Stage Arnold was interested in acting ever since he appeared on stage as Lorenzo in The Merchant of Venice at age 12. He made his professional stage debut in 1907 and had important roles in several plays on Broadway in the 1920s and 1930s. Among them is the 1927 revival of
The Jazz Singer, with Arnold as the second lead to the star,
George Jessel.
Film ; from the trailer for
Annie Get Your Gun (1950) He found work as an
extra for
Essanay Studios and World Studios, before landing his first significant role in 1916's
The Misleading Lady. He returned to the stage in 1919, and did not appear in movies again until his talkie debut in
Okay America! (1932). He recreated one of his stage roles in one of his early films,
Whistling in the Dark (1933). His role in the 1935 film
Diamond Jim boosted him to stardom. He reprised the role of
Diamond Jim Brady in the 1940 film
Lillian Russell. He played a similar role in
The Toast of New York (1937), another fictionalized version of real-life business chicanery, for which he was billed above
Cary Grant on posters, with his name in much larger letters. Arnold appeared in over 150 movies. Although he was labeled "box office poison" in 1938 by an exhibitor publication (he shared this dubious distinction with
Joan Crawford,
Greta Garbo,
Marlene Dietrich,
Mae West,
Fred Astaire and
Katharine Hepburn), he never lacked work. Rather than continue in leading man roles, he gave up losing weight and went after character parts instead. He said, "The bigger I got, the better character roles I received." He was so sought-after, he often worked on two pictures at once. Arnold was expert as rogues and authority figures, and superb at combining the two as powerful villains quietly pulling strings. He was best known for his roles in
Come and Get It (1936), ''
Sutter's Gold (1936), the aforementioned The Toast of New York (1937), You Can't Take It with You (1938), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), Meet John Doe (1941), and a larger than life star turn as Daniel Webster in The Devil and Daniel Webster'' (1941). He was the first to portray
Rex Stout's famous detective
Nero Wolfe, starring in
Meet Nero Wolfe (1936), based on the
first novel in the series. He played blind detective Duncan Maclain in two movies based on the novels by
Baynard Kendrick,
Eyes in the Night (1942) and
The Hidden Eye (1945).
Leonard Maltin stated, "Few character actors achieved the particular kind of stardom that came to Edward Arnold in the 1930s, playing historical figures and dynamic, larger-than-life characters. Burly and round-faced, with piercing eyes and sharp nose, Arnold was a commanding presence."
Leslie Halliwell called him "Rotund but dynamic actor who played go-getter leading roles in the thirties. Although he later became typed as kindly father/apoplectic business man, he never lost his popularity." Halliwell further praised him "For maintaining an ebullient star personality through two decades of talkies, despite his unromantic physique." An image of Arnold made a posthumous appearance in the 1984 film
Gremlins as the deceased husband (visible in a large framed photograph) of Mrs. Deagle, a character much like the rich, heartless characters Arnold was known for. Director
Joe Dante mentioned that they received permission from Arnold's family to use his image.
Radio From 1947 to 1953, Arnold starred in the
ABC radio program
Mr. President. He also played a lawyer, Mr. Reynolds, on
The Charlotte Greenwood Show. In 1953, he hosted
Spotlight Story on the
Mutual network.
Television Arnold hosted
Your Star Showcase, "a series of 52 half-hour television dramas ... released by
Television Programs of America." It was launched January 1, 1954, and ran in 150 cities. ==Personal life==