Actor Leon Ames, born Leon Waycoff, began his stage career in 1925, then broke into films in the early '30s; he was billed under his real name until 1935. He went on to be a busy and reliable character actor, often playing dapper or paternal types. Altogether, he appeared in over 100 films; he also did much TV work on such series as Life with Father, Frontier Judge, Father of the Bride, and Mr. Ed. In 1933 he co-founded the Screen Actors Guild. He was married to actress Christine Gossett; and was the father of actors Lee and Shelley Ames.