Born in Paris, France, on March 21, 1897, Borden immigrated to the United States in 1914 at the age of 17. By 1917 he had entered the film industry, appearing in a featured role in
Christy Cabanne's
The Slacker. Over the next 43 years, Borden appeared in 160 feature films, usually in uncredited roles, many of which were as characters do menial labor, such as headwaiters, porters, pursers and coachmen. During his long career in films, Borden appeared in many notable movies. During the silent era, he appeared in such notable productions as:
George D. Baker's
Revelation (1918);
Blue Blood (1925), directed by
Scott R. Dunlap; and the original film version of
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1928), directed by
Malcolm St. Clair. During this time, Borden also appeared in two successful
Broadway plays: ''
The Better 'Ole'', a musical comedy which ran for over 350 performances in 1918–19; and 1922's musical comedy,
The French Maid, with music by
George Gershwin and
Gus Edwards. Borden smoothly made the transition to sound films, appearing in numerous notable films, in some of which he had significant roles. Notable films of the 1930s in which he appeared include: 1934's
Marie Galante, directed by
Henry King and starring
Spencer Tracy; the 1936 comedy
Wife vs. Secretary, starring
Clark Gable,
Jean Harlow and
Myrna Loy, and featuring
Jimmy Stewart in one of his first film appearances;
Café Metropole, a 1937 romantic comedy starring
Tyrone Power,
Loretta Young, and
Adolphe Menjou; the 1938
Sonja Henie vehicle,
Happy Landing, which also stars
Don Ameche; and the 1939 version of
The Three Musketeers, starring
Don Ameche and the
Ritz Brothers. Borden continued his prolific ways in the 1940s, appearing in dozens of films, some of which included: the classic
The Mark of Zorro (1940), starring Tyrone Power,
Linda Darnell, and
Basil Rathbone, in which Borden had a featured role; the 1942 screwball comedy
The Lady is Willing, starring
Fred MacMurray and
Marlene Dietrich;
The Song of Bernadette (1945), starring
Jennifer Jones and an all-star cast; as the Quartermaster in the
Bogart and
Bacall classic
To Have and Have Not; in the classic ''
The Razor's Edge'' (1946), starring Tyrone Power and
Gene Tierney;
Rita Hayworth's tour de force,
Gilda in 1946; as Michel, the owner of the French restaurant, in ''
The Bishop's Wife, starring Cary Grant, Loretta Young, and David Niven; and the 1949 classic musical On the Town'', starring
Gene Kelly (who also directed),
Frank Sinatra,
Betty Garrett, and
Ann Miller. Borden remained active in films throughout the 1950s, as well as transitioning into the new medium of television. One of this most notable roles would occur in 1951's classic musical,
An American in Paris, starring Gene Kelly,
Leslie Caron, and
Oscar Levant, when he had the featured role as Kelly and Levant's landlord, Georges Mattieu. Other notable films in which he appeared during this decade include:
All About Eve (1950), starring
Bette Davis and
Anne Baxter; the
Bob Hope comedy,
My Favorite Spy;
Howard Hawks'
The Big Sky (1952), starring
Kirk Douglas;
The Far Country, directed by
Anthony Mann in 1955, starring Jimmy Stewart,
Ruth Roman, and
Walter Brennan;
To Catch a Thief (1955), starring Cary Grant and
Grace Kelly; another Jimmy Stewart film,
The Spirit of St. Louis (1957), directed by
Billy Wilder; and the 1958 horror classic,
The Fly, starring
Al Hedison and
Vincent Price. Borden appeared in several films in the 1960s, although most of his work in that decade was on the small screen. His notable films include: 1960's
Can-Can, starring Frank Sinatra,
Shirley MacLaine,
Maurice Chevalier, and
Louis Jourdan; ''
Take Her, She's Mine (1963), starring Jimmy Stewart and Sandra Dee; and the Jerry Lewis and Tony Curtis comedy, Boeing, Boeing (1965). His final big screen appearance would be in the 1966 spy spoof, Our Man Flint'', starring
James Coburn. In addition to his film work, Borden appeared in numerous television shows during the 1950s and 1960s. Some of the shows on which he performed included
My Little Margie,
Climax!,
The Millionaire,
The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show,
Have Gun - Will Travel,
Perry Mason, the original
Twilight Zone,
Combat!, ''
The Farmer's Daughter, Don't Call Me Charlie!, and Rawhide''. Borden's last performance was in 1966 on the television series
Run for Your Life. After his retirement, Borden lived at the
Motion Picture Home, in Woodland Hills, California. He died there on July 21, 1971, at the age of 74, and is buried in
Woodlawn Memorial Cemetery in Santa Monica. ==Filmography==