Background
Greig was born in Melbourne, in 1878, and made his Broadway debut in 1928 in an operetta, Countess Maritza.
Greig was born in Melbourne, in 1878, and made his Broadway debut in 1928 in an operetta, Countess Maritza.
His next production was the Marx Brothers" comedy, Animal Crackers, in which he played the butler, "Hives", and he repeated his characterization when the play was filmed in 1930. Animal Crackers became his film debut, and set the pattern for much of his career, as he was often cast as a butler or other servant. Although he did several other productions on Broadway, the last in 1938, after his film debut Greig worked steadily in films.
He worked again with the Marx Brothers in 1932"s Horse Feathers, in which he played a biology professor, and was featured in the 1932 short Jitters the Butler.
In the 1940s, Greig was part of Preston Sturges" unofficial "stock company" of character actors, appearing in six films written and directed by Sturges. Greig"s last film was Bride of Vengeance, a 1949 Paulette Goddard vehicle, in which he played the uncredited part of a "Councillor."
Greig died in Los Angeles on June 27, 1958 at the age of 78: he is buried in Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.
His performances in Sullivan"s Travels, The Lady Eve and The Palm Beach Story, in which he played a member of the "Ale & Quail Club", were among his best.