William James Fitzgerald Mahoney (February 5th, 1894, Helena, Montana, USA)- February 9th, 1967, Australia), better known as Will Mahoney, was an American-born vaudevillian performer, stage actor and theatre manager best known for his stage success in Australia. He was born in Helena, Montana, USA to Rancher Michael Fitzgerald and Mary Moran, he's father died when he was two, and his mother who had two children, Frank and Mary from a previous marriage, supported the family by holding several jobs. Along with his step-brother Frank, they devised a vaudeville act, billed as The Mahoney Brothers, and toured around United States, Mexico and Australia. He was married three times, firstly aged 21 to Iva Gibbs and toured England appearing in films, after his wife's death he married to Lililan Wilson in 1928, which he later divorced and then he married actress Evie Hayes in 1938 who appeared in he's numerous stage show productions, they immigrated to Australia and were featured on the Tivoli Circuit . He had, had extensive experience on the vaudeville circuit in the US, becoming the highest paid variety star in the country by the early 1930s, when he arrived in Australia with Hayes they acting in the film Come Up Smiling (1939), after which he became a theatre manager in Australia of the Cremorne theatre in Brisbane. After the war he went back to the USA to revitilize his career, being nominated for a Tony Award in 1956 for revival of Finian's Rainbow before eventually settling permanently in Australia, in Melbourne in 1958, playing in musicals and revue and teaching a generation of young performers.He died on February 9th, 1967.
Was nominated for Broadway's 1956 Tony Award as Best Supporting or Featured Actor (Musical) for the New York City Center revival of "Finian's Rainbow".
Actor
Title
Year
Status
Character
All Star Revue
1951
TV Series
Guest Musical Actor
Come Up Smiling
1939
Barney O'Hara
Trailer Paradise
1937
Short
Kid's Uncle
Said O'Reilly to McNab
1937
Colonel Timothy O'Reilly
The Entertainer
1933
Short
Soundtrack
Title
Year
Status
Character
Come Up Smiling
1939
lyrics: "Poor Little Sheep"
Gang War
1928
writer: "I Love Me"
Self
Title
Year
Status
Character
Personal Album
1959
TV Series
Himself
The Kate Smith Evening Hour
1951
TV Series
Himself
Texaco Star Theatre
1949
TV Series
Himself - Dancer
She's My Lilly, I'm Her Willie
1934
Short
Himself - Will Mahoney
Will Mahoney
1929
Short
Himself
Archive Footage
Title
Year
Status
Character
The Sound of Laughter
1963
Documentary
Tap dancer (edited from: She's My Lilly, I'm Her Willie)