Tammany Young

Tammany Young (September 9, 1886 – April 26, 1936) was an American stage and film actor.

Born in New York City, Young appeared on Broadway, in The Front Page (1928) by Ben Hecht and The New Yorkers (1930) (Herbert Fields and Cole Porter), and was considered a “good luck actor” by Broadway producers. He was often cast in bit parts by the likes of The Shuberts, Jed Harris and David Belasco to bring luck to their productions. His reputation in the theater business was such that his likeness was drawn in caricature by Alex Gard for Sardi's restaurant. That picture is now part of the collection of the New York Public Library.

In Hollywood, Young started out in silent films and then was cast in talkies. He often played the stooge (straight man) to W.C. Fields, with whom he appeared in seven films: Sally of the Sawdust (1925), Six of a Kind (1934), You're Telling Me! (1934), The Old Fashioned Way (1934), It's a Gift (1934), Man on the Flying Trapeze (1935), and Poppy (1936).

Gatecrashing

Young also had a reputation as a gate crasher. By claiming to be an ice man, he worked his way into the 1921 Dempsey–Carpentier prize fight in New Jersey and in 1932 he found his way into the Los Angeles Olympics. His exploits in this regard were written about frequently by sportswriters of the era.

Young died in his sleep in Hollywood, California, at the age of 49. At the news of Young's death, W.C. Fields fell into a depression and stopped eating and sleeping.