Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

95

Gender

Male

Birthday

1917-06-03

Day of Death

1969-06-02 (52 years old)

Place of Birth

New York City, New York, USA

Also Known As

Leo Bernard Gorcey

Leo Gorcey

Biography

Leo Gorcey's parents were actor Bernard Gorcey (born 1888) who stood 4' 10", and Josephine Condon (born 1901), who stood 4' 11" and weighed 95 pounds; they worked in vaudeville in New York. In 1915, 14-year-old Josephine gave birth to Fred. In 1917, Leo was born, a large baby at 12 lb. 3 oz.; as an adult he would be 5' 6". In 1921 his brother David Gorcey was born. In 1935, Leo and David appeared in the stage play "Dead End." In 1937, this was made into a movie, and Leo became one of the busiest actors for the next 20 years -- from 1937-1939 he starred in seven Dead End Kids movies, from 1940-1945 in 21 East Side Kids films, from 1946-1956 in 41 Bowery Boys movies. In 1939, Leo married 17-year-old dancer Kay Marvis, who appeared in four of his movies. They divorced in 1944 after five years of marriage; she went on to marry Groucho Marx. In 1945, Leo married Evalene Bankston; they divorced in 1948. Leo was to have paid her $50,000 in a divorce settlement; however, when two detectives she hired broke into his home, he retaliated by firing his gun at them. They sued, and Leo countersued for illegal entry and won $35,000 back. In 1949, Leo married Amelita Ward, whom he met while filming Smugglers' Cove (1948). Their marriage produced Leo Gorcey Jr. in 1949, and a baby girl they named Jan (after Leo's producer and manager, Jan Grippo) in 1951. They divorced in 1956. That year Leo married his young nanny, Brandy, who was taking care of his two kids. They had a baby girl, Brandy Jo, in 1958. The couple divorced in 1962. Leo went to the altar one last time in February, 1968, marrying Mary Gannon. He stayed married to her until his death from liver failure on June 2, 1969, in Oakland, California.

Known For

Angels with Dirty Faces

Angels with Dirty Faces

Dracula: A Cinematic Scrapbook

Dracula: A Cinematic Scrapbook

Bowery Battalion

Bowery Battalion

Private Eyes

Private Eyes

Gallant Sons

Gallant Sons

The Bowery Boys: Legends of Laughter

The Bowery Boys: Legends of Laughter

Acting

Kid Dynamite

1943

Kid Dynamite

as

Muggs McGinnis

Let's Get Tough

1942

Let's Get Tough

as

Muggs McGinnis

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

1963

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

as

First Cab Driver

Midnight Manhunt

1945

Midnight Manhunt

as

Clutch Tracy

Mr. Wise Guy

1942

Mr. Wise Guy

as

Muggs McGinnis

Million Dollar Kid

1944

Million Dollar Kid

as

Muggs McGinnis

Pride of the Bowery

1940

Pride of the Bowery

as

Muggs Maloney

Mannequin

1938

Mannequin

as

Clifford Cassidy

They Made Me a Criminal

1939

They Made Me a Criminal

as

Spit

Out of the Fog

1941

Out of the Fog

as

Eddie

Dead End

1937

Dead End

as

Spit

Angels with Dirty Faces

1938

Angels with Dirty Faces

as

Bim

Spooks Run Wild

1941

Spooks Run Wild

as

Muggs McGinnis

The Phynx

1970

The Phynx

as

Leo Gorcey

Bowery Blitzkrieg

1941

Bowery Blitzkrieg

as

Muggs McGinnis

Bowery to Bagdad

1955

Bowery to Bagdad

as

Slip Mahoney

Jinx Money

1948

Jinx Money

as

Terrence 'Slip' Mahoney

Ghosts on the Loose

1943

Ghosts on the Loose

as

Muggs McGinnis

Spook Busters

1946

Spook Busters

as

Terence Aloysius 'Slip' Mahoney

Crime School

1938

Crime School

as

Charles 'Spike' Hawkins

Born to Sing

1942

Born to Sing

as

'Snap' Collins

So This Is New York

1948

So This Is New York

as

Sid Mercer

Boys of the City

1940

Boys of the City

as

Muggs McGinnis

Flying Wild

1941

Flying Wild

as

Muggs McGinnis

Maisie Gets Her Man

1942

Maisie Gets Her Man

as

Cecil

Angels' Alley

1948

Angels' Alley

as

Terence 'Slip' Mahoney

Destroyer

1943

Destroyer

as

Seaman Sarecky

Bowery Bombshell

1946

Bowery Bombshell

as

Terence Aloysius 'Slip' Mahoney

Bowery Buckaroos

1947

Bowery Buckaroos

as

Slip Mahoney

The Bowery Boys Meet the Monsters

1954

The Bowery Boys Meet the Monsters

as

Slip Mahoney

Loose in London

1953

Loose in London

as

Terence Aloysius "Slip" Mahoney

Angels Wash Their Faces

1939

Angels Wash Their Faces

as

Leo Finnegan

Smart Alecks

1942

Smart Alecks

as

Muggs McGinnis

Ghost Chasers

1951

Ghost Chasers

as

Terence Aloysius 'Slip' Mahoney

Dig That Uranium

1955

Dig That Uranium

as

Terence Aloysius 'Slip' Mahoney

Hold That Line

1952

Hold That Line

as

Terence Aloysius 'Slip' Mahoney

Jalopy

1953

Jalopy

as

Terrence Aloysius 'Slip' Mahoney

Paris Playboys

1954

Paris Playboys

as

Slip Mahoney

Let's Go Navy!

