Known For
Acting
Known Credits
57
Gender
Male
Birthday
June 20, 1908 (118 years old)
Place of Birth
New York City, New York, USA
August "Gus" Schilling (June 20, 1908 - June 16, 1957) was an American actor.
August "Gus" Schilling (June 20, 1908 – June 16, 1957) was an American film actor who started in burlesque comedy and usually played nervous comic roles, often unbilled. A friend of Orson Welles, he appeared in five of the director's films — Citizen Kane (first screen performance), The Magnificent Ambersons, The Lady from Shanghai, Macbeth and Touch of Evil (final performance, released posthumously).
Born in New York City, Schilling had a rubber face and flustered gestures which made him a natural comedian and he began his career understudying comedy stars Bert Lahr and Joe Penner on Broadway. He soon became a favorite among burlesque comedians, who welcomed him into the burlesque profession. Schilling was in a relationship with burlesque star Betty Rowland and the couple toured in the Minsky burlesque troupe.
Orson Welles saw Schilling in New York and followed him to Florida. There Welles hired Schilling to appear in a stage production featuring several Shakespearean scenes. "I learned my part by taking the script to Welles and having him translate the lines to everyday English," Schilling recalled in 1939. Welles promised Schilling a part in Welles's first motion picture, and kept his promise: Schilling is featured in Citizen Kane (1941). This established Schilling in Hollywood movies as a "nervous" comedian (he plays a jittery symphony conductor in Olsen and Johnson's Hellzapoppin', for example). He also co-starred with character comedian Richard Lane in a series of 11 comedy shorts for Columbia Pictures; the series ran from 1945 to 1950.
| 1958 | Touch of Evilas Eddie Farnham (uncredited) | |
| 1956 | Bigger Than Lifeas Druggist (uncredited) | |
| 1956 | Gloryas Joe Page | |
| 1955 | Rebel Without a Causeas Attendant (uncredited) | |
| 1955 | Run for Coveras Doc Ridgeway | |
| 1954 | Executive Suiteas Newsstand Vendor (uncredited) | |
| 1954 | She Couldn't Say Noas Ed Gruman | |
| 1952 | One Big Affairas Mr. Rush | |
| 1951 | On Dangerous Groundas Lucky | |
| 1951 | Honeychileas Window Washer | |
| 1951 | Gasoline Alleyas Joe Allen | |
| 1950 | Hit Parade of 1951as Studio Guide | |
| 1950 | Our Very Ownas Frank | |
| 1949 | Bride for Saleas Timothy | |
| 1949 | Flung by a Flingas Capt. Gus Schilling | |
| 1949 | He's in Againas Gus | |
| 1948 | Angel on the Amazonas Dean Hartley | |
| 1948 | The Return of Octoberas Benny | |
| 1948 | Macbethas A Porter | |
| 1948 | Pardon My Lamb Chopas Gus | |
| 1948 | Two Nuts in a Rutas Gus Schilling, Lane's assistant | |
| 1947 | The Lady from Shanghaias Goldfish | |
| 1947 | Wedding Belleas Gus Schilling | |
| 1947 | Training for Troubleas Gus Schilling | |
| 1947 | Stork Bites Manas Hubert Butterfield | |
| 1947 | Calendar Girlas Eddie Gaskin | |
| 1946 | Pardon My Terroras Gus | |
| 1946 | Hot Wateras Gus | |
| 1946 | Dangerous Businessas Alexander Pough | |
| 1946 | Ain't Love Cuckoo?as Gus Schilling | |
| 1945 | High Blood Pleasureas Gus | |
| 1945 | River Gangas Dopey Charlie | |
| 1945 | A Thousand and One Nightsas Jafar | |
| 1945 | See My Lawyeras J. Ambrose Winkler aka Winky | |
| 1945 | It's a Pleasureas Bill Evans | |
| 1944 | Sing a Jingleas Bucky | |
| 1943 | Larceny with Musicas Austin J. Caldwell | |
| 1943 | Hers to Holdas Rosey Blake | |
| 1943 | Presenting Lily Marsas Scotty - Stage Manager | |
| 1943 | Chatterboxas Gillie | |
| 1943 | The Amazing Mrs. Hollidayas | |
| 1943 | Lady Bodyguardas Bughouse Sweeney | |
| 1942 | You Were Never Lovelieras Fernando | |
| 1942 | The Magnificent Ambersonsas Drug Clerk (uncredited) | |
| 1942 | There's One Born Every Minuteas Professor Asa Quisenberry | |
| 1942 | Broadwayas Joe | |
| 1942 | Dr. Kildare's Victoryas Leo Cobb | |
| 1941 | Hellzapoppin'as Orchestra Conductor | |
| 1941 | Appointment for Loveas Gus | |
| 1941 | It Started with Eveas Raven | |
| 1941 | Ice-Capadesas Dave | |
| 1941 | Citizen Kaneas John | |
| 1941 | The Penaltyas Bank Teller (uncredited) | |
| 1941 | Lucky Devilsas Aloysius Grimshaw | |
| 1940 | Dr. Kildare's Crisisas Orderly Cleaning Window | |
| 1940 | Mexican Spitfire Out Westas Hotel Desk Clark | |
| 1940 | Pop Always Paysas City Dump Watchman |