Bruce McRae, Jr. (January 15, 1867 – May 7, 1927) was an American

stage Stage or stages may refer to: Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage" * ''The Stage'', a weekly British theatre newspaper * Sta ...

and early

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

. He was the nephew of actor Sir Charles Wyndham.

Early Years

Born in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

in 1867 of Scots and English parents—his father, Bruce McRae, Sr. was also an actor—McRae went to New Zealand at the age of sixteen where he worked in cattle ranching.Johnson Briscoe (1909) ''The Actors' Birthday Book'', Moffat, Yard and Company, New York Later, adopting the profession of surveyor, he moved to Australia for five years. In 1890, he moved to the United States where he became manager of a cattle ranch in

Laramie, Wyoming Laramie is a city in and the county seat of Albany County, Wyoming, United States. The population was estimated 32,711 in 2019, making it the third-largest city in Wyoming after Cheyenne and Casper. Located on the Laramie River in southeastern ...

Acting career

A year after arriving in the United States McRae made his first appearance on stage supporting Elsie de Wolfe and Forbes Robertson in ''

Thermidor Thermidor () was the eleventh month in the French Republican Calendar. The month was named after the French word ''thermal'', derived from the Greek word "thermos" (''heat''). Thermidor was the second month of the summer quarter (''mois d'ét ...

'' at Proctor's 23rd Street Theatre. The two years following this he appeared in ''Aristocracy'' by

Bronson Howard Bronson Crocker Howard (October 7, 1842 – August 4, 1908) was an American dramatist. Biography Howard was born in Detroit where his father Charles Howard was Mayor in 1849. He prepared for college at New Haven, Conn., but instead of ente ...

, who was married to his aunt, and then spent one season in ''Shenandoah'' by the same playwright. The season of 1895–1896, he played in ''The Fatal Card'' by

C. Haddon Chambers Charles Haddon Spurgeon Chambers (22 April 1860 – 28 March 1921) was an Australia-born dramatist, active in England. Early life Chambers was born in Petersham, Sydney, the son of John Ritchie Chambers, who had a good position in the New South ...

and the following year supported

Olga Nethersole Olga Isabella Nethersole, CBE, RRC (18 January 1866 – 9 January 1951) was an English actress, theatre producer, and wartime nurse and health educator. Career Olga Isabella Nethersole was born in London, of Spanish descent on her mother's side ...

, playing the leading juvenile roles in '' Camille'', ''Denise'' by

Alexander Dumas Alexandre Dumas (, ; ; born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie (), 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas père (where '' '' is French for 'father', to distinguish him from his son Alexandre Dumas fils), was a French writer. ...

, ''Frou-Frou'' by

Henri Meilhac Henri Meilhac (23 February 1830 – 6 July 1897) was a French dramatist and opera librettist, best known for his collaborations with Ludovic Halévy on Georges Bizet's ''Carmen'' and on the works of Jacques Offenbach, as well as Jules Massenet's ...

, ''The Wife of Scarli'' by

Giuseppe Giacosa Giuseppe Giacosa (21 October 1847 – 1 September 1906) was an Italian poet, playwright and librettist. Life He was born in Colleretto Parella, now Colleretto Giacosa, near Turin. His father was a magistrate. Giuseppe went to the University of ...

and ''The Daughter of France'', after which came two years as leading man with Herbert Kelcey and

Effie Shannon Effie Shannon (May 13, 1867 – July 24, 1954) was an American stage and silent screen actress. Biography Shannon had a 60-year career as starring performer and later character actress. She began as a child actor appearing with John McCullou ...

in ''A Coat of Many Colors'' and

Clyde Fitch Clyde Fitch (May 2, 1865 – September 4, 1909) was an American dramatist, the most popular writer for the Broadway stage of his time (c. 1890–1909). Biography Born in Elmira, New York, and educated at Holderness School and Amherst College (cl ...

's ''The Moth and the Flame''. Sherlock-Holmes-1899-McRae-Gillette

He was the first actor to play Dr. Watson to

William Gillette William Hooker Gillette (July 24, 1853 – April 29, 1937) was an American actor-manager, playwright, and stage-manager in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is best remembered for portraying Sherlock Holmes on stage and in a 1916 ...

