Joseph Calleia was born in Malta on August 4, 1897. His official biography simply says Malta, but some of the people I have interviewed say he was born in the town of Rabat, others in Sliema. Joseph had a very good singing voice and actually began his career as a concert singer in England and Paris. He came to Hollywood in 1931 and played the villain Juan in My Sin. His slightly menacing personality was a perfect fit for the role, and he was often called upon to play similar characters until his film career ended in 1963 with Johnny Cool. Perhaps his most famous role was that of the villain, Jeff Badger, in My Little Chickadee with WC Fields and Mae West. Although IMDb, which calls itself the world’s largest movie database, credits him with 57 films, he has played small roles in many others, including one of my favorites, After the Thin Man.

Although Calleia naturally spent much of her time in Hollywood making movies, she stayed true to her native country and returned there as often as possible. The people of Malta liked him and he started a fan club in the early 1940s. Unlike many Hollywood actors of the day, he always faithfully responded to his fan mail and would happily send autographed photos to anyone who requested them. Unfortunately for him, his name was probably as little known in his day as it is now. When asked about it, he is said to have replied, “Everyone recognizes my face, but no one knows my name.”

One of his favorite roles was that of Buldeo in the 1942 version of The Jungle Book, starring Sabu. Buldeo, as an old man, tells a tourist about the jungle and the time when a boy was orphaned and raised by wolves. Calleia liked playing the much older man, and she found putting on makeup was enjoyable, even though most actors and actresses at the time hated the process. He also liked his role in A Touch of Evil, playing a friend of the corrupt sheriff, Orson Welles. He felt that he displayed a vulnerability that was lacking in many of his roles.

Joseph Calleia returned to Malta to retire, and died on Halloween in 1975. His fan club still exists and has several hundred members worldwide. In July 1997, the Maltese government issued a set of two stamps in his honor.