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In show business from the age of 16, John Tyrrell spent ten years as a vaudeville headliner, playing straight man in the comedy team of Tyrrell and Mack. When vaudeville died, Tyrrell tried his luck as a single, taking acting lessons and spending two seasons in stock in Connecticut to learn the rudiments of role-playing. In 1936, he was signed to a contract by Columbia Pictures, where he remained until his death in 1949. He played bits in Columbia's A-product and juicy supporting roles in the studio's serials, horror flicks, and B-grade detective series. John Tyrrell is best known to contemporary audiences for his many appearances in Columbia's two-reel comedy product, sharing screen space with such funsters as Andy Clyde, Buster Keaton, and especially the Three Stooges.