David Powell (December 17, 1883 – April 16, 1925) was a Scottish stage and later film actor of the

silent era 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, wh ...

Background

He was born in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

. In his twenties Powell appeared in stage companies of Sir

Herbert Beerbohm Tree Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree (17 December 1852 – 2 July 1917) was an English actor and theatre manager. Tree began performing in the 1870s. By 1887, he was managing the Haymarket Theatre in the West End, winning praise for adventurous progra ...

Ellen Terry Dame Alice Ellen Terry, (27 February 184721 July 1928), was a leading English actress of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born into a family of actors, Terry began performing as a child, acting in Shakespeare plays in London, and tour ...

, and

Johnston Forbes-Robertson Sir Johnston Forbes-Robertson (16 January 1853 – 6 November 1937''Sir Johnston Forbes Robertson, Beauty And Grace in Acting'', Obituaries, ''The Times'', 8 November 1937.) was an English actor and theatre manager and husband of actress Gertru ...

. In 1907 he appeared with Terry on Broadway in the first American presentation of

Shaw's Shaw's and Star Market are two American supermarket chains under united management based in West Bridgewater, Massachusetts, employing about 30,000 associates in 150 total stores; 129 stores are operated under the Shaw's banner in Maine, Massac ...

Captain Brassbound's Conversion ''Captain Brassbound's Conversion'' (1900) is a play by G. Bernard Shaw. It was published in Shaw's 1901 collection '' Three Plays for Puritans'' (together with '' Caesar and Cleopatra'' and '' The Devil's Disciple''). The first American product ...

''. In 1912, Powell started his film career in one to three reel shorts. At the beginning of the 1920s, he starred in several Paramount-produced English films. Extant films that feature Powell are ''The Dawn of A Tomorrow'' (1916), ''Less Than Dust'' (1916), '' Idols of Clay'' (1920), ''The Virtuous Liar'' (1924), '' The Green Goddess'' (1923 version), and ''The Average Woman'' (1924). Powell died of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, in April 1925, at the age of 42. He has a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Californ ...

Partial filmography

* ''

One of Our Girls ''One of Our Girls'' is a lost 1914 silent film drama directed by Thomas N. Heffron and starring Hazel Dawn. It was adapted from the play of the same name by Bronson Howard and was produced by Famous Players Film Company and Daniel Frohman. Cas ...

'' (1914) * '' The Dawn of a Tomorrow'' (1915) * ''

The Fatal Card ''The Fatal Card'' is a 1915 American drama silent film directed by James Kirkwood, Sr., adapted from the 1884 London play of the same name by Charles Haddon Chambers and B. C. Stephenson. The film stars John Mason, Hazel Dawn, Russell Bassett, ...

'' (1915) * ''

Gloria's Romance ''Gloria's Romance'' is a 1916 American silent film serial starring Billie Burke. Serial films, also called chapter plays, were shorter films that were typically run before the main feature film, each of which was part of a longer story, and ende ...

'' (1916) * ''

Less Than the Dust ''Less than the Dust'' is a 1916 American silent feature film produced by and starring Mary Pickford with a release by Artcraft Pictures, an affiliate of Paramount Pictures. John Emerson directed and Eric von Stroheim was one of the assistant di ...

'' (1916) * '' Outcast'' (1917) * '' The Beautiful Adventure'' (1917) * '' The Unforseen'' (1917) * ''

The Price She Paid ''The Price She Paid'' is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by Charles Giblyn and starring Clara Kimball Young, Louise Beaudet and Alan Hale.Guide to the Silent Years of American Cinema p.304 It was shot at Lewis J. Selznick's Fort L ...

'' (1917) * ''

Maternity ] A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the case of gestati ...

'' (1917) * '' The Lie (1918 film), The Lie'' (1918) * ''

Her Husband's Honor ''Her Husband's Honor'', also known under its working title of ''The Gadabout'', is a 1918 American silent film, silent drama film directed by Burton L. King and starring Edna Goodrich. It was produced and distributed by Mutual Film. Cast *Edna Go ...

'' (1918) *''

The Better Half ''The Better Half'' is an American comic strip created by Bob Barnes. It follows the lives of a married couple, Stanley and Harriet Parker, and the usual annoyances couples have with one another after years of marriage. In 1958, the strip won Bar ...

