Francis "Dink" Trout (June 18, 1898 – March 26, 1950) was an American actor, voice artist and radio personality.

Biography

Early years

Trout was born in 1898 in Illinois. He attended the University of Illinois.^[1]

Radio

In 1927, Trout had his own musical program on WOR in Newark, New Jersey.^[2]

Much of his career involved playing characters in American radio shows. He was heard as Waldo Binney on The Life of Riley,^{[3]: 157-158} as Mr. Anderson on The Dennis Day Show and as Luke Spears on Lum and Abner. He was also heard in The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, the Cass Daley Show, The Nebbs,^[4] and The Jim Backus Show.^[3]

Stage

On Broadway, Trout had the role of Zappo in The Wild Rose (1926).^[5]

Music

Trout played marimba and trombone for Ben Bernie and his orchestra.^[6]

Film

In 1936 Trout made his first (uncredited) film appearance in Under Your Spell. Later in 1941 he appeared in Scattergood Baines as Plinky Pickett. Trout reprised this role for the next two films in the Scattergood Baines chronology. He made several other film appearances throughout his life, though he was generally uncredited. In 1947 he voiced the title character in Disney's Bootle Beetle, a character he continued to voice for the next three years. He also played Phink, the pressure cooker salesman in the unaired Three Stooges TV pilot, Jerks of All Trades.^{[citation needed]} His final performance was as the voice of the King of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland, which was released over a year after his death.

Death

One year before the release of Alice in Wonderland, Trout died after having had major surgery in Hollywood, on March 26, 1950, at the age of 51.^[7]

Filmography