Leo Gorcey
1917-06-03 ( 107 years old ) in New York City, New York, USA

Leo Gorcey's parents were actor Bernard Gorcey (born 1888) who stood 4' 10", and Josephine Condon (born 1901), who stood 4' 11" and weighed 95 pounds; they worked in vaudeville in New York. In 1915, 14-year-old Josephine gave birth to Fred. In 1917, Leo was born, a large baby at 12 lb. 3 oz.; as an adult he would be 5' 6". In 1921 his brother David Gorcey was born. In 1935, Leo and David appeared in the stage play "Dead End." In 1937, this was made into a movie, and Leo became one of the busiest actors for the next 20 years -- from 1937-1939 he starred in seven Dead End Kids movies, from 1940-1945 in 21 East Side Kids films, from 1946-1956 in 41 Bowery Boys movies. In 1939, Leo married 17-year-old dancer Kay Marvis, who appeared in four of his movies. They divorced in 1944 after five years of marriage; she went on to marry Groucho Marx. In 1945, Leo married Evalene Bankston; they divorced in 1948. Leo was to have paid her $50,000 in a divorce settlement; however, when two detectives she hired broke into his home, he retaliated by firing his gun at them. They sued, and Leo countersued for illegal entry and won $35,000 back. In 1949, Leo married Amelita Ward, whom he met while filming Smugglers' Cove (1948). Their marriage produced Leo Gorcey Jr. in 1949, and a baby girl they named Jan (after Leo's producer and manager, Jan Grippo) in 1951. They divorced in 1956. That year Leo married his young nanny, Brandy, who was taking care of his two kids. They had a baby girl, Brandy Jo, in 1958. The couple divorced in 1962. Leo went to the altar one last time in February, 1968, marrying Mary Gannon. He stayed married to her until his death from liver failure on June 2, 1969, in Oakland, California.

Movies

The Phynx 1970-03-06
Jail Busters 1955-09-18
Spy Chasers 1955-07-31
High Society 1955-04-17
Jungle Gents 1954-09-05
Paris Playboys 1954-03-07
Private Eyes 1953-12-06
Clipped Wings 1953-08-14
Jalopy 1953-02-15
Feudin' Fools 1952-09-21
Hold That Line 1952-03-23
Let's Go Navy! 1951-07-29
Ghost Chasers 1951-04-29
Blues Busters 1950-10-29
Triple Trouble 1950-08-13
Lucky Losers 1950-05-14
Master Minds 1949-11-27
Fighting Fools 1949-03-17
Trouble Makers 1948-12-10
Jinx Money 1948-06-27
Angels' Alley 1948-03-07
News Hounds 1947-08-13
Mr. Hex 1946-11-09
Spook Busters 1946-08-24
Live Wires 1946-01-12
Bowery Champs 1944-11-25
Block Busters 1944-07-22
Destroyer 1943-08-19
Kid Dynamite 1943-02-05
Smart Alecks 1942-08-07
Sunday Punch 1942-05-08
Mr. Wise Guy 1942-02-20
Born to Sing 1942-02-18
Out of the Fog 1941-06-14
Flying Wild 1941-03-10
Gallant Sons 1940-11-15
Hullabaloo 1940-10-25
Hell's Kitchen 1939-07-08
Crime School 1938-05-10
Mannequin 1938-01-21
Headin' East 1937-12-13
Dead End 1937-08-27