Fought in the British army during World War I. Was shot in the right arm during a battle in France, which resulted in permanent paralysis of two fingers. His badly scarred right arm can be seen in a few films, most notably Sudan (1945).
Quiet-spoken off stage, he was an avid dog lover who owned several
German Shepherds.
His nickname on the set of Universal Studios was "One Take
Zucco".
Spent his final years in the Monterey Sanitarium, an assisted-living
facility.
His 29-year-old daughter, Frances Zucco, was an award-winning equestrian and minor
actress; she died exactly 20 months to the day after him from throat cancer on
March 14, 1962.
Refused to appear in Return of the Ape Man (1944) because he considered his role ludicrous;
he was still credited as being in the movie.
His father was a merchant of Greek descent and his mother was a former
lady in waiting to Queen Victoria.
After his death he was cremated and his ashes are interred at
the Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles.
Profiled in "Character Actors in Horror and Science Fiction Films, 1930-1960" by Laurence Raw (2012).
A persistent myth about George Zucco, was that he died in an asylum.