Actor. Born in New York City, he was a popular character performer for three decades appearing in over 150 films. After serving in World War I, he began performing on Broadway and made his film debut in “Count of Ten” (1928). In the 1930s, he played police Inspector Oscar Piper in a series of murder mystery films. He received a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award nomination for his role as Max ‘Pop’ Corkle in the movie, “Here Comes Mr. Jordan” (1941). His many other credits included “A Free Soul” (1931), “West Point of the Air” (1935), “A Guy Named Joe” (1943), “This Man’s Navy” (1945), “The Clock” (1945), “What Price Glory ?” (1952), “Suddenly” (1954) and “The Last Hurrah” (1958). (bio by: John “J-Cat” Griffith)  Family links:  Parents:  William Lawrence Gleason (1850 – 1909)  Mina Crolius Gleason (1858 – 1931)  Spouse:  Lucile Webster Gleason (1888 – 1947)*  Children:  Russell Gleason (1907 – 1945)* *Calculated relationship