Joe Cook (actor)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Joe Cook was an American actor, entertainer, and comedien. He made seven films during the 1930s including "Rain or Shine," a Columbia Pictures movie about circus life, directed by Frank Capra. The film was based on Cook's 1928 Broadway show.
Born Joe Lopez in Evansville, Indiana in 1890, he was orphaned and adopted by relatives at the age of three. He lived in the back of the grocery store of his adoptive parents at the corner of Fourth and Oak in Evansville. Cook joined a circus in 1906 which propelled him to Broadway and Hollywood.[1]
Cook was well paid during his career, reportedly earning $4,000 a week as a Broadway entertainer. He credited government bonds for surviving the Great Depression with most of his fortune intact.[1]
Cook's career was prematurely ended by Parkinson's disease 1942 and he died on May 15, 1959.
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Evansville native Joe Cook made the big time", Evansville Courier & Press. Retrieved on March 17, 2007.
