Edward Brophy

Edward S. Brophy (February 27, 1895 – May 27, 1960) was an American character actor, voice artist, and comedian. Small of build, balding, and raucous-voiced, he was known for portraying gangsters, both serious and comic.

In 1928, with only a few minor film roles to his credit, Brophy was working as a junior production executive for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer when he was chosen to appear with Buster Keaton in one sequence of Keaton's film The Cameraman. As two clients in a bath-house, Brophy and Keaton attempt to undress and put on bathing suits while sharing a single tiny changing room. Each time Keaton attempts to hang his clothes on one hook, Brophy removes the clothes and hands them back to Keaton and gestures to the other hook. He manhandles the smaller, more slender Keaton, at one point picking him up by the feet and dumping him out of his trousers. Appearing only in this one brief scene, Brophy attracted enough attention to receive more and better roles. Most of his long and prolific career was spent at MGM.

He played the main character's loyal manager in The Champ (1931), a Rollo Brother in the movie Freaks (1932), Joe Morelli from The Thin Man (1934) and Nick Charles' friend Brogan from The Thin Man Goes Home (1944). Brophy was most famous as the voice behind Timothy the mouse in Dumbo, even though he was uncredited for this role.

Edward Brophy died on May 27, 1960 during the production of Two Rode Together. He was buried in Santa Monica's Woodlawn Cemetery.

Partial filmography

 * The Cameraman (1928) (uncredited)
 * Those Three French Girls (1930)
 * The Champ (1931)
 * Freaks (1932)
 * Flesh (1932)
 * What! No Beer? (1933) (uncredited)
 * Beer and Pretzels (1933 short)
 * Hello Pop! (lost 1933 short)
 * The Thin Man (1934)
 * Hide-Out (1934)
 * Death on the Diamond (1934)
 * Evelyn Prentice (1934)
 * The Whole Town's Talking (1935)
 * Naughty Marietta (1935)
 * Mad Love (1935)
 * China Seas (1935)
 * Remember Last Night? (1935)
 * Wedding Present (1936)
 * Great Guy (1936)
 * The Girl Said No (1937)
 * The Last Gangster (1937)
 * A Slight Case of Murder (1938)
 * Romance on the Run (1938)
 * Hold That Kiss (1938)
 * Gold Diggers in Paris (1938)
 * You Can't Cheat an Honest Man (1939)
 * Golden Boy (1939)
 * Dance, Girl, Dance (1940)
 * The Invisible Woman (1940)
 * The Bride Came C.O.D. (1941)
 * Dumbo (1941) (voice) (uncredited)
 * The Gay Falcon (1941)
 * All Through the Night (1941)
 * Larceny, Inc. (1942)
 * Broadway (1942)
 * Air Force (1943)
 * Destroyer (1943)
 * Cover Girl (1944)
 * It Happened Tomorrow (1944)
 * The Thin Man Goes Home (1945)
 * Wonder Man (1945)
 * Renegade Girl (1946)
 * It Happened on Fifth Avenue (1947)
 * Arson, Inc. (1949)
 * Bundle of Joy (1956)
 * The Last Hurrah (1958)