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Michael Whalen, a dark, debonair leading man with a mustache and a sleek appearance, was a striking figure in 1930s Fox films. His distinctive good looks were complemented by a somewhat prominent Romanesque nose. Born Joseph Shovlin on June 30, 1902, in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, he took piano lessons as a child, though he never pursued the skill further. He eventually found work at Woolworths department store, rising to manager before resigning at 23. During extensive travels, he stopped in New York City, where a Broadway show inspired him to pursue acting. He trained and debuted on stage with Eva Le Gallienne's repertory company, supporting himself by modeling for artists, including the famous James Montgomery Flagg.
Arriving in Hollywood in 1933, Whalen began acting on the Los Angeles stage with roles in "When Knighthood Was in Flower" (as the Dauphin) and "Common Flesh." He caught the attention of Twentieth Century-Fox talent scouts and made his film debut in a secondary lead role in Professional Soldier (1935), starring Victor McLaglen. Onscreen, he starred opposite many Hollywood beauties such as Alice Faye, Gloria Stuart, Claire Trevor, and June Lang, often playing virile, flashy characters like producers and sports editors in typical "B" movies. He also held the adult male leads in two popular Shirley Temple films—Poor Little Rich Girl (1936) and Wee Willie Winkie (1937). In 1938, he portrayed newsman Barney Callahan in several murder mystery films—Time Out for Murder (1938), While New York Sleeps (1938), and Inside Story (1939)—with Jean Rogers as his love interest.
By the early 1940s, Whalen's career as a leading man began to decline. He spent two years on Broadway in "Ten Little Indians" (1944) and toured with the production. During the 1950s, his film appearances became less frequent, shifting toward character roles, while television provided a steady income. His final film role was an uncredited part in Elmer Gantry (1960), and his last TV appearance was on an episode of My Three Sons in 1964.
Once engaged to the sultry actress Ilona Massey, the couple never married. Whalen remained a lifelong bachelor and lived with his mother until her death in the 1960s. He enjoyed collecting antiques and gardening until he passed away from bronchial pneumonia in 1974 at the age of 71.
