Dane Clark (February 26, 1912 – September 11, 1998) was an American film actor who was known for playing, as he labeled himself, "Joe Average". Clark was born Bernard Zanville in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Jewish immigrants Samuel and Rose. Samuel was a sporting goods store owner. He graduated from Cornell University and earned a law degree at St. John's University School of Law in Queens, New York. During the Great Depression, he worked as a boxer, baseball player, construction worker, and model. Modeling brought him in contact with people in the arts. He gradually perceived them to be snobbish, with their talk of the "theatah", and "I decided to give it a try myself, just to show them anyone could do it." He progressed from small Broadway parts to larger ones, eventually taking over the role of George from Wallace Ford in the 1937 production of Of Mice and Men. Clark got his big break when he was signed by Warner Bros. in 1943.