Joe Yule

Who was Joe Yule?

Joseph "Joe" Yule was a Scottish-American vaudeville comedian who starred in many films as a character actor. He was noted for his role in the Jiggs and Maggie film series, and for being the father of Mickey Rooney.

Yule was born Ninian Joseph Ewell in the Polmadie district of Glasgow. As a child, he emigrated with his parents to the U.S.. He later changed his name to Joseph Yule. He married Nellie W. Carter, a native of Kansas City, Missouri. Both were vaudevillians and were appearing together in a Brooklyn production of A Gaiety Girl when their son Joseph Yule, Jr., was born. Their son would later adopt the professional name Mickey Rooney.

The Yules separated in 1924 during a slump in vaudeville, and in 1925, Nell Yule moved with her son to Hollywood. Yule died 25 years later from a heart attack, the month before he turned 58.