Fred 'Snowflake' Toones profile
Actor profile

Fred 'Snowflake' Toones

5th January 1906 North Carolina, USA Acting

Fred "Snowflake" Toones was a character actor who appeared in over 200 films between 1928 and 1951. He often worked under contract for Republic Pictures, appearing in about 40 of its films. He played a bootblack or shoeshine man in at least six of his movies, and Toones actually ran the shoeshine stand at Republic Studios. He first appeared as a porter in 1932 in The Hurricane Express and was usually typecast as a porter - appearing in over 50 films in such a role. He also played a variety of other service-oriented or domestic worker roles such as stable grooms, janitors, elevator operators, valets, cooks, bellhops, doormen, butlers, and bartenders. Like other actors of the time, i.e. Anna May Wong and Franklin Pangborn, Toones is a prime example of racial and social stereotyping in the Hollywood film industry. His standard characterization was that of a middle-aged "colored" man with a high-pitched voice and childlike mannerisms. "Snowflake" was the stage name Toones was best known by, and he used this name as his credit as early as his third film, 1931's Shanghaied Love. Likewise, in Shanghaied Love and over 35 other films, "Snowflake" was also Toones' character name. He acted in films such as Mississippi (1935), Hawk of the Wilderness (1938), and Daredevils of the Red Circle (1939) with Bruce Bennett and in many "B" westerns such as The Lawless Nineties (1936) with John Wayne. He also appeared in dozens of two-reelers such as Columbia's Woman Haters (1934) with the Three Stooges, and had a bit role in Laurel and Hardy's classic feature Way Out West (1937). Toones is also a familiar face in four Preston Sturges comedies: Twentieth Century (1934), Remember the Night (1940), Christmas in July (1940), and The Palm Beach Story (1942). He died on 13 February 1962 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

145 Movies 1 TV Shows 150 Credits
Filmography

Movies & TV Shows

The Lost Weekend poster
The Lost Weekend 29th November 1945 as Washroom Attendant at Harry & Joe's (uncredited)
Spy Train poster
Spy Train 9th July 1943 as Pullman Car Porter (as Snowflake)
The Tulsa Kid poster
The Tulsa Kid 16th August 1940 as Snowflake - the Cook (as Snowflake)
Smart Blonde poster
Smart Blonde 2nd January 1937 as Redcap Getting Tip (uncredited)
$10 Raise poster
$10 Raise 4th May 1935 as Bootblack (uncredited)
Palooka poster
Palooka 26th January 1934 as Smokey (as Snowflake)
Deluge poster
Deluge 17th August 1933 as Townsman
The Mind Reader poster
The Mind Reader 1st April 1933 as Black Man - Shill at Hair Tonic (uncredited)