Andy Devine: Movies & Box Office

Andrew Vabre Devine, better known as **Andy Devine**, was born on *October 7, 1905* in Flagstaff, Arizona, then a U.S. territory. He grew up in a modest family, attended St. Mary’s College, St. Benedict’s College, Northern Arizona State Teacher’s College, and played football at Santa Clara University, even adopting the pseudonym *Jeremiah Schwartz* for semi‑professional play. A childhood accident—his self‑reported fall onto a curtain rod at the Beale Hotel—left him with a distinctive wheezy, crackly voice that would become his trademark, though biographers suspect he embellished the tale. After college he moved to Hollywood, taking a job as a lifeguard on Venice Beach while auditioning for parts, and his first sizable screen role came in the 1931 football‑themed film **The Spirit of Notre Dame**. Devine’s early work was a blend of uncredited bit parts and small supporting roles, yet his unique vocal quality quickly set him apart, allowing him to transition from silent‑era shorts to the talkies with ease.

Over a career that spanned **1932‑1977**, Devine appeared in more than 400 films, ranging from low‑budget B‑Western sidekicks to high‑profile epics. He is perhaps most remembered as *Cookie*—the lovable sidekick of Roy Rogers in ten feature films—and for memorable parts alongside John Wayne in classics such as *Stagecoach* (1939), *The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance* (1962), and *How the West Was Won* (1962). His voice work included the beloved Friar Tuck in Disney’s *Robin Hood* (1973) and countless radio appearances, notably as *Jingles* on *The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok* (1951‑1958). On television he hosted the children’s series *Andy’s Gang* (1955‑1960) and made guest spots on shows like *The Twilight Zone* and *Batman*. A Republican who campaigned for Barry Goldwater, Devine was also a licensed pilot who ran a wartime flying school. He married Dorothy House in 1933, fathered two children, and remained an iconic figure of American Western lore until his death from leukemia on *February 18 1977* in Orange, California.