George Walsh

George Frederick Walsh (March 16, 1889 – June 13, 1981) was an American actor. An all-around athlete, who became an actor and later returned to sport, he enjoyed 40 years of fame and was a performer with dual appeal, with women loving his sexy charm and men appreciating his manly bravura. Known variously as "the Laughing Athletic Thunderbolt", "the Apollo of the Silver Sheet", "the Screen's Greatest Athlete" and "the King of Smiles", Walsh's movie career stretched from the start of true US filmmaking to the Golden Era (22 years) during which time he was featured in approximately 80 productions. He was attached to such studios as Mutual, Chadwick, Triangle, Fox, Universal, Goldwyn, United Artists, and Paramount. Beginnings George Frederick Walsh was born in New York City to Elizabeth T. Bruff, the daughter of Irish Catholic immigrants, and Thomas W. Walsh, an Englishman. He was the middle child of three siblings. (His older brother was the prolific film director, Raoul Walsh.) At age 16, he was already accomplished at a variety of sports. While studying law, at Fordham and Georgetown Universities, his skill on the football field was such that he became a minor celebrity. He was also briefly with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Career