Tim Moore(1887-1958)
- Actor
Although Tim Moore will forever be known as "The Kingfish" in the
pioneering series The Amos 'n Andy Show (1951), he was actually far better known for his
career on the stage and as a comedian in vaudeville than he was for his
film and television work. In fact, he had only made (as far as is
known) three films before "Amos 'n' Andy", and he had to be coaxed out
of retirement to play in that show.
Moore was born into a family of 15 children in Illinois. He left school
at age 11 to join a traveling vaudeville act called "Cora Miskel and
Her Gold Dust Twins", which was such a hit in the U.S. that it toured
Europe. He had a long and successful career in vaudeville and another
successful run on Broadway in "Blackbirds". He also did much work on
radio. The "Amos 'n' Andy" TV series was a major hit and made
Moore--or, rather, "The Kingfish"--a household word. After the show's
run he retired again, except for an occasional appearance on TV talk
shows to reminisce about the series. He died of tuberculosis in
1958.
pioneering series The Amos 'n Andy Show (1951), he was actually far better known for his
career on the stage and as a comedian in vaudeville than he was for his
film and television work. In fact, he had only made (as far as is
known) three films before "Amos 'n' Andy", and he had to be coaxed out
of retirement to play in that show.
Moore was born into a family of 15 children in Illinois. He left school
at age 11 to join a traveling vaudeville act called "Cora Miskel and
Her Gold Dust Twins", which was such a hit in the U.S. that it toured
Europe. He had a long and successful career in vaudeville and another
successful run on Broadway in "Blackbirds". He also did much work on
radio. The "Amos 'n' Andy" TV series was a major hit and made
Moore--or, rather, "The Kingfish"--a household word. After the show's
run he retired again, except for an occasional appearance on TV talk
shows to reminisce about the series. He died of tuberculosis in
1958.