Jack Haley

Stars

Actor | Singer Born Aug. 10, 1898 in Boston, Mass.

Jack Haley will always be loved for his 1939 portrayal of the Tin Man who wanted a heart in "The Wizard of Oz."

Born in 1898 in Boston, Haley got hooked on acting as a child after seeing a stage performance at a festival with mother. However, when he got his first shot on stage, fright got the best of him and he forgot his lines.

That changed when he got his first big break performing in vaudeville as a singing comic with six chorus girls.

Besides "The Wizard of Oz," his wide-eyed, good-natured expression landed him roles in musical feature films such as "Poor Little Rich Girl" with Shirley Temple, "Higher and Higher" with Frank Sinatra and the Irving Berlin musical "Alexander's Ragtime Band."

— Ted Thackrey Jr. in the Los Angeles Times June 7, 1979