Ned Glass (April 1, 1906 — June 15, 1984) was an American film character actor who appeared in more than eighty films and on television over one hundred times, frequently playing nervous, cowardly or weasely characters. Short and bald, with a slight hunch to his shoulders, he was immediately recognizable by his distinct appearance, his nasal voice and his pronounced New York accent.
Born in Poland on 1 April 1906, Glass immigrated to the United States at an early age and grew up in New York City. He attended college at City College.
Glass worked in vaudeville, and appeared on Broadway in 1931 in the Elmer Rice play Counsellor-at-Law. He continued to act and direct on Broadway until 1936, when he was signed as a MGM contract player. He made his first film appearance in 1937, with an uncredited role in True Confession, and his first credited film appearance came in two episodes of the serial Dick Tracy Returns (1938).
From 1937 on, Glass worked regularly in films, helped by friends like producer John Houseman and Glass's next door neighbor, Moe Howard of The Three Stooges, who got him a part in the Stooges' film Nutty But Nice. Glass did not appear in any films released between 1942 and 1947 (possibly due to national service), but generally worked in a handful of films almost every year, playing small roles and bit parts. He was reportedly briefly blacklisted, during which time he worked as a carpenter.
Glass began showing up on television in 1952, when he did an episode of The Red Skelton Show.. He later was frequently seen in Jackie Gleason's The Honeymooners sketches. From 1955 to 1958, Glass played "Sgt. Andy Pendleton" on You'll Never Get Rich (better remembered as The Phil Silvers Show). He also popped up in the 1967 Monkees episode "Monkees in the Ring" as fight promoter Joey Sholto. He played "Sol Cooper" on the Diahann Carroll vehicle Julia from 1968 to 1971, and was nominated in 1969 for an Emmy Award for his performance in the "A Little Chicken Soup Never Hurt Anybody" episode Glass also played "Uncle Moe Plotnick" on the short-lived series Bridget Loves Bernie (1972-73).
Highlights of Glass's film career include playing "Doc" in West Side Story (1961), "Popcorn" in Blake Edwards's thriller Experiment in Terror (1962), and bad guy "Leopold W. Gideon" in Stanley Donen's Charade (1963). He was notable in Kid Galahad (1962) with Elvis Presley, Disney's The Love Bug, Billy Wilder's The Fortune Cookie (1966) and Save the Tiger (1973) starring Jack Lemmon. His final film appearance was in the low-budget comedy Street Music in 1981, and his final TV appearance was as a pickpocket on Cagney & Lacey in 1982.
Glass was married to Kathryn "Kitty" McHugh, and was brother-in-law to character actor Frank McHugh who appeared in many early Warner Bros. films, and bit player Matt McHugh. Kitty committed suicide on 3 September 1954, and Glass later married actress Jhean Burton. The marriage ended in divorce.
Glass died in Encino Hospital in Encino, California on 15 June 1984 at the age of 78, after a long illness.
