William Collier Sr.

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William Collier Sr
Born
William Morenus

(1864-11-12)November 12, 1864
New York City, U.S.
DiedJanuary 13, 1944(1944-01-13) (aged 79)
Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
Burial placeForest Lawn Memorial Park[1]
Occupation(s)Writer, director, actor on stage and screen
Years active1916–1941
Spouse(s)Louise Allen (?–1909) (her death)
Paula Marr (1910–?)
ChildrenWilliam Collier Jr.

William Collier Sr. (November 12, 1864 – January 13, 1944), born William Morenus, was an American writer, director and actor.

Collier ran away from home when only 11 years old to join a touring company run by Eddie Foy and in 1879 he appeared as a juvenile in H.M.S. Pinafore.[2] After a notable stage career, he tried motion pictures, under producer Mack Sennett. He then went back to the stage for some years but returned to films when the talkies came along.

In 1910 he appeared at the Elitch Theatre in Denver, Colorado, while his adopted son, stage named William Collier Jr., was recovering from scarlet fever that was followed by typhoid. His son recovered and was able to join his father in a production of The Patriot.

He "once opened The Patriot, one of his own plays, on December 30. On January 2 he advertised with some degree of truthfulness: 'Second Year in New York.'"[3]

Collier with son William Collier Jr.

He was married to the actress Louise Allen; she died in 1909 and he married Paula Marr the following year, adopting her son Charles, whom he renamed William Collier Jr. On Broadway he starred as the gambler Gideon Holtz in Rudolf Friml's The Wild Rose at the Martin Beck Theatre in 1926.[4]

Collier died of pneumonia in 1944.[5] He was interred at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.

Partial filmography

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References

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  1. ^ Ellenberger, Allan (2001). Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory. McFarland. p. 42. ISBN 9780786450190.
  2. ^ Borrillo, Theodore A. (2012). Denver's historic Elitch Theatre : a nostalgic journey (a history of its times). [publisher not identified]. pp. 94–95. ISBN 978-0-9744331-4-1. OCLC 823177622.
  3. ^ Hay, Peter (1990). Broadway anecdotes. Oxford university press. p. 198. ISBN 0-19-504620-X. OCLC 456184068.
  4. ^ J. Brooks Atkinson (October 21, 1926). "Matters of State". The New York Times. p. 23.
  5. ^ "William Collier". Hollywood Star Walk. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
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