Born Edgar Montillion Woolley in New York City. The son of a Broadway hotel owner, he studied at both Yale and Harvard and returned to the former as an English instructor and coach of graduate dramatics. Among his students were Thornton Wilder and Stephen Vincent Benét. He gave up the academic life in 1936 when he made his debut on the Broadway stage. The following year he appeared in the first of many films in which he typically played shrewd, gregarious character leads and supporting parts. Nicknamed "The Beard" for his neat whiskers by Yale classmate Cole Porter, Woolley remains most memorable for his stage and screen interpretation of the title role in THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER (1941). He was nominated for an Oscar® as best actor for THE PIED PIPER (1942) and as best supporting actor for SINCE YOU WENT AWAY (1944). He portrayed himself in the film biography of Cole Porter, NIGHT AND DAY (1946). Visit the Internet Movie Database for a listing of Woolley's film and television credits.  Nominated for Actor 1942: THE PIED PIPER  Nominated for Supporting Actor 1944: SINCE YOU WENT AWAY 2 nominations