Staats Cotsworth in Old Time Radio

Staats Cotsworth
(1908 – 1979)

Critics like to refer to Staats Cotsworth as a Twentieth Century Renaissance Man.  The title may not mean much, because the same critics call anyone a Renaissance Man if they demonstrate an iota of artistic talent beyond acting, but we will let the label stand for Cotsworth, because he was good at just about everything he put his hand to, except possibly the law, which was the path his parents chose for him.

Staats was born in Oak Park, an affluent suburb north of Chicago, 1908. Resisting the path toward law school, he took his education at the Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Art. He was well known for industrial landscape painting, both in oils and watercolors, and settled in New York City to sell his paintings. Unfortunately, at the beginning of the Great Depression, collectors were not interested in buying paintings.

Even a Renaissance man has to eat, so Cotsworth turned his efforts toward acting and joined the Eva Le Gallienne’s Civic Repertory Theatre Group. Le Gallienne dedicated herself to the art of the theater as opposed to the show business of Broadway, although her troupe managed to produce some highly successful actors, including Burgess Meredith, John Garfield, Paul Leyssac, and Leona Roberts.

With Staats fine voice, he was able to find work in radio, beginning with Pepper Young’s Family in 1937. Soon he landed the role that he would be most closely identified with during his early career, Casey, Crime Photographer. The show would go through a few different name changes in its run, but Cotsworth managed to bring the character of "Flashgun" Casey to the air for twelve years. Although it was good to have steady work in those days, it offended Cotsworth’s classical training to be associated with such a type casting. He also had supporting parts on Rocky Fortune and Mysterious Traveler.

As TV began to attract more sponsorship dollars, Cotsworth made the transition to soap operas, finding work on As the World Turns, Peyton Place, and The Edge of Night. Even as his acting career began to expand, Staats still found time to paint, and many of his works turn up from time to time on the auction circuit.

Staats Cotsworth died on April 9, 1979 from heart failure.