Lloyd Nolan is one of those “faces” that turned up in many of the films I’ve watched through the years and his presence has always put a smile on my lips.
I was therefore happy to find a book dedicated to one of the actors that has made the star players like Ladd and Taylor look all that much better.
Through interviews with costars and acquaintances we get a look at Lloyds’s career from his stage work in the early thirties to his film debut opposite James Cagney in G-Men. The book gives a good overview of both his film work and his occasional return to the stage in roles like his award winning turn as Captain Queeg in The Caine Mutiny.
The book makes Nolan sound like a very personable individual who was a caring father and loving husband. It’s refreshing to hear that an actor has been married to the same woman for 48 years until her death.
I had no idea that Lloyd had an autistic son and that he championed a way to find help for less fortunate families than his. He gave his time and efforts for years to the cause of bettering the conditions for both the afflicted and the families.
By all accounts Lloyd seemed to be a well liked actor by his peers and one they gladly welcomed to the set. While mainly a character player let’s not forget that Lloyd had a successful series of private eye films as Michael Shayne.
Lloyd had a long career that ended in 1986 with his appearance in Hannah and Her Sisters. In between there are many fine films to enjoy from Johnny Apollo and Bataan to The Last Hunt and A Hatful of Rain. Like many other actors he moved into television as well and the book details many of his efforts in that medium to.
So if you only know Lloyd by his face and not the name then it’s never to late to join them together and look for some of the films that he helped make that much better by his appearing in them.
Published by Bear Manor Media which seems to be publishing a fair amount of film books lately.
Mike's Take On the Movies 