Andrew Vabre Devine (October 7, 1905 – February 18, 1977) was an American character actor known for his distinctive raspy, crackly voice and roles in Western films, including his role as Cookie, the sidekick of Roy Rogers in 10 feature films. He also appeared alongside John Wayne in several famous westerns.
SELECTED FILMOGRAPHY
A Star is Born (1938)
Romeo and Juliet (1937)
In Old Chicago (1938)
Stagecoach (1940)
Around the World in 80 Days (1957)
How the West Was Won (1963)
10 FUN FACTS!
Andy was once crowned honorary mayor of Van Nuys, California.
He was a licensed amateur (ham) radio operator with the call sign WB6RER. The call is now owned by an amateur radio club in Kingman, Arizona – his home state.
Andy’s unusual, high-pitched gravelly voice was supposedly the result of a childhood accident. While running with a stick in his mouth, Andy tripped and fell, ramming the stick through the roof of his mouth.
John Ford picked him to play the stagecoach teamster in Stagecoach because he had actual experience driving a six-horse team.
Andy was a skilled pilot and owned Provo Devine, a flying school that trained flyers for the government during World War II.
He also had a children’s television show on one of the local Los Angeles TV stations called Andy and Froggy, where his sidekick was a frog puppet.
Andy played semiprofessional football under the pseudonym Jeremiah Schwartz. His football experience led to his first sizable film role in The Spirit of Notre Dame in 1931.
Andy’s first attempt at stand-up comedy was part of a Vegas act called “Three Fat Guys”, along with David Arvedon and Jackie Gleason.
With his unique voice, Andy worked extensively in radio, appearing more than 75 times on Jack Benny’s radio show between 1936 and 1942.
He also lent his voice to a few cartoon characters, including Friar Tuck in Walt Disney’s Robin Hood and Cornelius the Rooster in several TV commercials for Kellogg’s Corn Flakes.
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