's Sherlock Holmes, followed by two seasons as principal support to

Julia Marlowe Julia Marlowe (born Sarah Frances Frost; August 17, 1865 – November 12, 1950) was an English-born American actress, known for her interpretations of William Shakespeare's plays. Life and career Marlowe was born as Sarah Frances Frost at Cald ...

, playing Captain Trumbull in ''

Barbara Frietchie ''Barbara Frietchie, The Frederick Girl'' is a play in four acts by Clyde Fitch and based on the heroine of John Greenleaf Whittier's poem "Barbara Frietchie" (based on a real person: Barbara Fritchie). Fitch takes a good bit of artistic libe ...

'' and originating Charles Brandon in '' When Knighthood was in Flower''. For several years, 1903-1908 he worked as leading man to the young

Ethel Barrymore Ethel Barrymore (born Ethel Mae Blythe; August 15, 1879 – June 18, 1959) was an American actress and a member of the Barrymore family of actors. Barrymore was a stage, screen and radio actress whose career spanned six decades, and was regarde ...

, appearing with her in ''

Carrots The carrot (''Daucus carota'' subsp. ''sativus'') is a root vegetable, typically orange in color, though purple, black, red, white, and yellow cultivars exist, all of which are domesticated forms of the wild carrot, ''Daucus carota'', nativ ...

'', ''A Country Mouse'' by Arthur Law, ''Cousin Kate'' by

Hubert Henry Davies Hubert Henry Davies (17 March 1869 – 17 August 1917) was a leading British playwright and dramatist of the early 20th century, following in the tradition of Arthur Wing Pinero and Henry Arthur Jones, but influenced profoundly by Thomas William ...

, ''Sunday'' by Thomas Raceward, ''

A Doll's House ''A Doll's House'' (Danish and nb, Et dukkehjem; also translated as ''A Doll House'') is a three-act play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It premiered at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 21 December 1879, having bee ...

'', ''Alice Sit-by-the-Fire'' by

J. M. Barrie Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, (; 9 May 1860 19 June 1937) was a Scottish novelist and playwright, best remembered as the creator of Peter Pan. He was born and educated in Scotland and then moved to London, where he wrote several succe ...

, ''Captain Jinks'' by

, ''

The Silver Box ''The Silver Box'' is a three-act comedy, the first play by the English writer John Galsworthy. It was originally produced in London in 1906, and attracted much attention. In New York it was first seen in 1907. In the play, the disappearance of ...

'' by

John Galsworthy John Galsworthy (; 14 August 1867 – 31 January 1933) was an English novelist and playwright. Notable works include ''The Forsyte Saga'' (1906–1921) and its sequels, ''A Modern Comedy'' and ''End of the Chapter''. He won the Nobel Prize i ...

and ''His Excellency the Governor'' by Robert Marshall. During this time he also participated in a number of special productions, such as the

Miller A miller is a person who operates a Gristmill, mill, a machine to grind a grain (for example corn or wheat) to make flour. Mill (grinding), Milling is among the oldest of human occupations. "Miller", "Milne" and other variants are common surname ...

Anglin The Anglin () is a long river in the Creuse, Indre and Vienne departments in central France. Its source is near Azerables. It flows generally northwest. It is a right tributary of the Gartempe, into which it flows near Angles-sur-l'Anglin. Its ...

revival of ''Camille'', the matinée of Paul Bertons's ''Yvette'', ''The Embarrassment of Riches'' by Louis K. Anspacher at Wallack's and as leading man of the Bellows Stock Company at Elitch's Gardens, Denver, for the sumner of 1906. In the summer of 1907, he went to Chicago with ''Genesee of the Hills'' by

Marah Ellis Ryan Marah Ellis Ryan (''née'' Martin; February 27, 1860 or 1866 – July 11, 1934), also known as Ellis Martin, was an author, actress, and activist from the United States. She was considered an authority on Native Americans after living with the ...

