Thomas Beck (actor)
Encyclopedia
Thomas Beck was an American actor during the mid to late 1930s.
Born in New York City
, Beck entered college with the intention of becoming a doctor but abandoned that for engineering. His first professional work was in a stock company and he later played on Broadway
. His work interested film executives who sent him to Hollywood. Beck was featured in 28 films in his career, with his most notable roles being in several Charlie Chan
films: Charlie Chan in Paris
(1935), Charlie Chan in Egypt
(1935), Charlie Chan at the Race Track
(1936), and Charlie Chan at the Opera
(1936). He also played opposite Shirley Temple
in the 1937 film Heidi
as Pastor Schultz. Beck retired from the film industry as a result of a wage dispute in 1939.
Beck died after battling Alzheimer's disease
and heart conditions in Miami Shores, Florida
on September 23, 1995. He is buried in Loudon Park Cemetery
, Baltimore, Maryland.
Born in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Beck entered college with the intention of becoming a doctor but abandoned that for engineering. His first professional work was in a stock company and he later played on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
. His work interested film executives who sent him to Hollywood. Beck was featured in 28 films in his career, with his most notable roles being in several Charlie Chan
Charlie Chan
Charlie Chan is a fictional Chinese-American detective created by Earl Derr Biggers in 1919. Loosely based on Honolulu detective Chang Apana, Biggers conceived of the benevolent and heroic Chan as an alternative to Yellow Peril stereotypes, such as villains like Fu Manchu...
films: Charlie Chan in Paris
Charlie Chan in Paris
Charlie Chan in Paris is the seventh film produced by Fox with Warner Oland as Charlie Chan.-Plot:Chan is on his way back from completing the London case -- they always mentioned the previous case -- to go on "vacation" to Paris, but this is just a way to make people think that heis innocently there...
(1935), Charlie Chan in Egypt
Charlie Chan in Egypt
Charlie Chan in Egypt is the eighth 20th Century Fox Charlie Chan film starring Warner Oland in the title role. It was released in 1935. -Plot:Charlie Chan is hired when an archaeologist disappears during the excavation of ancient art treasures in Egypt...
(1935), Charlie Chan at the Race Track
Charlie Chan at the Race Track
Charlie Chan at the Race Track is the 12th film in the 20th Century Fox-produced Charlie Chan series starring Warner Oland in the title role.- Plot :...
(1936), and Charlie Chan at the Opera
Charlie Chan at the Opera
Charlie Chan at the Opera is considered by many to be the best Warner Oland Charlie Chan film, probably due to the co-acting of Boris Karloff. This is the 13th film starring Oland as Chan and produced by Fox in 1936.- Plot :...
(1936). He also played opposite Shirley Temple
Shirley Temple
Shirley Temple Black , born Shirley Jane Temple, is an American film and television actress, singer, dancer, autobiographer, and former U.S. Ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia...
in the 1937 film Heidi
Heidi
Heidi is a Swiss work of fiction, published in two parts as Heidi's years of learning and travel and Heidi makes use of what she has learned.It is a novel about the events in the life of a young girl in her grandfather's care, in the Swiss Alps...
as Pastor Schultz. Beck retired from the film industry as a result of a wage dispute in 1939.
Beck died after battling Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
and heart conditions in Miami Shores, Florida
Miami Shores, Florida
Miami Shores is a village in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 10,380 at the 2000 census. As of 2005, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 10,040....
on September 23, 1995. He is buried in Loudon Park Cemetery
Loudon Park Cemetery
Loudon Park Cemetery a subsidiary of Stewart Enterprises, Inc., the second largest operator of funeral homes and cemeteries in the United States, is a cemetery in Baltimore, Maryland. It was incorporated in 1853 on the site of the "Loudon" estate, previously owned by a local merchant and politician...
, Baltimore, Maryland.