Ben Bard

Stage actor Ben Bard resettled in Hollywood upon his marriage to serial queen Ruth Roland. In films from 1927, Bard at first specialized in slimy "underworld" roles. Among his early talkie appearances was The Bat Whispers (1930), in which, as "The Unknown," he tied up all the film's loose plot ends. Over at MGM, he played "Sharlie," the erstwhile straight man for radio's Baron Munchausen (Jack Pearl), in Meet the Baron (1933) and Hollywood Party (1934). He then left films for nearly a decade, making his living as an acting teacher and vocal coach. Ben Bard returned to films in 1943 as a member of RKO producer Val Lewton's stock company, essaying substantial roles in Lewton's Leopard Man (1943), The Ghost Ship (1943) and Youth Runs Wild (1944).

~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide