at Ciro's Restaurant on Sunset Strip attracted a Warner Bros.' executive's attention, resulting in a role in This is the Army, with Ronald Reagan. In 1946, the studio sighed him to a long-term contract. He went on to roles in Pride of the Marines with John Garfield, Night and Day with Cary Grant, Never Say Goodbye, Silver River with Errol Flynn, and Dark Passage with Humphrey Bogart. His last film was A House Is Not a Home with Shelley Winters in 1964. After working in the film Kill the Umpire, with William Bendix in 1950, D'Andrea was chosen to play the part of Gillis, Riley's talkative neighbor in the long running television series, The Life of Riley starring Bendix. Other TV shows he appeared in were "Death Valley Days" with Ronald Reagan, "Playhouse 90" and the "Hallmark Hall of Fame." "He retired in his '60s. But, he didn't really retire. Like all actors and writers he never stopped performing. They would meet at places like the Friars Club and amuse themselves," said his son Tom. "That was when he started doing club dates at The Sands with Frank Sinatra. He Coalso did a summer replacement TV show called 'The Soldiers' with Hal March. After they left, the show was kept on with Phil Silvers and renamed 'Sgt. Bilko'. On television, D'Andrea portrayed Bill, the bartender, in Dante and acted as himself in The Soldiers. He appeared in the films This Is the Army, Pride of the Marines, Night and Day, Two Guys from Milwaukee, Never Say Goodbye, Humoresque, Love and Learn, Dark Passage, To the Victor, Silver River, Smart Girls Don't Talk, Fighter Squadron, Flaxy Martin, Tension, Kill the Umpire, The Next Voice You Hear..., Little Egypt and A House Is Not a Home. He appeared in the television series' The Soldiers, The Life of Riley, The Bill Dana Show, My Living Doll, The Farmer's Daughter, The Double Life of Henry Phyfe, The Beverly Hillbillies, The Andy Griffith Show, Green Acres and That Girl, among others.

Born

Chicago, Illinois, USA on 15th May 1909

Died

14th May 1998

All Credits

The Andy Griffith Show Image
The Andy Griffith Show
Bill Stone
The Life Of Riley Image
The Life Of Riley
Jim Gillis
The Life Of Riley Image
The Life Of Riley
Gillis
The Dick Van Dyke Show Image
The Dick Van Dyke Show
Forrest Gilly
The Colgate Comedy Hour Image
The Colgate Comedy Hour
Self
The Addams Family Image
The Addams Family
Examiner
No Image
The George Gobel Show
Self
The Beverly Hillbillies Image
The Beverly Hillbillies
Green Acres Image
Green Acres
Plumber
Green Acres Image
Green Acres
Sergeant
Green Acres Image
Green Acres
Bailiff
Dante Image
Dante
Biff
That Girl Image
That Girl
My World and Welcome to It Image
My World and Welcome to It
Dark Passage Image
Dark Passage
Cabby (Sam)
Humoresque Image
Humoresque
Phil Boray
Night and Day Image
Night and Day
Tommy
This Is the Army Image
This Is the Army
Tom D'Andrea
Divorce American Style Image
Divorce American Style
Mildred's Irate Husband (voice) (uncredited)
Never Say Goodbye Image
Never Say Goodbye
Jack Gordon
Across the Pacific Image
Across the Pacific
Toy Seller (uncredited)
Fighter Squadron Image
Fighter Squadron
M / Sgt. James F. Dolan
Tension Image
Tension
Freddie, Coast to Coast Counter Man
Silver River Image
Silver River
'Pistol' Porter
Kill the Umpire Image
Kill the Umpire
Roscoe Snooker
A House Is Not a Home Image
A House Is Not a Home
Gabe
Love and Learn Image
Love and Learn
Wells
Two Guys from Milwaukee Image
Two Guys from Milwaukee
Happy
To the Victor Image
To the Victor
Gus Franklin
Flaxy Martin Image
Flaxy Martin
Sam Malko
Smart Girls Don't Talk Image
Smart Girls Don't Talk
Sparky Lynch
Little Egypt Image
Little Egypt
Max
The Next Voice You Hear... Image
The Next Voice You Hear...
Harry Magee
Pride of the Marines Image
Pride of the Marines
Tom