Actor. Samuel James Adams was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on December 16, 1870. He had a lengthy, vaudeville career in Canada and the U.S., often billed as “The long boy with the big voice.” He was known as “a character mimic”, and performed with “The Trocadero Burlesquers,” supporting main comic Frank Finney. He made it to Broadway in February 1915, with the revue "Maid in America". His movie debut came with the 1932 Paramount comedy "Million Dollar Legs", in which he played the Secretary of State of Klopstokia. Sam Adams was a tall, distinguished character player, appearing in at least 21, known films through 1944, mostly uncredited. Among his film appearances were: “The Golden West”(1932) as Mike, Laurel & Hardy’s “Dirty Work”(1933) as Jessup the butler, Our Gang’s “Washee Ironee”(1934) as the butler, “Treasure Blues”(1935) as Pancake House Manager, “Hill-Tillies”(1936) as a hermit, “Million Dollar Racket”(1937) as Tim Henessey, the Three Stooges short, ”Violent is the Word for Curly”(1938) as Professor Feinstein, and “Thank Your Lucky Stars”(1943) as Bartender in a Bette Davis number. One of his more interesting roles was the impersonator of “Van Meer” in Hitchcock’s 1940 thriller "Foreign Correspondent". He returned to Broadway in the ‘40s, singing in the chorus of shows such as "On the Town". Sam Adams retired in Southern California, and died at Nightingale Manor, Sun Valley, Los Angeles, California on March 24, 1958. He was 87.

(Special thanks to Frank Reighter, Randy Skretvedt, Brent Seguine, and Scott T. Rivers)

Actor. Samuel James Adams was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on December 16, 1870. He had a lengthy, vaudeville career in Canada and the U.S., often billed as “The long boy with the big voice.” He was known as “a character mimic”, and performed with “The Trocadero Burlesquers,” supporting main comic Frank Finney. He made it to Broadway in February 1915, with the revue "Maid in America". His movie debut came with the 1932 Paramount comedy "Million Dollar Legs", in which he played the Secretary of State of Klopstokia. Sam Adams was a tall, distinguished character player, appearing in at least 21, known films through 1944, mostly uncredited. Among his film appearances were: “The Golden West”(1932) as Mike, Laurel & Hardy’s “Dirty Work”(1933) as Jessup the butler, Our Gang’s “Washee Ironee”(1934) as the butler, “Treasure Blues”(1935) as Pancake House Manager, “Hill-Tillies”(1936) as a hermit, “Million Dollar Racket”(1937) as Tim Henessey, the Three Stooges short, ”Violent is the Word for Curly”(1938) as Professor Feinstein, and “Thank Your Lucky Stars”(1943) as Bartender in a Bette Davis number. One of his more interesting roles was the impersonator of “Van Meer” in Hitchcock’s 1940 thriller "Foreign Correspondent". He returned to Broadway in the ‘40s, singing in the chorus of shows such as "On the Town". Sam Adams retired in Southern California, and died at Nightingale Manor, Sun Valley, Los Angeles, California on March 24, 1958. He was 87.

(Special thanks to Frank Reighter, Randy Skretvedt, Brent Seguine, and Scott T. Rivers)