Franchot Tone Biography

Stanislaus Pascal Franchot Tone was an American actor who portrayed lead roles in the 1930s and 1940s, the pre-Code era. He was nominated for an Oscar for his performance as Midshipman Roger Byam in 'Mutiny on the Bounty'. A New York native, Tone attended Cornell University and later left the family business to pursue a successful career in the entertainment industry. He began his career on Broadway in the mid-1920s before making his screen debut in the 1932 comedy drama ‘The Wiser Sex’. His television debut occurred years later, in a 1950 episode of ‘Repertory Theatre’. Over the course of his four-decade-long career, Tone accumulated over a hundred film and TV credits. He had been active till the last years of his life, performing in Broadway shows and appearing in films and TV series. For his contribution to cinema, Tone received a Motion Picture Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame in February 1960.