William Tracy

Who was William Tracy?

William Tracy was an American character actor. He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Tracy is perhaps best known for the role of Pepi Katona, the delivery boy, in The Shop Around the Corner. He also starred in the John Ford film Tobacco Road and Alfred Hitchcock's Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

Also in 1940, he began a recurring role as Sgt. Dorian "Dodo" Doubleday in a string of Hal Roach's Streamliners service comedies, the first of which was Tanks a Million. Surprisingly, this B-movie comedy was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Musical Score. The series continued for a total of eight films, the last one — Mr. Walkie Talkie — being set during the Korean War.

In the 1950s, Tracy primarily did television work, where his most notable role was as "Hotshot Charlie" in the 1953 series Terry and the Pirates. He previously played the lead role of Terry Lee in the 1940 serial with the same title.

Tracy died in Hollywood, California, at the age of 49, of unknown causes.