Born as Florence Sebastian Kolb in Rochester, New York on January 6. 1883*. His father Frank (Franz J.),  a tailor, was German, as was his mother Louisa L. (aka "Louise") Weisenberger/ Weisenburg was born in Rochester, Monroe. While in later years, after the WW's, Florenz indicated both parents were from the U.S. , according to an article in The New York Sun from 1925 Ames was born in Germany. He parents were actually from Schifferstadt, Ludwigshafen, Palatinate, Bavaria, Germany (his grandparents were French).
His siblings were Francis Thomas Kolb (1877 - 1878), Frank Philip Kolb (1879-1960), Albert Benjamin Kolb (1881-1969).**

His doting parents, apropos of nothing in particular, named him "Florence." Not Florenz, mind you, but Florence. Unfortunately for the future actor little boys and little girls in Germany were at that time were similarly attired, and both wore long curls. Therefore as a boy Ames was frequently mistaken for a girl, and in school was seated with the girls. He objected about this to his teacher, who promptly sent him home to his parents with B sharp note, reprimanding them for raising a daughter who wanted to sit on the boys' side of the room. It was not until his parents visited the school and explained the situation to the teacher that the latter finally accepted the fact that Ames was really a boy. The other boys of the school of course found this to be a source of intense delight and proceeded to make life miserable for this boy with a girl's name. It was likely Ames’ unquestionably masculine talent as a pugilist that finally put an end to his torment.

The climax to all of this occurred at graduation day, when the principal of the school, who did not know the pupils individually, read the name "Florence, Ames'' on the diploma, and called out for "Miss Ames" to step forward.
"That settles it," said the boy's father, "We'll change 'Florence' to Florenza!'" And they did.

He acquired U.S. citizenship in October 1890 and he worked in a drug store in 1900.

Aged 20 he started his stage career ca 1903 as boy soprano in George Evan's gay production The Good Old Summertime in Rochester.

Reportedly he got his Broadway entree when a kind, "or unkind, I'm not sure now," lady singer heard him sing a duet with his mother, a choir singer, and gave him a letter of introduction to Julius Witmark, the New York music publisher, which netted him a job as chorus boy. Without a singing lesson to his name -even, Ames admitted, without much of a singing voice - he kept this job a year.

Around 1906 the actor had a brief experience of films which lasted just two weeks. The producer was a man named Marion. His equipment consisted of one camera and a coil of rope. The studio was a field on Long Island, and the rope was used to mark off the stage. You had to keep inside the lines or you did not register. Ames worked in three or four short films, playing Touchstone, with Lew Cody as Jacques, in a compressed version of As You Like It. The following week he was working for one day in a converted greenhouse, which served as a studio in Astoria. An energetic director was yelling to a group of players, and a woman offered to recommend the stage comedian for a job, as there was a shortage of actors on the lot. "I wouldn't take the job if he gave me a bonus," Ames replied. "I'm washed up on this game. There's nothing to it." The energetic director was Cecil B. de Mille.

On Nov 26. 1908 Florenz married to Mary F. Irons, an actress, daughter of William H. Irons and Laura Fleming in Dubuque, Iowa.

Florenz Ames actually started his acting career very late. He began his theatrical career as a singer and dancer in vaudeville, often performing small scenes with his future wife Adelaide "Alice" Winthrop (whilst still being married to Mary Irons).

The musical play The Three Twins ran  5 months in Chicago and 8 months in New York at the Herald Square Theatre before going on tour (Sedalia Theatre, Missouri Oct 17. 1908;...), the lead was played by Victor Morley and Florenz Kolb joined in. Kolb played in a company which had Grace Van Studdiford in the lead, in the comic opera A Bridal Trip (Nov 1910) later renamed to The Paradise of Mahomet (Herald Square, Jan 17 - Feb 4. 1911) on Broadway where Kolb assisted Grace Van Studdiford as the fun-making as Babouche (or Maboul), the much henpecked husband he landed many a laugh to the production. It also enjoyed some performances afterwards (Grand Opera House, San Antonio, Apr 21. 22 1911 and Cort Theatre,N.Y. Nov 12. 1911). We know Florenz and Adelaide performed with the Morton Opera and Musical co. in Central Park, Allentown. (1910 - 1911) Music was one of the most important features of musical comedy. In Nov 1912 Florenz Kolb headed his own company at the State Street Theatre Trenton with The Girl of the Follies and he let musical director Alexander Spencer take charge of the program.

During the summer of 1912 Florenz en Adelaide were in musical comedy stock at The Shubert, Utica.

In May 1913 the couple was reported as back from England where they played in the musical success Everywife.

