Frank Alexander | |
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 Alexander in A Lover's Lost Control (1915) | |
| Born | Frank Dwight Alexander May 25, 1879 Olympia, Washington, U.S. |
| Died | September 8, 1937 (aged 58) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Hollywood Forever Cemetery |
| Other names | Tiny Alexander Fatty Alexander |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1915–1933 |
Frank Dwight Alexander (May 25, 1879 – September 8, 1937) was an American silent film comedian and actor. He was occasionally billed as Fatty Alexander.
In the mid-1910s, Alexander acted in comedy roles for Keystone Studios, often with Sydney Chaplin. [1]
Alexander, who was morbidly obese (350 pounds), played villains in the films of Larry Semon, who are often the father of Semon's love interest. He is best known to contemporary audiences for portraying a villainous interpretation of Uncle Henry, eventually proclaimed "Prince of Whales" upon reaching the Emerald City in Semon's Wizard of Oz . He was also part of the comedy team called "A Ton Of Fun" with two other large actors, Kewpie Ross and Hilliard Karr.
Richard M. Roberts's article in Classic Images [ citation needed ] listed the top ten ingredients of a Larry Semon film, which began with these four:
He was proclaimed at the time as one of the three fattest actors ever to appear on the screen, with Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle as one of the others.
Alexander died of a heart attack on September 8, 1937, aged 58. He weighed 465 pounds when he died. [2] He was cremated two days later at Hollywood Cemetery. His ashes are unmarked but lie in the Garden of Beginnings at Hollywood Forever Cemetery near Los Angeles. [3]
Oliver Norvell Hardy was an American comic actor and one half of Laurel and Hardy, the double act that began in the era of silent films and lasted from 1926 to 1957. He appeared with his comedy partner Stan Laurel in 107 short films, feature films, and cameo roles. He was credited with his first film, Outwitting Dad, in 1914. In most of his silent films before joining producer Hal Roach, he was billed on screen as Babe Hardy.
Frank William George Lloyd was a Scottish-American film director, screenwriter, producer and actor. He was among the founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and was its president from 1934 to 1935.
Lawrence Semon was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter during the silent film era. In his day, Semon was considered a major movie comedian, but he is now remembered mainly for working with both Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy before they started working together.
Jack Perrin was an American actor specializing in Westerns.
Joe Rock was an American film producer, director, actor, and screenwriter. He produced a series of 12 two reel short subject comedies starring Stan Laurel in the 1920s.
The Wizard of Oz is a 1925 American silent fantasy-adventure comedy film directed by Larry Semon, who has the lead role of a Kansas farmhand disguised as the Scarecrow.
Walter Hiers was an American silent film actor.
Frank Joslyn Baum was an American lawyer, soldier, writer, and film producer, and the first president of The International Wizard of Oz Club.
Billy West was a silent film actor, producer, and director. Active during the silent film era, he is best known as the premier Charlie Chaplin impersonator. He was a star in his own right, appearing in more than 100 films for nine different companies. Beyond acting, he also directed short comedies in the 1910s and '20s, and produced films. West retired as an actor in 1935, but remained in the employ of Columbia Pictures into the 1950s.
William Carl Hauber was an American silent film actor and much-in-demand stunt performer, known as one of the original Keystone Cops, and for his decade-long association with comic actor Larry Semon, both as a supporting player and as the star's frequent stunt double. He appeared in more than 60 films between 1913 and 1928.
The Fall Guy is a 1921 American silent comedy film featuring Larry Semon and Oliver Hardy.
The Bell Hop is a 1921 American silent comedy film directed by Larry Semon and Norman Taurog and featuring Oliver Hardy.
Charles Albert Murray, was an American film actor of the silent era.
Dorothy Dwan was an American film actress.
Mary Carr, was an American film actress and was married to the actor William Carr. She appeared in more than 140 films from 1915 to 1956. She was given some of filmdoms plum mother roles in silent pictures, especially Fox's 1920 Over the Hill to the Poorhouse, which was a great success. She was interred in Calvary Cemetery. Carr bore a strong resemblance to Lucy Beaumont, another famous character actress of the time who specialized in mother roles. As older actresses such as Mary Maurice and Anna Townsend passed on, Carr, still in her forties, seem to inherit all the matriarchal roles in silent films.
The Star Boarder is a 1919 American silent comedy short written and directed by and starring Larry Semon. The film also stars Lucille Carlisle, and features Norma Shearer in an uncredited role as a beauty pageant contestant. The film is extant and available online. The plot has a released prisoner desiring a return to prison and swapping places with an escapee.
Spencer Bell was an American stage and film actor, best known for playing opposite Larry Semon in many of his silent comedy shorts from the late 1910s to 1928. Bell was one of the first African American comedic actors of the silent film era, and was the first to be signed to film contract. Over the course of his fifteen-year film career, Bell appeared in more than seventy comedy shorts.
Alice Mann was an American silent film actress.
Earl Triplett Montgomery was a film director, writer, and comedian who performed in silent films including as the character Hairbreadth Harry. He established the producing company Earl Montgomery Comedy Company. Joe Rock partnered with him at Vitagraph.
Norma Nichols was an American silent film actress. She appeared in 42 films between 1914 and 1922. She appeared in several of Larry Semon's films. She was the sister of actress Marguerite Nichols who married actor, director, and producer Hal Roach.
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