Sam Hardy on AllMovie

Robust, hearty character actor Sam Hardy made the transition from stage to films in 1915. Among Hardy's silent screen roles were Simon Legree in Uncle Tom's Cabin (1920) and Cornelius Vanderbilt in Little Old New York (1923). His deep, full-barreled voice made him an indispensable talking-picture supporting actor in such roles as crooked religious-revival promoter Bob Hornsby in Capra's The Miracle Worker (1931) and theatrical impresario Weston ("Is this the moving picture ship?") in King Kong (1933). A close friend of comedian W.C. Fields, Sam Hardy co-authored the screenplay of the 1935 Fields comedy Man on the Flying Trapeze.