During the summer season of 1913 Albany had stock musical comedies at The Colonial. Among the plays promised were: The Belle of New York; Three Twins; Forty-five Minutes from Broadway; Little Johnny Jones; Havana; The Girl from Nowhere; The Man Who Owns Broadway; The Telephone Girl; The Red Mill; The Isle of Spice; Knight for a Day; Madame Sherry; The Yankee Prince; The Chocolate Soldier; The Time, the Place and the Girl and others. Director Lewis J. Morton secured for the company Madge Caldwell and Miss May Emery as prima donnas. Winfred Young was the tenor. Florence Betts, Adelaide Harland, Florenz Kolb (doubled sometimes as stage director), Frank Shay, Albert Busby, N.C. Merrick, and Gus Buell completing the cast.

In October 1913 Florenz Kolb and Adelaide Harland returned to The Shubert, Utica to present their (unnamed) clever comedy, singing, talking and dancing act.

Starting out as early as 1913 as "Kolb and Harland", in 1914-15 this duo presented a clever little satire entitled Evolution, 1860 - 1920 in which they showed the evolution of the dance, the minuet to the polka. On April 7. 1914 Florenz was elected to membership of "The White Rats Actors' Union". In October 1914, Florenz and Adelaide Harland asserted a copyright against Rosie Dolly and Martine Brown. The latter did, for the first time, their opening number a Dolly-Brown act in a colonial setting and dressing. Kolb and Harland did exactly the same thing after their opening act. According to witnesses identical but for Kolb and Harland the act had been running for more than a year.

Eventually changed their act to "Florenz Ames and Adelaide Winthrop" in 1916.  Their first prominent role was when he opened at the Cohan and Harris Theater, Broadway on June 7, 1917 in Hitchy-Koo. Under those names they had a thumbnail revue called One Minute, Please (1918) and appeared in a magazine titled Alice in Blunderland with Winthrop in the title role and Ames playing other roles.

Caught in a Jamb was a amusing vehicle for clever dancing, singing, dialogue and effective costumes. Florenz and Adelaide performed this skit in Clunie-Orpheum, Sacramento as early as March 6. 1917. In October 1919 the same "new" act got a good many laughs in Keiths Colonial, Philadelphia and it was also performed in March 1920 at the Orpheum, San Francisco.

Oct 2. 1919 Florenz and Alice (b. Feb 4. 1889) were married in Philadelphia. Both had previously been married. Alice appears as Adelaide M. Buchannan on the official documents, her husband died earlier whilst Florenz was divorced earlier that same year on Apr 2. in N.Y.C.

They appeared together in a revue on 44th Street Theatre called Frivolities of 1920 (Jan 8. 1920 - Feb 28. 1920). The pair appeared in different vaudeville runs as “Ames & Winthrop” and toured across the US performing this revue from the end of 1920 through 1921.

The Billboard reported on March 10. 1923 that Florenz Ames left the cast of Lady Butterfly, at the Globe Theater, New York, we presume to care for a sick Adelaide. On October 13, 1923, Adelaide passed away. After his wife died Ames reappeared on Broadway in Lady Butterfly (1923). By December 31st 1923 he was remarried to Helen Jost in Washington D.C.

He did try to restart another act. Not so lucky with Dorothy Gompert, after 6 weeks of rehearsing he called it quits and she sued him for $800 the Municipal Court. After which he successfully teamed up with actor Eddie Dowling's wife Ray Dooley (picture above right) (1923).

In January 1924 Miss Ray Dooley and Mr. Florenz Ames were seen together on B.F. Keiths vaudeville circuit in A Terpsichorean Dilemma (written by Joe Cawthorne), advertised as "The Funniest Skit Ever". Again appearing together in April 1924 in Nonsensicalities.

Whilst Florenz was appearing in Madame Pompadour (Martin Beck Theatre, Nov 10. 1924  - Jan 17. 1925), under the stage name Florenz Ames, he was ordered to appear in court. In late November, his first wife brought an action to punish Florenz for contempt of court due to his failure to pay her alimony. The court granted the motion for his punishment, and Ames was ordered to pay up. When the notice was served on Ames, he stated that before he would meet its stipulation, he would go to Ludlow Street Jail. In the end, however, it seems he was unwilling to forgo his engagement in Madame Pompadour.

In 1925 Florenz sold the vaudeville production rights to all vaudeville acts and production scenes of "Ames and Winthrop" to Keith agents.

For the next thirty years of his career he mainly performed as a singer and character actor in Broadway musicals.

Chief comedian of the Municipal Opera Company, St. Louis for a number of seasons he was seen in The Student Prince (Municipal Theater, Forest Park, June 10. 1929) and gave a talk "How to create a humorous role" for the Town Club members on Jun 19. 1929.

