ADOLPHE MENJOU

Adolphe Jean Menjou (February 18, 1890 - October 29, 1963) was an American actor. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he attended the Culver Military Academy and graduated from Cornell University with a degree in engineering. Attracted to the vaudeville stage, he made his movie debut in 1916 in The Blue Envelope Mystery. During World War I, he served as a captain in the ambulance service.

Returning from the war, he became a star in such films as The Sheik and The Three Musketeers. When he starred in 1923's A Woman of Paris, he solidified the image of a well-dressed man-about-town. His career stalled with the coming of talkies, but in 1930 he starred in Morocco. He was nominated for an Academy Award for The Front Page in 1931.

In 1947, Menjou cooperated with the House Un-American Activities Committee in its hunt for Communists in Hollywood. He published his autobiography, It Took Nine Tailors in that year. He ended his career with such roles as a French officer during World War I in 1957's Paths of Glory, and as the town curmudgeon in Pollyanna in 1960.

Menjou has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6822 Hollywood Blvd.