50s TV Sitcom fans will remember him as Bob Cummings' boss Mr. Thackery in "My Hero" (1952).
Portrayed a number of famous historical figures in several Warner Bros. shorts during his long career, including Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson and Robert E. Lee. The film Give Me Liberty (1936) with Litel as Henry won an Academy Award for best short. In it he managed to recite a long and complicated speech in one take. His short film on Jefferson entitled The Declaration of Independence (1938) also won an Oscar.
Retired in 1967 due to ill health.