HOW OLD ARE THEY?

Evening Star, Issue 22560, 30 January 1937, Page 6

HOW OLD ARE THEY?

STARS OF STAGE AND SCREEN SURPRISING REVELATIONS The livehood of an actor depends upon his ability to portray characters and often his characterisations depict individuals of an age, manner, temperament, appearance and ancestry entirely different from his own (writes M.C., in the ‘ Sydney Morning Herald’)- Analysing the matter of difference in age between an actor and the character he plays, it often happens that an actor plays characters of a certain age so consistently and so well that his admirers are astounded when thev learn that he is 20 years younger or older than they thought. Very often the “ father ” in a famny in a picture is younger than his “ son.’ and there have been instances when the “ daughter ” was the same age as her mother.” Actors who still retain the glamour of romance—and who attract audiences because of that glamour—are in reality often middle-aged, and even actresses of enduring charm can continue, to enact characters fully half their actual age. . , In 1860, when the Prince of Wales (King Edward VII) visited Canada and the United States, when Garibaldi conquered Italy, when the American Civil War began in President Abraham Lincoln’s first year in office, and when Otis Skinner was two years old', George Fawcett was born. Three years . passed—during which Civil War raged—until 1863, when Pnnco Edward married Princess Alexandra of Denmark, and when O. Aubrey Smith was born. And the next year Tully Marshall was a newborn infant. . Three of the baby girls born m 1860 have become—7l years later—leading character actresses of the eoreen: Mrs Patrick Campbell, Henrietta Grosman, and May Robson, the latter having first, seen light in Melbourne. The next vear William'Collier, sen., was born; the year after that, fefobart and then 1868 brought the births of three fine actors, William Favcrßham, George Arliss, and Joseph &'awthorn. Twelve months later George Robey was b °ln 1879, when the world was full of news of Dickens’s death and of the Franco-Prussian war, smokeless po.wder was invented, and the birth. l3^s in T eluded the names of Trixie Fnganza and Claude Gillingwater, and a year Hater Oscar Aeche was born in Australia, and Richard Carle and Edmund Breeze elseW The’ year 1872 marks the birth of Arthur , Byron and Charlie Murray. 1873 brought Sir Guy Standing, Fred Stone and Richard Bennett, and 1874 produced Grant Mitchell and Ben Turpin. Then came 1875, with its grea changes—the beginnings of the typewriter, the telephone, the ballot as we know it-and its fine group of future entertainers. That yearmarkedthe births of Emma Dunn, Charles Grapewin, Edmund Gwenn, Lumsden Hare, Samuel S. Hinds, Lucille La Verne, J. Farrell MacDonald, Ivan Simpson, and Alison Skipworth! , William Farnum, Victor Moore, and Jessie Ralph began life 60 years ago. A year later, in 1877, Australia produced Sidney Bracy, and Halh well Hobbes was born in Stratfordi-on-Avon, already famed in the hwtory of the theatre. It is incredible to think that Bill Robinson, who is still tap-dancing as nimbly as ever, was born in 18/8, and is as old as Lionel Barrymore, Conway Tearlo, and Alexander Carr And the following year saw the births of O. P. Heggie (in Adelaide), W. C. Fields, DeWitt Jennings, Claude King, Lewis Stone, and Ethel Barrymore. Electric lighting was already two vears old when, in 1880. Parnell was arrested for conspiracy; Transvaal was declared a Republic; and Warner Gland’ Paul Porcasi, Russel Simpson, Wyndhara Standing, Mary Boland, Harry Carey, and Laura Hope Crews were born. In 1881, Garfield was assassinated, Disraeli died, and Tsar Alexander XI of Russia was murdered, far away from such scenes, in Australia, Leon Errol was born, and in the United States were born Jack Holt and Tom Mix. . , Then in quick succession, came tne births,’in 1882, of Louise Dresser, Francis Ford, Creighton Hale, Holmes Herbert, Toni Walls, George Bancroft, and John Barrymore; in 1883, of Hale Hamilton, James Kirkwood, and fiord Sterling; in 1884, of Noah Beery, Frank Cellier, Fred Duprez, Douglas Fairbanks, Walter Huston, and Harry Langdon; and, in 1885, of Francis X. Bushman, Rockliffe Fellowes, Gordon Barker, Tom Moore, Herbert Rawlmson, Lionel Atwill, “ Chic.” Sale, and Billie Burke. It is obvious that, as actors grow old and disappear from the public eye, their records, too, are t lost or forgotten, The years mentioned undoubtedly produced many other future actors who finally appeared on tjie screen, but the great majority of the familiar names were born within the past 50 years. Yet, between 1886 and the time the Australian Commonwealth was proclaimed in_ 1900, were born no less- than one-third of the players whose names are well known by picture goers to-day. These are between 36 ana 50 years of age. The roster of these birth-years surely holds much more interest than the usual list of this kind. Here it is:—

