Joe E. Brown Brown (July 28, 1892 - July 6, 1973) was an actor and comedian from Holgate, Ohio. In 1902 at the age of 10, he joined a troupe of circus tumblers known as the Five Marvellous Astons which toured the country on both the circus and vaudeville circuits. He gradually added comedy into his act and transformed himself into comedian. He moved to Broadway in the 1920s first appearing in the musical comedy "Jim Jam Jems". In the late 1920s, he began making films for Warner Brothers. In 1933 and 1936, he managed to become one of the top ten earners in films. In 1937, he left Warner Brothers to work for David Loew. He gradually switched to making "B" pictures. During World War 2, he spent a great deal of time entertaining troops. His most well known postwar role was in Some Like It Hot, a 1959 comedy in which he played the aging millionaire, Osgood Fielding III. The character of Fielding falls for Daphne (Jerry), played by Jack Lemmon in drag.
Brown was a sports enthusiast, both in film and personally, and his son Joe L. Brown inherited that interest, becoming the General Manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates for a number of years.
Brown died of a stroke in 1973 in Brentwood, Los Angeles, California. The comedian was three weeks shy of his 80th birthday.
Some Like It Hot (1959)
