Walter Connolly, a renowned character actor, was born on April 8, 1887, in Cincinnati, Ohio, to the head of the Western Union relay office. He received his education at St. Xavier College and the University of Dublin in Ireland before making his New York debut in 1910 in an outdoor presentation of "As You Like It".
Connolly joined E.H. Sothern's touring company and played supporting roles in numerous Shakespearean shows on the road for a year or so. After a brief stint in silent films, he turned to the Broadway stage in the 1920s, where he found significant success in plays such as "The Talking Parrot" (1923),"Applesauce" (1925),"The Springboard" (1927),"The Happy Husband" (1928),"Stepping Out" (1929),"Your Uncle Dudley" (1930),"Anatol" (1931),"Six Characters in Search of an Author" (1931),"The Good Fairy" (1932),and "The Late Christopher Bean" (1932).
Connolly's talents as a stage farceur were well-established, and he made a successful transition to Hollywood, where he debuted in a full-length talking picture at the age of 45 in the drama "Washington Merry-Go-Round" (1932). He went on to appear in numerous films, often playing older than his actual age, alongside stars such as Janet Gaynor, Carole Lombard, Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, Myrna Loy, Paul Muni, Spencer Tracy, and Ginger Rogers.
In his personal life, Connolly was married to actress Nedda Harrigan from 1923 until his death and had one daughter, Ann (1924-2006). He was an avid collector of old books and theatre programs. Connolly suffered a fatal stroke on May 28, 1940, and was buried in New St. Joseph Cemetery in Cincinnati.