1886. John Davidson, Pauline Frederick, James Gleason, Vera Gordon, John Halliday, Jean Hersholt, Emil Jannings. A 1 Jolson, Guy Kibbee, Victor M'Laglen, Frank Mayo, and Owen Moore. 1887. —Billy Bovan (in Australia), James Finlayson, Hugh Herbert, Ralph luce, Boris Karlolf, Montague Love, Eric Blore, Lynne Overman, Reginald Owen, Esme Percy, Raymond Walburn, and Roland Young. 1888. Donald Calthrop, Chester Conklin, Walter Connolly, William B. Davidson, Bela Lugosi. Henry Armetta, Bert Lytell, Miles Mander, Matt Moore, Ralph Morgan, and Carlisle Blackwell. 1889. Wallace Beery, Walter Catlett, Charlie Chaplin, Alan Dinehart, Tom Dugan, Sessue Hayakawa, Marjorie Rambeau, Robert Woolsey, Claude Rains, Arthur Hold, Buck Jones, Murray Kinnell, Fred Kohler, Thomas Meighan, Eugene Pallette, and Bryant Washburn. 1890. Edward Arnold, Leslie Banks, Arthur Housman, Henry Hull, Alice Joyce, Herbert Marshall, Adolphe Menjou, Lee Moran, Frank Morgan, Monte Blue, and, in Australia. Clyde Cook. 1891. Claude Allister, Robert Barratt, Jack Buchanan, Reginald Denny, Robertson Hare, Ronald Column, Paul Lukas, Fannie Brice, Clive Brook, Tim M’Coy, Chico Marx. Frank Pettingell, Bert Roach, and Clara Kimball Young. 1892. —Gene v Gorrard, Hoot Gibson, Harry Green, Alan Hale, Oliver Hardy, Raymond Hatton, Jack Hulbert, William Powell, Basil Rathbonc, Alice Brady, and Joe E. Brown. 1893. —Ciceley Courtneidge (in Australia), Ina filaire, Jimmy Durante,

