Character actor Tom Tully was the warm-centered "tough-guy" veteran of more than 3,000 radio, television, movie and stage productions.
Tully began his career as a reporter at the Denver Post. But money was short, and he left for New York where he heard that radio actors were "getting big money."
His first pay was $7.50 a day — to play the part of a dog.
He uttered the musical barks of huskies for the "Renfrew of the Mounted" radio show, then was raised to $35 a day when he got the "speaking" role of a series regular who failed to appear by showtime.
Tully appeared in several stage flops before he had his first real hit, a revival of "Ah, Wilderness."
One of his earliest Hollywood roles was in "Northern Pursuit" in 1943. He followed with parts in "Destination Tokyo," "I'll Be Seeing You," "The Town Went Wild," "Kiss and Tell," "Intrigue," "Tomahawk," "10 North Frederick," "Coogan's Bluff" and others.
Television roles included appearances on Philco Playhouse, Celebrity Playhouse, Ford Theater, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, San Francisco Beat, Front Row Center and other anthology series.
"We used to kid him," said his wife, "that he was Hollywood's father, because he had played so many gals' fathers—Liz Taylor, Natalie Wood, Shirley Temple. . . ."
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Year | Category | Work | |
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1954 | Best Supporting Actor | The Caine Mutiny | Nomination |
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