1951

Let's Go Navy!

as

Terence Aloysius 'Slip' Mahoney

Dracula: A Cinematic Scrapbook

1991

Dracula: A Cinematic Scrapbook

as

Muggs (archive footage)

Swingtime in the Movies

1938

Swingtime in the Movies

as

Crime School Kid (uncredited)

Feudin' Fools

1952

Feudin' Fools

as

Terence Aloysius 'Slip' Mahoney

No Holds Barred

1952

No Holds Barred

as

Terence Aloysius 'Slip' Mahoney

Jungle Gents

1954

Jungle Gents

as

'Slip' Mahoney

Clipped Wings

1953

Clipped Wings

as

Slip Mahoney

Triple Trouble

1950

Triple Trouble

as

Slip Mahoney

Master Minds

1949

Master Minds

as

Slip Mahoney

High Society

1955

High Society

as

Slip Mahoney

Second Fiddle to a Steel Guitar

1966

Second Fiddle to a Steel Guitar

as

Leo

Bowery Battalion

1951

Bowery Battalion

as

Slip Mahoney

Blues Busters

1950

Blues Busters

as

Slip Mahoney

Angels in Disguise

1949

Angels in Disguise

as

Slip Mahoney

Private Eyes

1953

Private Eyes

as

Slip Mahoney

Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage

1983

Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage

as

Self (archive footage) (uncredited)

Follow the Leader

1944

Follow the Leader

as

Muggs McGinnis

Hell's Kitchen

1939

Hell's Kitchen

as

Gyp Haller

Spy Chasers

1955

Spy Chasers

as

Slip Mahoney

The Beloved Brat

1938

The Beloved Brat

as

Spike Matz

Jail Busters

1955

Jail Busters

as

Slip Mahoney

In Fast Company

1946

In Fast Company

as

Terence Aloysius 'Slip' Mahoney

Crashing Las Vegas

1956

Crashing Las Vegas

as

Terence Aloysius 'Slip' Mahoney

On Dress Parade

1939

On Dress Parade

as

Slip Duncan

Gallant Sons

1940

Gallant Sons

as

Doc Reardon

Here Come the Marines

1952

Here Come the Marines

as

Terence Aloysius 'Slip' Mahoney

Trouble Makers

1948

Trouble Makers

as

Slip Mahoney

'Neath Brooklyn Bridge

1942

'Neath Brooklyn Bridge

as

Muggs McGinnis

Terror in the Pharaoh's Tomb

2007

Terror in the Pharaoh's Tomb

as

Muggs McGinnis (archive footage)

Mr. Muggs Rides Again

1945

Mr. Muggs Rides Again

as

Muggs McGinnis

Blonde Dynamite

1950

Blonde Dynamite

as

Slip Mahoney

Angels with Broken Wings

1941

Angels with Broken Wings

as

Punchy Dorsey

Lucky Losers

1950

Lucky Losers

as

Slip Mahoney

Mr. Hex

1946

Mr. Hex

as

Slip Mahoney

Crazy Over Horses

1951

Crazy Over Horses

as

Terence Aloysius 'Slip' Mahoney

Docks of New York

1945

Docks of New York

as

Muggs McGinnis

Hard Boiled Mahoney

1947

Hard Boiled Mahoney

as

Terence Aloysius 'Slip' Mahoney

Portia on Trial

1937

Portia on Trial

as

Joe Gannow

That Gang of Mine

1940

That Gang of Mine

as

Muggs Maloney

Clancy Street Boys

1943

Clancy Street Boys

as

Muggs McGinnis

Smuggler's Cove

1948

Smuggler's Cove

as

Slip Mahoney

Sunday Punch

1942

Sunday Punch

as

'Biff'

Hullabaloo

1940

Hullabaloo

as

Apartment House Bellhop

Block Busters

1944

Block Busters

as

Muggs McGinnis

Mr. Muggs Steps Out

1943

Mr. Muggs Steps Out

as

Muggs McGinnis

Come Out Fighting

1945

Come Out Fighting

as

Muggs McGinnis

Bowery Champs

1944

Bowery Champs

as

Muggs McGinnis

Hold That Baby!

1949

Hold That Baby!

as

Slip Mahoney

Live Wires

1946

Live Wires

as

Terrence 'Slip' Mahoney

Fighting Fools

1949

Fighting Fools

as

Slip Mahoney

News Hounds

1947

News Hounds

as

Terence J. Montgomery 'Slip' Mahoney

The Bowery Boys: Legends of Laughter

2020

The Bowery Boys: Legends of Laughter

as

(archive footage)

Down in San Diego

1941

Down in San Diego

as

'Snap' Collins

Private Detective

1939

Private Detective

as

Newsboy (uncredited)

Invisible Stripes

1939

Invisible Stripes

as

Jimmy

Headin' East

1937

Headin' East

as

Boy Boxer in Gym (uncredited)

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

as

Self

Production

Crew

Directing