Robert G. Jordan (April 1, 1923 â€" September 10, 1965) was an
American actor, most notable for being a member of the Dead End Kids,
the East Side Kids, and The Bowery Boys.Born in Harrison, New York,
Jordan was a talented toddler and could sing, tap dance, and play the
saxophone by the time he was six years old. At the age of four, he was
working in an early movie version of A Christmas Carol.His mother took
him to talent shows in and around Harrison, New York. He also modeled
for newspaper and magazine advertisements and appeared in short films
and radio programs. In the late 1920s, his family moved to the upper
west side of Manhattan. In 1929, he was cast as Charles Hildebrand in
the 1929 Broadway play Street Scene.Though he was the youngest, Jordan
was the first of the boys who made up the Dead End Kids to work in
films with a role in a 1933 Universal short. In 1935, he became one of
the original Dead End Kids by winning the role of Angel in Sydney
Kingsley's Broadway drama Dead End about life in the slums of the east
side of New York City. The play was performed at the Belasco Theatre
and ran for three years with over 600 performances. He appeared for
the first season and the beginning of the second but left in
mid-November 1936. He returned in time to join the others in 1937 in
Hollywood, California to make the movie version of the play, starring
big names such as Humphrey Bogart, Joel McCrea, Sylvia Sidney, and
Claire Trevor.
American actor, most notable for being a member of the Dead End Kids,
the East Side Kids, and The Bowery Boys.Born in Harrison, New York,
Jordan was a talented toddler and could sing, tap dance, and play the
saxophone by the time he was six years old. At the age of four, he was
working in an early movie version of A Christmas Carol.His mother took
him to talent shows in and around Harrison, New York. He also modeled
for newspaper and magazine advertisements and appeared in short films
and radio programs. In the late 1920s, his family moved to the upper
west side of Manhattan. In 1929, he was cast as Charles Hildebrand in
the 1929 Broadway play Street Scene.Though he was the youngest, Jordan
was the first of the boys who made up the Dead End Kids to work in
films with a role in a 1933 Universal short. In 1935, he became one of
the original Dead End Kids by winning the role of Angel in Sydney
Kingsley's Broadway drama Dead End about life in the slums of the east
side of New York City. The play was performed at the Belasco Theatre
and ran for three years with over 600 performances. He appeared for
the first season and the beginning of the second but left in
mid-November 1936. He returned in time to join the others in 1937 in
Hollywood, California to make the movie version of the play, starring
big names such as Humphrey Bogart, Joel McCrea, Sylvia Sidney, and
Claire Trevor.
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