William Duncan (actor)
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William Duncan | |
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_-_1.jpg) William Duncan (1920) | |
| Born | December 16, 1879 |
| Died | February 7, 1961 (aged 81) Hollywood, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Inglewood Park Cemetery |
| Occupation(s) | Actor Film director |
| Years active | 1911 - 1940 |
| Spouse(s) | Edith Johnson (married 1921–1961) |
William Duncan (December 16, 1879 – February 7, 1961), born in Dundee, Scotland was an actor, producer, writer, and director of film serials. He was a leading star, becoming one of the highest paid actors in the early film industry. Many of the films he starred in did not survive to the present day.[1] Duncan, who was Hollywood's first Scottish movie star, worked with the major studios of the day including the Selig Polyscope Company and Vitagraph.
Career
Born in the Lochee area of Dundee in 1879,[1] He had a role in hundreds of serial episodes in a career spanning from 1911 to 1940, many of them Westerns. When William Duncan joined Vitagraph, his contract was worth $1,000,000 a year, which made him better paid than Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks. Mr. Duncan is interred at Inglewood Park Cemetery, Inglewood, California, USA. He appeared in films with Olympic swimmer Buster Crabbe (who played Flash Gordon in the 1930s).[1]
Family
His second wife was silent film actress Edith Johnson who sometimes costarred with him on screen. He and his wife had two sons and one daughter. The couple remained married until Duncan's death in 1961.[2]
Selected filmography
- The Telltale Knife (1911)
- The Fighting Trail (1917)
- Smashing Barriers (1919)
- Hopalong Rides Again (1921)
- The Steel Trail (1923)
- Playing It Wild (1923)
- The Fast Express (1924)
- Wolves of the North (1924)
- Hello, 'Frisco (1924)
- Three on the Trail (1936)
- Forlorn River (1937)
- The Frontiersmen (1938)
- Bar 20 Justice (1938)
- The Farmer's Daughter (1940)
References
- "William Duncan". New York Times Movies. Retrieved 2007-11-13.
External links
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| National | |
| Other | |
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- ^ a b c Ferguson, Brian (March 9 2019). "Dundee honours William Duncan, Hollywood's first Scottish star". The Scotsman. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ King, Brian. Understanding Dundee. Black and White Publishing. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
