Born Today November 15: James O'Neill

 

1847-1920

Irish born American actor James O'Neill was born on this day in County Kilkenny, Ireland. O'Neill was primarily a man of the stage, and a handful of films (mostly in the teens) and father of playwright Eugene O'Neill--making him the great grandfather of all eight of Charlie Chaplin and Oona O'Neill Chaplin's children. O'Neill was already famous by the time he made an equally famous film debut. He had been acting professionally since the age of 21, having made his stage debut in Cincinnati. This came about due to the O'Neill family relocating in the Ohio city from Ireland, by way of Buffalo, New York. What made him so well known was not great or high skills in acting--though he was quite good--but that he had become a matinee draw--to the point of becoming an idol. He spent time in touring companies, though he and his wife settled on the west coast in San Francisco, instead of New York, where their eldest son was born. They did return to the east coast shortly after (famous son Eugene was born in New York City).  James became famous for his acting in the stage adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo; in fact he was so famous for it, his appearances in other plays, including some of Shakespeare's historical works, suffered for it. It is then little surprise that his film debut came as Edmond Dantes in the 1913 film of The Count of Monte Cristo, produced by Famous Players and co-directed by Joseph A. Golden and former Edison man Edwin S. Porter. At the time he made the film he was at what we think of as retirement age now: 65.  He didn't appear in another film for five years, and would only make eight more films in his career.  He was pushing 70 years of age when he appeared in God of Little Children, which was released in the winter of 1917.  It was the first of three films he acted in during that year. Although, he appeared one film in 1918 (The Grain of Dust), his most prolific year acting in films was his last.  The first of four films in 1920 that he had roles in was a short Hoot Gibson western: The Sheriff's Oath, released in February. His last film was also a western, this time a Harry Carey Sr. feature: West is West.  This film was released in November, some three months after O'Neill's death at the age of 72. O'Neill had passed away in New London, Connecticut on the 10th of August.  He was buried locally at Saint Mary Cemetery in a family plot. 

 

[Source: Find A Grave]

 

[Source: Iain MacFarlaine (Find A Grave)]

 

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Born Today October 8: Nance O'Neil

1874-1965

Famed and some what infamous silent film actress Nance (Nancy) O'Neil was born Gertrude Lamson on this day in Oakland, CA.  Her father, who was a bit of religious zealot, strongly disapproved of her wishes to become an actress, hence she changed her name completely.  She got her start on the stage very much before she is first mentioned as an actress.  She started acting at least by the late 1890's, when she had a very savvy manager that got her parts abroad--as far away as Australia--and helped her make a successful debut on the London stage. She even had her own production company in the early 1900's that had dealings with Lionel Barrymore.  By the time she was the talk of town in New York, she was already a big star on Broadway and had even struck up a controversial friendship with the infamous Lizzie Borden (salacious rumors about the two swirled for a while that they were lovers--they were close friends between 1904 and 1906).  By 1908 she was a bonafide Broadway star.  She was often written up not just in terms of her beauty and height (she was close to 6 foot tall--unheard of for an actress of the age), but also for her voice, ironic in a way, as she would not be able to use it in a film career of the day. She would make her film career debut in 1913 in the Famous Players production of The Count of Monte Cristo, which was co-directed by Edwin S. Porter (of Edison fame).  It would be two years before she appeared in another film; Kreutzer Sonata from 1915; this is the earliest film that she is remembered for.  It was the beginning of her contractual work for Fox.  She acted steadily in motion pictures during the later half of the 1910's, but became disenchanted with the experience by 1920.  She appeared in only one film--a short-- in 1919, The Mad Woman; which turned out to be her last silent film.  She spent the 1920's on the stage, mostly on Broadway, but also in other large northeastern locations.  She returned to film acting in 1929 in the all sound production His Glorious Night, a film directed by her old acquaintance Lionel Barrymore for MGM.  Of course, there was little doubt that she would do well in talkies, she had been noted for, after all, her voice in her stage work.  But her career did not last long into the 1930's.  Though through the years 1930 and 1931, she made numerous films, she only made two films in 1932 and then quit the profession completely.  Her last film was False Faces.  She lived a long life in retirement.  By the 1960's, she was a resident of the Lillian Booth Actors Home located in Englewood, New Jersey.  She passed away there at the ago of 90 on the 7th of February.  She was interred back in California at the Glendale location of the Forest Lawn Memorial Park, along with her husband actor Alfred Hickman who had passed away in 1931 (this event may have played a role in her retirement).

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