Dooley Wilson
Dooley Wilson (actually: Arthur Wilson, born April 3, 1886 in Tyler, Texas, USA, † May 30, 1953 in Los Angeles, California, USA) was an American film and theater actor and jazz musician. He became famous as a performer of the song As Time Goes By in the role of pianist Sam in the cult film Casablanca ( 1942).
Life and career
Dooley Wilson was born in Texas, but his exact date of birth was a long time rise to speculation. If in some books the year 1886 called, was born in which the African-American, First his grave stone in Angelus Rosedale Cemetery in Los Angeles it was in other sources in 1894. Ended the controversy, since clearly the year was to read 1886. The age of 12 was Wilson as ballad singer on the stage, and was in 1908 a familiar face on the New York and Chicago theaters. His pseudonym Dooley came from that time, and was therefore, as he always gave the song Mr. Dooley in Beijing Theatre in Chicago for the best. As Mr. Dooley Wilson had the face whitened, and mimed on stage an Irishman; a part, the increased Wilson's popularity.
In addition to theater work Wilson went in the 1920s with the jazz band Red Devils in the U.S. as well as Europe and North Africa on tour. From the 1930s, he focused his work on musicals and occasionally movies. Among his best known films include the 1942 drama film produced Casablanca, for which the actor had to specially learn to play the piano. Although Wilson Gage was only U.S. $ 350 per week, is one of his supporting role of pianist Sam to the most expensive of the entire production. He sang many songs that appear in Casablanca, including Knock on Wood and the world famous As Time Goes By, which reached number 15 in 1977 in the British charts in December.
Nevertheless, the theater was his true passion. He was a star on Broadway and in the Federal Theatre. With John Houseman and Orson Welles he stood in 1940 as Little Joe in Cabin in the Sky on the stage, and acted like a runaway slave in 1946 in Bloomer Girl. In 1952 Wilson was in Beulah, one of the first TV series with a predominantly African- American actors, in front of the camera; it should be one of his last professional highlights represent.
Dooley Wilson was married to the younger by two years, Estelle. The couple had no children. He died in 1953 at the age of 67 years; his wife died in 1971.