Edie Gribbon. Sir Cedric Hardwicks, Leslie Howard, Roscoe Karns, Harold Lloyd, Charley Chase, Eddie Cantor, Warner Baxter, Haro Marx, Anna vj. Nilsson, Mary Pickford, Edward G. Robinson, Conrad Veidt, Richard Tucker, and Maurice Chevalier. 1894. Charles King, Jack Mulhall, Maa Murray, Ruth Chatterton, Roy D’Arcy, Lil Dagover, and Richard Dix. 1895. —Edward Brqphy, Nigel Bruce, Paul Cavanagh, Louise Fazenda, Kenneth Harlan, Dennis Hoey, Stan. Laurel. Luoien Littlefield, Yvonne Arnaud, Rosco Ates, Edmund Lowe, Stanley Lupino, Mae Marsh, Groucho Marx, Paul Muni, Florence Vidor, and two in Australia, Enid Bennett, and Andre B °lß9fL— j ulia Faye, Ralph Forbes. Lillian Gish, Ted Healy, 6hn Howland, Buster Keaton, Raymond Massey, Arthur Riscoe, Warren William, Lois Wilson, Fred. Allen. Robert Armstrong, Carl Brisson, and Ruth Donnelly. 1897. —Mae Busch (in Australia), Betty Compson, Lloyd Hughes, Dons Kenyon, Conrad Nagel, Walter Pidgeon, Gregory Ratoff, Irene Norma Talmadge, Monty Banks, Richard Barthelmess, and filddie Buzzell. 1898. Bill Boyd. El Brendel. Gracie Fields, Dorothy Gish, Gaston Glass, Jetta Goudal. Rod La Rocque, John Loder, Sidney Blackmer, Eleanor Boardman, Frederic March, Marie I revost, Paul Robeson, Lee Tracy, Evelyn Brent, and George Curzon. 1899. —Richard Arlen, George Arthur, Humphrey Bogart. Wallace Ford, Corinno Griffith. Neil Hamilton, Phyllis Haver, Michael Hogan, lan Keith, Paul Kelly. Charles Laughton, Ricardo Cortez, Noel Coward, Gloria Swanson, Glenn Tyron, Ivan Lehedeff, Kenneth Mae Kenna, Aline MacMahon, George Metaxa, Pola Negri, Ramon Navarro, Pat O’Brien, Nat Pendleton. Estelle Taylor, and Kenneth Thomson. _ 1900. Ralph Graves, William Haines, James Hall, Russel Hopton, Claude Hulbert, lan Hunter, _ Evelyn Laye, George O’Brien, Vivienne Osborne, Martha Sleeper, Spencer Tracy, Fred. Astaire, Elisabeth. Bergner, Edna Best, Betty Blythe, John Boles, Louise Brooks, Colin Clive, Marion Davies, and Constance Talmadge.

The great majority of players in the public eye to-day are between 25 and 35 years old. Put a more than casual glance at these lists will reveal that many of the character players oyer 35 but under 50 will, with the blessing of good health, continue to hold audience favour for many years to ,come, and that the capable younger players can hold their careers through middle age. However, the constant demand for youth, both to depict romance and also fast fiction and light comedy, will always keep the majority between 25 and 35 years old. Hero is the present group of that age class:— 1901. —Melvyn Douglas, Clark Gable, Helen Hayes, Winnie Lightner, Ben Lyon, May M‘Avoy, Zeppo Marx, Shirley Mason, Grace Moore, Chester Morris, James Murray, Carmel Myers, J. Carroll Naish, Nils Asther, Walter Byron, Gary Cooper, Bebe Daniels, Walt Disney, and Nelson Eddy. 1902. —Charles Farrell, Stepin Fetchit, John Garrick, Alexander Gray, Raymond Hackett, Sonnie Hale, Victor Jory, Onslow Stevens, Jan Keipura, Margaret Livingston, John Longden, David Manners, Colleen Moore, Esther Ralston, Ralph Richardson, Regis Toomey, Brian Aherne, Tallulah Bankhead, Margueritte de la Motte, Marlene Dietrich, and Mildred Harris. 1903. —Leslie Fenton, George Givot, Dean Jagger, Lloyd Nolan, Jack Oakie, Paul Page, Roger Pryor, Randolph Scott, George E. Stone, Bardie Albright, Betty Balfour, Vilma Banky, Vince Barnett, Michael Bartlett, Madge Bellamy, William Collier, jun., and Helene Costello,

