Rondo Hatton

Acting

Rondo Hatton

Born 1894-04-22 · Hagerstown, Maryland, USA

Rondo Hatton (April 22, 1894 – February 2, 1946) was an American actor and journalist known for his work during the 1930's and 40's. Originally taking up work as a sports journalist for the Tampa Tribune, Hatton quickly transitioned into warfront reporting after the start of World War I, documenting the frontlines of both France and the Mexican border during the Pancho Villa Expedition before complications from his acromegaly forced him to be honorably discharged shortly after the war. Having previously worked as an extra for films such as Hell Harbor (1930) and Safe in Hell (1931), Hatton moved to Hollywood in 1936 and dedicated his career to acting full-time, starring in films like The Ox-Bow Incident (1943) and Universal Pictures' "Brute Man" duology before his untimely death at the age of 51 due to further complications from his acromegaly. While only a mild success in his lifetime, Rondo Hatton's influence on cult cinema continued to thrive even after his death, inspiring the appearance of the character Lothar in the Rocketeer franchise as well as the creation of the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards in 2002.

Acting credits

Safe in Hell poster
6.7

To avoid the rigors of the law, Gilda flees New Orleans and hides on a Caribbean island where the worst criminals can ask for asylum. Besieged by the scum of the earth, Gilda will soon find out that she has found refuge in hell.

Safe in Hell

1931

The Black Swan poster
6.5

When notorious pirate Henry Morgan is made governor of Jamaica, he enlists the help of some of his former partners in ridding the Caribbean of buccaneers. When one of them apparently abducts the previous governor's pretty daughter and joins up with the rebels, things are set for a fight.

The Black Swan

1942

The Hunchback of Notre Dame poster
7.3

Paris, France, 1482. Frollo, Chief Justice of benevolent King Louis XI, gets infatuated by the beauty of Esmeralda, a young Romani girl. The hunchback Quasimodo, Frollo's protege and bell-ringer of Notre Dame, lives in peace among the bells in the heights of the immense cathedral until he is involved by the twisted magistrate in his malicious plans to free himself from Esmeralda's alleged spell, which he believes to be the devil's work.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

1939

Hell Harbor poster
6.1

Lovely Anita dreams of escaping the monotony of her island home and sailing to bustling Havana. But when her abusive father promises her to the greasy local merchant, Anita does everything in her power to make her dream a reality.

Hell Harbor

1930

The Ox-Bow Incident poster
7.7

A posse discovers a trio of men they suspect of murder and cow theft and are split between handing them over to the law or lynching them on the spot.

The Ox-Bow Incident

1943

The Pearl of Death poster
7.1

The famous Borgia Pearl, a valuable gem with a history of bringing murder and misfortune to its owner since the days of the Borgias, is brought to London, thanks in part to Sherlock Holmes. But before long the jewel is stolen, due to an error on Holmes' part, and shortly thereafter, a series of horrible murders begin, the murderer leaving his victims with their spines snapped and surrounded by a mass of smashed china.

The Pearl of Death

1944

The Princess and the Pirate poster
6.9

Princess Margaret is travelling incognito to elope with her true love instead of marrying the man her father has betrothed her to. On the high seas, her ship is attacked by pirates who know her identity and plan to kidnap her and hold her for a king's ransom.

The Princess and the Pirate

1944

In Old Chicago poster
6.7

The O'Leary brothers -- honest Jack and roguish Dion -- become powerful figures, and eventually rivals, in Chicago on the eve of its Great Fire.

In Old Chicago

1938

Captain Fury poster
5.6

An Irish convict sentenced to hard labor in Australia escapes into the outback, and organizes a band of fellow escapees to fight a corrupt landlord.

Captain Fury

1939

Captain Fury poster
5.6

An Irish convict sentenced to hard labor in Australia escapes into the outback, and organizes a band of fellow escapees to fight a corrupt landlord.

Captain Fury

1939

Tales of Manhattan poster
6.4

Ten screenwriters collaborated on this series of tales concerning the effect a tailcoat cursed by its tailor has on those who wear it. The video release features a W.C. Fields segment not included in the original theatrical release.

Tales of Manhattan

1942

The Jungle Captive poster
5.6

Once again Paula the ape woman is brought back to life, this time by a mad doctor and his disfigured assistant, who also kidnaps a nurse in order to have a female blood donor.

The Jungle Captive

1945

The Big Guy poster
8.0

A man is given the choice between having fabulous wealth or saving an innocent man from the death penalty.

The Big Guy

1939

Sleepy Lagoon poster
5.0

Young radio personality Judy Joyner becomes mayor of the moribund town, Sleepy Lagoon, after running on an all women ticket and promptly sets out to turn the town around.

Sleepy Lagoon

1943

Alexander's Ragtime Band poster
6.8

Classical violinist Roger Grant disappoints his family and teacher when he organizes a jazz band, but he and the band become successful. Roger falls in love with the band's singer, Stella, but his reluctance to lose her leads him to thwart her efforts to become a solo star. When the World War separates them in 1917, Stella marries Roger's best friend and, when Roger returns home after the war, an important concert at Carnegie Hall brings the corners of the romantic triangle together.

Alexander's Ragtime Band

1938

Uncle Tom's Cabin poster
6.8

In 1856, slave Eliza plans to marry George with the consent of the Shelbys, her masters, but George's owner prevents the wedding. A few years later, Eliza flees with her son, Harry, after learning the Shelbys plan to hand them over to a crooked creditor to prevent foreclosure. George also escapes and goes on the run while Eliza and Harry are captured and brought back home. Mother and son are separated as George tries to find them both.

Uncle Tom's Cabin

1927

The Spider Woman Strikes Back poster
6.8

A young girl goes to work as a live-in caretaker for a spooky old woman. She doesn't know that every night, the woman drains some blood from her to feed her strange plant.

The Spider Woman Strikes Back

1946

Chad Hanna poster
7.0

Country boy joins a circus in the 1840s and falls in love with the bare-back rider. Later he falls in love with another circus runaway.

Chad Hanna

1940

Wolves of the Sea poster
6.0

A young socialite, marooned on a desert island after her passenger ship sinks, is rescued by a sailing vessel looking for salvage and finds herself dealing with a mutinous crew and a semi-insane captain.

Wolves of the Sea

1936

Moon Over Burma poster
5.8

The managers of a teak lumber camp in Burma compete for the affections of a beautiful American entertainer who gets stranded in Rangoon.

Moon Over Burma

1940

House of Horrors poster
6.1

An unsuccessful sculptor saves a madman named "The Creeper" from drowning. Seeing an opportunity for revenge, he tricks the psycho into murdering his critics.

House of Horrors

1946

The Moon and Sixpence poster
6.3

Loosely inspired from Gauguin's life, the story of Charles Strickland, a middle-aged stockbrocker who abandons his middle-classed life, his family, his duties to start painting, what he has always wanted to do. He is from now on a awful human being, wholly devoted to his ideal: beauty.

The Moon and Sixpence

1942

It Happened in Flatbush poster
5.4

A washed up baseball player returns to Brooklyn to manage his old team but an old sports reporter is eager to prove that he is a loser.

It Happened in Flatbush

1942

The Brute Man poster
4.6

A facially disfigured and mentally unhinged man wreaks his revenge on those he blames for his condition.

The Brute Man

1946