ABEL, WALTER

(1898-1987)

Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, Walter Abel spent his long career mostly incharacterroles in theatre, motion pictures, and television.* His first Broadway role, inDorothy Donnelly'sForbidden(1919), was followed by a small part in the first American production of George Bernard Shaw'sBack to Methuselah(1922). Abel performed supporting roles inAs You Like It(1923) and August Strindberg'sThe Spook Sonata(1923) and the role of the Sheriff in Eugene O'Neill'sDesire Under the Elms(1924). As his roles grew in size, Abel won praise as Olson in O'Neill'sS. S. Glencairn(1929) and as Orin Mannon in a short-lived 1932 revival of O'Neill's tragic trilogyMourning Becomes Electra.*