Character actor of distinctly American persona who nevertheless made
several films in Britain before returning to the U.S. to carve out a
career as a familiar face in American movies. Short, bald and built
like a tank with a streetwise character and a Damon Runyan accent,
Welden played countless gangsters and smalltime hoods, often with a
comic aspect. He was the henchman who beat the snot out of
Bette Davis in
Mord im Nachtclub (1937) and gunned down
Elia Kazan in
Im Taumel der Weltstadt (1940), and
made numerous appearances as crooks on
Superman - Retter in der Not (1952).
As a sideline, he owned Nutcorn, a popular Beverly Hills confectionery.
He retired from acting in his sixties.