1904. —Billie Dove, Irene Dunne, Florence Eldridge, Glenda Farrell, John Gielgud, Ann Harding, Weldon Heyburn, Laura La Plante, Elisa Landi, Gwen Lee, Peter Lorre, Robert Montgomery, Marion Nixon, Edward Nugent, Joe Penner, Dick Powell, Dorothy Revier, Charles Rogers, Norma Shearer, Winifred Shatter, Grant Withers, Don Alvarado, Ralph Bellamy, George Brent, Johnny Mack Brown, James Cagney, and Bing Crosby. 1905. —Robert Donat, James Dunn, Kay Francis, William Gargan, Sterling Holloway, Leila Hyams, Lila Lee, Myrna Loy, Joel M'Crea, Dorothy Mackaill, Ray Milland, Patsy Ruth Miller, Mary Nolan, Barry Norton, Cecilia • Parker, Lillian Rich, Gilbert Roland, Dorothy Sebastian, Stanley Smith, Henry Wilcoxon, Mischa Auer, Rex Bell, Clara Bow, Claudette Colbert, Dolores Costello, Alice Day, Dolores Del Rio, Andy Devine, and, in Australia, Betty Stockfield. 1906. —Josephine Dunn, Greta Garbo, Benita Hume, Warren Hymer, Greta Nissen, Lanny Ross, Genevieve Tobin, Judith Wood, Diana Wynyard, Robert Allen, Gertrude Astor, Mary Astor, Madeleine Carroll, Nancy Carroll, and Helen Chandler. 1907. —Ross Alexander, Lina Basquette, Constance Bennett, Dorothy Burgess, June Collyer, Lily Danuta, Frances Dee, Lilian Harvey, Mary Doran, Fill Dorsay, Douglas Fairbanks, jun., Janet Gaynor, Wynne Gibson, Jeannette MacDonald, Jessie Matthews, Una Merkel, Douglass Montgomery, Eddie Quillan, Cesar Romero, Barbara Stanwyck, Pinkie Tomlin, John Wayne, Alice White, Fay Wray, Robert Young, and Anna May Wong. 1908. —Marion Douglas (in Australia), Jean Arthur, William Bakewell, Lew Ayres, Binnie Barnes, Tala Birell, Mary Brian, Sue Carol, Virginia Cherrill, Leonore Corbett, Joan Crawford, Bette Davis, Sally Ellers, Russel Gleason, William Janney, Dorothy Jordan, Helen Kane, Merna Kennedy, Barbara Kent, Evalyn Knapp, Diana Napier, Anna Neagle, Erin O’Brien-Moore, Mary Philbin, Gene Raymond, Raquel Torres Helen Twelvetrees, and Polly Ann Young. 1909. —Frank Albertson, Heather Angel, John Beal, Joan Blondell, June Clyde, Nancy Dover, Wera Engels, Madge Evans, Audrey Ferris, Phillips Holmes, Josephine Hutchinson, Ruby Keeler, Carole Lombard, Gina Malo, Lois Moran, and Ann Sothern. 1910. —Elizabeth Allen, Sally Blane, Virginia Bruce, Marguerite Churchill, Mae Clarke, Richard Cromwell, Constance Cummings, Claudia Dell, Adrienne Dore, Sidney Pox, Julie Haydon, Sally O’Neill, Anita Page, David Rollins, Lillian Roth, Sylvia Sidney, Sally Starr, Gloria Stuart, Sheila Terry, and Lupe Velez. 1911. —Ben Alexander, Joan Bennett, Marion Byron, Paulette Goddard, Margot Grahame, Jean Harlow, Patrio Knowles, Margaret Sullavan, Merle Oberon, Dixie Lee, Dorothy Lee, Sara Maritza, Jean Muir, Ginger Rogers, Maureen O’Sullivan, and Florence Rice.

1912. —Mary Carlisle, Ann Dvorak, Jocelyn Howartb, Arline Judge, Conchita Montenegro, and Virginia Pine. 1913. —Noah Beery, jun., Tom Brown, Kathleen Burke, Eleanor Holm, June Knight, Helen Mack, Marian Marsh, Evelyn Venable, Barbara Weeks, and Loretta Young. 1914. —Jean Chatburn, Marta Eggerth, and Rochelle Hudson. 1915. —Jackie Coogan, Charlotte Henry, ami Joan Marsh. 1916. —Olivia Do Haviland, Betty Furness, and Ida Lupino. 1917. —Loon Janney and Anita Louise.

1918.—Frankie Darro and Patricia Ellis.

1920. —Farina, Mitzie Green, and Jackie Searl. 1921. —Mickey Rooney. 1923. —Jackie Cooper. 1924. Freddie Bartholomew. 1925. —Dickie Moore. 1926. —Edith Fcllowes and Jane Withers. 1927. —David Holt and Bobby Breen, 1928. —Spank y MacFarland. 1929. —Shirley Temple.