Biography
Grant Mitchell (born John Grant Mitchell Jr.) was an American stage and screen actor. He appeared on Broadway from 1902 to 1939 and in more than 125 films between 1930 and 1948.
Born in Columbus, Ohio, Mitchell graduated from Yale University and Harvard Law School and practised law before turning to acting. He played lead roles on Broadway in plays including It Pays to Advertise, The Champion, The Whole Town's Talking and The Baby Cyclone. His film career began with a few silent appearances but developed with the advent of sound; he was often cast as fathers, husbands, businessmen or school principals in supporting roles.
Notable film credits include Dinner at Eight (1933), A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935) as Egeus, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), The Grapes of Wrath (1940), The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942), Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) and It Happened on Fifth Avenue (1947). Mitchell retired in 1948 and died in Los Angeles in 1957.