, supporting

Edwin Arden Edwin Hunter Pendleton Arden (February 4, 1864 – October 2, 1918) was an American actor, theatre manager, and playwright. Biography Arden was born in St. Louis, Missouri, to Mary Berkley Hunter and Arden Richard Smith. After a common-school e ...

. In the fall of that year, he left Ethel Barrymore and appeared first in ''The Step-sister'' by

Charles Klein Charles Klein (January 7, 1867 – May 7, 1915) was an English-born playwright and actor who emigrated to America in 1883. Among his works was the libretto of John Philip Sousa's operetta, ''El Capitan''. Klein's talented siblings includ ...

and then was engaged by

Harrison Grey Fiske Harrison Grey Fiske (July 30, 1861 – September 2, 1942) was an American journalist, playwright and Broadway producer who fought against the monopoly of the Theatrical Syndicate, a management company that dominated American stage bookings ...

to support his wife, Minnie Maddern, in Ibsens's ''

Rosmersholm ''Rosmersholm'' () is a play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen in Danish—the common written language of Denmark and Norway at the time—and originally published in 1886 in Copenhagen by the Danish publisher Gyldendal. ''Rosmersholm'' ...

''. In 1908, he toured the Pacific coast with ''The Thief'' by

Henri Bernstein Henri-Léon-Gustave-Charles Bernstein (20 June 1876 – 27 November 1953) was a French playwright associated with Boulevard theatre. Biography Bernstein was born in Paris. His earliest plays, including ''La Rafale'' (1905), ''Le Voleur'' (1907), ...

, playing the role originally played by

Kyrle Bellew Harold Kyrle Money Bellew (28 March 1850 – 2 November 1911) was an English stage and silent film actor. He notably toured with Cora Brown-Potter in the 1880s and 1890s, and was cast as the leading man in many stage productions alongside ...

. The season of 1908–09, he rejoined Barrymore's company, playing Paradine Fouldes in ''Lady Frederick'' by

W. Somerset Maugham William Somerset Maugham ( ; 25 January 1874 – 16 December 1965) was an English writer, known for his plays, novels and short stories. Born in Paris, where he spent his first ten years, Maugham was schooled in England and went to a German un ...

. He also appeared with the likes of

Douglas Fairbanks Douglas Elton Fairbanks Sr. (born Douglas Elton Thomas Ullman; May 23, 1883 – December 12, 1939) was an American actor, screenwriter, director, and producer. He was best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films including '' The Thie ...

and

William Garwood William Davis Garwood, Jr. (April 28, 1884 – December 28, 1950) was an American stage and film actor and director of the early silent film era in the 1910s. Between 1911 and 1913, Garwood starred in a number of early adaptions of popula ...

in 1908. McRae was among the

summer stock In American theater, summer-stock theater is a theater that presents stage productions only in the summer. The name combines the season with the tradition of staging shows by a resident company, reusing stock scenery and costumes. Summer stock the ...

cast at

Elitch Theatre The Historic Elitch Theatre is located at the original Elitch Gardens site in northwest Denver, Colorado. Opened in 1890, it was centerpiece of the park that was the first zoo west of Chicago. The theatre was Denver's first professional theatre ...

for five seasons—1904, 1905, 1911, 1912, and 1914. In 1911 he had just completed a run with

Blanche Bates Blanche Bates (August 25, 1873 – December 25, 1941) was an American actress. Early years Bates was born in Portland, Oregon, while her parents (both of whom were actors) were on a road tour. As an infant, she traveled with them on a t ...

in ''Nobody's Widow'' in New York's Hudson Theater when he returned to Elitch's for another summer. In a review of McRae's performance in that summer's ''An American Widow'', a Rocky Mountain News drama critic wrote: "Mr. McRae is perhaps not at his best this week, except in his love scenes. As a lover he is always convincing." McRae's love for

Elitch Gardens Elitch Gardens was a family-owned seasonal amusement park, theater, and botanic garden in the West Highland neighborhood in northwest Denver, Colorado, United States, at 38th and Tennyson streets. For more than a century Elitch's was one of the m ...

, and especially for his friend

Mary Elitch Long Mary Elitch Long (maiden name Hauck) (May 10, 1856 – July 16, 1936) was one of the original owners of Elitch Gardens in Denver, CO. She was the first woman to own and manage a zoo—the first zoo between Chicago and the west coast—and one of t ...

