Nat Pendleton
Biography
Nathaniel Greene 'Nat' Pendleton was an American former Olympic wrestler turned actor. Two-time Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) champion (1914-1915) in the 175-lb. class at Columbia University, Pendleton graduated Class of 1916. He wrestled for the United States at the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp, Belgium, earning a silver medal, losing only one match due to a controversial point decision. After the Games he became a professional wrestler and was a big fan favorite, which led to Hollywood. In the 1920 census he was living in Manhattan with his first wife Juanita Alfonzo (age 22) and her brother Ramon Alfonso (age 13). He was working as a sports manager. Pendleton was usually cast as a circus strongman, brutish thug, dumb cop, or dense buffoon, but he had a college degree and in 1933 wrote the script for Deception (1932), in which he starred - not surprisingly - as a wrestler. Upon his death from a heart attack, his remains were interred at Cypress View Mausoleum and Crematory in San Diego, California. Nat Pendleton was inducted into the Columbia University Athletics Hall of Fame inaugural class in 2006.
Known For
Inspector John Guild
The Thin Man
Joe Weyman
Calling Dr. Gillespie
Goliath
At the Circus
Bill 'Bull' Raymond
Scared to Death
Sgt. Michael Collins
Buck Privates Come Home
Stolvich - Laborer (uncredited)
Baby Face
Tony Gazotti
Penthouse
Spud
Manhattan Melodrama
Sgt. Michael Collins
Buck Privates
Strozzi
The Cat's-Paw
John Guild
Another Thin Man
Red Hogan
The Mad Doctor of Market Street
Hank aka Pete
Blonde Crazy
Sandow
The Great Ziegfeld
Shakespeare
Lady for a Day
'Cap' Huff
Northwest Passage
Sergeant Fred Koretz
It's a Wonderful World
'Gunboat' Jacklin
Phantom Raiders
Strabo
The Sign of the Cross
Blossom
Reckless
Joe Skopapolous
Swing Your Lady
Big Jack
The Star Witness
Joe Wayman
Dr. Kildare Goes Home
Joe Weyman
Dr. Gillespie's Criminal Case
C.P.O. 'Spike' Knowles
Flight Command
Joe Wayman
Dr. Kildare's Crisis
Spyrene - Dance Hall Bouncer
Child of Manhattan
John 'Truck' Hogan
Death on the Diamond
Maniac Killer
Exposure
Police Sgt. Lucks
Under Cover of Night
Wrestler (uncredited)
Flesh
Sonny McGann
Jail House Blues
Sergeant Ernest Heath
The Garden Murder Case
Joe Doyle
Arsène Lupin Returns
Rocky O'Neil
Trapped by Television
Joe Wayman
The Secret of Dr. Kildare
Joe Wayman
Young Dr. Kildare
Joe Wayman
Calling Dr. Kildare
Aloysius P. McCarthy (uncredited)
The Nuisance
Kelly - Naughty Boy
A Fool's Advice
Bill Raymond (archive footage)
Dracula: A Cinematic Scrapbook
'Fatso' Werner
The Golden Fleecing
Petrowski
College Coach
Paul Terison
Fast Company
Joe
Whistling in the Dark
Skippy
Straight Is the Way
'Killer' Kennedy
Swing Fever
T. Fenny Sylvester
Sing and Like It
Legs Caffey
Fugitive Lovers
Alfred 'Tiny' Smith
Lazy River
William T. 'Shoots' Magiz
The Gay Bride
'Steamer' Krupp
Sworn Enemy
Motorcycle Officer Cassidy
Goldie Gets Along
Buddy Buttle
Burn 'Em Up O'Connor
George Black
Life Begins in College
Mike McDougal
The Night Club Lady
Pat O'Day
The Big Pond
Mr. Grimes
On Borrowed Time
Rocky
The Defense Rests
Harry (uncredited)
I'm No Angel
'Pug' Walsh
The Crowd Roars
Big Mike
The Chief
Knuckles Benedict
Calm Yourself
Socks Martin
6,000 Enemies
Rocky
Baby Face Harrington
Bouncer
Hell-Fire Austin
Chef (uncredited)
Crazy House
Life Guard
The Girl from Missouri
Rocky
Sing Me a Love Song
Flynn
Two in a Crowd
Bull Martin (uncredited)
Taxi!
Bossamer
The Last of the Duanes
Benvenuto Romandi
Song of the City
Smiles Hogan
Gangway
Mack
Times Square Lady
Lady Godiva's Husband
Manhattan Parade
'Piccolo Pete'
Here Comes the Band
Gunner - Bodyguard
The Secret Witness
Henry Potke
It's in the Air
Joe (uncredited)
The Tenderfoot
'Spud' Burke
Murder in the Fleet
Motorcycle Policeman (uncredited)
Parachute Jumper
'Dice'
The Shopworn Angel
MacHardie (uncredited)
Horse Feathers
Jim Ward
Death Valley
Top Sgt. Herman Mulligan
Top Sergeant Mulligan
Kid Melrose (uncredited)
The Big Timer
Bondsman
New Moon
Mugg Malone
Attorney for the Defense
Joe Wayman, Ambulance Driver
Dr. Kildare's Strange Case
James Dugan
The Laughing Lady
Abe Gorman (uncredited)
The Beast of the City
Board Member (uncredited)
The Ruling Voice
Jimmy
Let's Get Married
Joe (archive footage) (uncredited)
Breakdowns of 1938
Self (archive footage)
Complicated Women
Purvis
Fair Warning
Floppy Phil
The Chaser
Smoke
The Sea Wolf
Bucky O'Neill
Deception
William T. Magiz in 'The Gay Bride' (archive footage)
The Big Parade of Comedy
Bud Means
The Hoosier Schoolmaster
Assistant Coach
The Spirit of Notre Dame
Joe Weyman
Dr. Gillespie's New Assistant
Roscoe
The Ghost Comes Home
Sergeant Michael Collins in Buck Privates (archive footage)
The World of Abbott and Costello
'Killer' Delmar
By Whose Hand?
Dugan
The Luckiest Girl in the World
Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Known Credits
108
Gender
Male
Birthday
1895-08-07
Place of Birth
Davenport, Iowa, USA
Also Known As
Nathaniel Greene Pendleton