Helen Kolb was granted an interlocutory decree of divorce in the N.Y. Supreme Court. Mrs. Kolb alleged statutory offense with an unnamed woman at Broadway hotel, Oct. 7 1929.

Florenz Ames returned in September 1930 after "quite a few successful production engagements" in a skit, titled What's Not, assisted by Eulahia Young and Alice O'Donnell.

Early 1930 Florenz performed with Alice O'Donnell (b.1899) in The Count of Luxembourg (Jolson's 59th Street Theatre, Feb 17. - Mar 1. 1930) on Broadway and shortly after on July 3. 1930 Florenz married Alice, his fourth wife. They made their home at 243 West End Avenue in NYC.

He briefly rejoined Ray Dooley on the East Coast in 1930.

The role with which he was most associated during the thirties was that of the French Ambassador in Of Thee I Sing which opened at the Music Box Theater in December 1931. He toured in the part and played it again at the Imperial in 1933.

During 1934 and 1935 he toured Australia. Sir Benjamin Fuller's production of The Merry Malones, with Polly Walker re-creating her original Broadway role opened in Melbourne. Amongst others (120!) the cast included Florenz Ames, Alice O'Donnell (his wife), John Moore, Mss. Rene Maxwell, Leal Douglas, Shirley Dale and Bob Caperon. 

Back in New York after his Australian tour (Apr 1936), Florenz played for the first time in a straight play First Lady with Jane Cowl in the feminine lead. A season in New York and then another on the road.

He will be remembered for his role as the harassed furniture manufacturer in the George M. Cohan revue I'd Rather be Right (Alvin Theater, Nov 1. 1937 - July 9. 1938) and in Amphitheater roles in 1941, the most popular of which was Colonel Popoff in the Chocolate Soldier.

In 1942 he joined the Boston Comic Opera Company and appeared with the company in a number of Gilbert and Sullivan operas both on Broadway and on tour. In 1944 they were calling themselves The Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Co. performing in the Ambassador Theatre.  H.M.S. Pinafore (Feb 14. - Mar 26. 1944), Trial by Jury  (Feb 14. - Mar 26. 1944), and The Mikado  (Feb 11. - Mar 26. 1944),proved most popular. The latter was still performed on the road when Pearl Harbor happened. Baltimore and Washington received the opera passively. However during a tour of the West and mid-West, Pasadena, California, and Des Moines, Iowa refused to allow The Mikado to be presented. This was despite the fact that the company had substituted the word "gangsters" for the word "gentlemen" in the line: "If you want to know who we are, we are gentlemen of Japan."

In 1943 Ames was recorded to lament the decline of American theatre."Remember that lovely theater that used to be across the street from Ford's? It's a garage now." He referred to the Palace. "I played there long ago. But its fate," he added, "may symbolize the future of the American theater. I believe it does."

At the St. James's Theater between 1945 and 1948 Ames possibly enjoyed his longest Broadway run when he acted as replacement for the role of Andrew Carnes in Oklahoma! His final Broadway role was in a revival of Of Thee I Sing (Ziegfeld Theater, May 5. - July 5. 1952) and in which he again essayed the role of the French Ambassador.

The April 1950 census still listed Alice as Florenz's wife but afterwards it is not known what happened to her or to their marriage.

Between 1950 to 1958 he had many other roles in both film and television. Ames appeared alongside some of the biggest names in 1950s Hollywood: Grace Kelly, Robert Mitchum, Barry Sullivan, Marlon Brando, Anthony Quinn, Glenn Ford, Greer Garson, Doris Day, to name a few. 

From 1950 to 1956, he played the role of Inspector Richard Queen in the first televised versions of Ellery Queen, sharing star billing with Lee Bowman, who played Ellery (below left). Florenz Ames, was sixty-six when he took the part. Like Ralph Bellamy, he held down a Broadway role which he would race to every night after rehearsal or the weekly broadcast. When this series is remembered, it is usually Ames who is recalled. There were probably two reasons for this. One, the TV Ellery was unequivocally bland. And two, Ames remained while various Ellerys came and went.

When interviewed in July 1956 Ames was asked about his earlier movie work and his absence from films before his career was reinvigorated. He explained his earlier efforts quite plainly: "I saw myself for a nickel and tried afterwards to get a refund because it was that bad." Ames went on: "The late Sidney Olcott, who directed George M.Cohan and me in 'Seven Keys to Baldpate' used to wander up and down Broadway begging passersby to work in his pictures for five dollars a day and free lunch".

Florenz passed away February 11. 1958 in East Islip, Suffolk County, New York. (7)

He was last seen on film in Teacher's Pet (Pearlberg Seaton, April 1. 1958) a movie with Clark Gable and Doris Day. On TV that honor was for "Welcome to Washington" a Colgate Theatre episode (NBC, Sep 30. 1958).