, was clear when Mary's leading man for the summer of 1914 was unable to appear at the last minute, so she contacted McRae. "I wired Mr. McRae a very urgent plea to come to my rescue. He was a prime favorite in Denver and I knew him to be broadminded enough to waive formalities. I knew he would help me out if it were possible. His answering telegram proved the man. My message was received the day before he expected to sail for a much needed vacation in Europe. I received his answer at once: 'Of course I will come. There is no other spot on earth that would lure me from my vacation in Europe. I consider it a privilege to play at the Gardens because I love the place, and all actors feel as I do.'" After making his reputation acting in various Broadway plays, he moved into film in 1914 starring in about ten films until his retirement in 1922.

Personal life

McRae married famed illustrator/cartoonist

Nell Brinkley Nell Brinkley (September 5, 1886 – October 21, 1944) was an American illustrator and comic artist who was sometimes referred to as the "Queen of Comics" during her nearly four-decade career working with New York newspapers and magazines. Sh ...

and on December 15, 1923 she gave birth to their only child, Bruce Robert McRae III. Brinkley and McRae later divorced and he died at his home on

City Island, Bronx City Island is a neighborhood in the northeastern Bronx in New York City, located on an island of the same name approximately long by wide. City Island is located at the extreme western end of Long Island Sound, south of Pelham Bay and east o ...

, on May 7, 1927.Staff
"HEARING ON THEATRE ENDS.; Federal Trade Board Gets Data In Case of Western Movie Groups."
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', August 24, 1927. Accessed October 16, 2009. "Bruce McRae, actor, who died at his home at City Island on May 7, left an estate appraised yesterday at $237858 gross..."

Filmography

*''

The Ring and the Man ''The Ring and the Man'' is a lost film, lost 1914 silent film, silent dramatic film directed by Francis Powers (actor), Francis Powers and starring Bruce McRae. It was produced by Famous Players Film Company and released on State Rights basis. C ...

'' (1914) as George Gormly, alias of George Fordyce *''

Via Wireless ''Via Wireless'' is a 1915 American silent drama film directed by George Fitzmaurice and starring Bruce McRae, Gail Kane and Brandon Hurst.Motion Picture Guide Silent Film 1910-1936 p.428 Cast * Bruce McRae as Lt. Sommers * Gail Kane as Fran ...

'' (1915) as Lieutenant Sommers *'' The Chain Invisible'' (1916) as James Wadsworth, aka The Invisible Chain *''

The Green Swamp ''The Green Swamp'' is a 1916 silent drama starring Bessie Barriscale and written by C. Gardner Sullivan.''The American Film Institute Catalog Feature Films: 1911-20'' by The American Film Institute, c.1988 Plot summary The film centers on M ...

'' (1916) as Dr. Ward Allison *''

Hazel Kirke ''Hazel Kirke'' is a play in four acts written by American actor and dramatist Steele MacKaye. Overview The play was written between 1878 and 1879 in the town of Dublin, New Hampshire.Quinn, p. 497 MacKaye meant it to be expressly for New York ...

'' (1916) as Squire Rodney *''

Beatrice Fairfax ''Beatrice Fairfax'' is an American Silent film, silent film serial directed and produced by Leopold Wharton and Theodore Wharton. First released on August 7, 1916 in film, 1916, the series consists of 15 weekly episodes and features the charact ...

'' **Episode 7: "A Name for the Baby" (1916) **Episode 10: "Playball" (1916) as The Bookie *'' A Star Over Night'' (1919) *''

The World's a Stage ''The World's a Stage'' is a 1922 American silent drama film directed by Colin Campbell and starring Dorothy Phillips, Bruce McRae, and Kenneth Harlan.''Guide to the Silent Years of American Cinema'', p. 66 Cast * Dorothy Phillips as Jo Bisho ...

'' (1922) as John Brand

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:McRae, Bruce 1867 births 1927 deaths American male film actors American male stage actors American male silent film actors People from City Island, Bronx British people in colonial India 20th-century American male actors