'' (1918) * '' Her Great Chance'' (1918) * ''

His Parisian Wife ''His Parisian Wife'' is a lost 1919 silent film romantic drama produced by Famous Players–Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It was directed by Emile Chautard and starred Elsie Ferguson. The source for this picture was the novel ''T ...

'' (1919) * ''

The Woman Under Oath ''The Woman Under Oath'' is a 1919 American silent mystery film directed by John M. Stahl and starring stage star Florence Reed. As with the previous Stahl and Reed film, ''Her Code of Honor'', it was produced by Tribune Productions and released ...

'' (1919) * ''

The Firing Line ''The Firing Line'' is a lost 1919 American silent drama film directed by Charles Maigne and starring Irene Castle. It was based on the 1908 novel by Robert W. Chambers and produced by Famous Players-Lasky. Paramount Pictures distributed the f ...

'' (1919) * ''

The Teeth of the Tiger ''The Teeth of the Tiger'' is a thriller novel, written by Tom Clancy and released on August 11, 2003. Set in a post-9/11 world, it is the first book to feature The Campus, a covert intelligence agency created by President Jack Ryan before the ...

'' (1919) * ''

Counterfeit To counterfeit means to imitate something authentic, with the intent to steal, destroy, or replace the original, for use in illegal transactions, or otherwise to deceive individuals into believing that the fake is of equal or greater value tha ...

'' (1919) * '' On with the Dance'' (1920) * '' Right to Love'' (1920) * ''

Lady Rose's Daughter ''Lady Rose's Daughter'' is a 1920 American silent drama film starring Elsie Ferguson and David Powell with directing being from Hugh Ford. It was produced by Famous Players–Lasky and released through Paramount Pictures. The film was based ...

'' (1920) * '' Idols of Clay'' (1920) * '' Appearances'' (1921) * ''

The Mystery Road ''The Mystery Road'' is a 1921 British silent drama film directed by Paul Powell. Alfred Hitchcock is credited as a title designer. The film is considered to be lost. Cast * David Powell as Gerald Dombey * Nadja Ostrovska as Myrtile Sargot ...

'' (1921) * ''

The Princess of New York ''The Princess of New York'' is a 1921 British crime film directed by Donald Crisp. Alfred Hitchcock is credited as a title designer. The film is now considered a lost film. Cast * David Powell - Geoffrey Kingsward * Mary Glynne - Helen St ...

'' (1921) * '' Dangerous Lies'' (1921) * ''

Her Gilded Cage ''Her Gilded Cage'' is a 1922 American silent drama film directed by Sam Wood and starring Gloria Swanson. The film was based on the play ''The Love Dreams'' by Elmer Harris and Anne Nichols. Plot As described in a film magazine review, in or ...

'' (1922) * ''

Love's Boomerang ''Love's Boomerang'' (also known as ''Perpetua'') is a 1922 British crime film directed by John S. Robertson. Alfred Hitchcock is credited as a title designer. The film is now lost. Plot As described in a film magazine, young Perpetua (Fosse ...

'' (1922) * '' The Spanish Jade'' (1922) * ''

The Siren Call ''The Siren Call'' is a 1922 American drama silent film directed by Irvin Willat and written by Philip D. Hurn, Victor Irvin and J.E. Nash. Starring Dorothy Dalton, David Powell, Mitchell Lewis, Ed Brady, Will Walling, Leigh Wyant and Lucien L ...

'' (1922) * ''

Missing Millions ''Missing Millions'' is a 1922 American silent film, silent drama film directed by Joseph Henabery and written by Jack Boyle and Albert S. Le Vino. The Boston Blackie film stars Alice Brady, David Powell (actor), David Powell, Frank Losee, Riley ...

'' (1922) * '' Outcast'' (1922) * ''

Fog Bound ''Fog Bound'' is a 1923 American silent drama film directed by Irvin Willat and written by Jack Bechdolt and Paul Dickey. The film stars Dorothy Dalton, David Powell, Martha Mansfield, Maurice Costello, Jack Richardson, Ella Miller, and Wi ...

'' (1923) * '' The Green Goddess'' (1923) * ''

The Truth About Women ''The Truth About Women'' is a 1957 British comedy film directed by Muriel Box and starring Laurence Harvey, Julie Harris, Mai Zetterling and Diane Cilento. Plot When his son-in-law comes to him with a woeful tale of an unhappy relationship and ...

'' (1924) * ''

The Man Without a Heart ''The Man Without a Heart'' is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by Burton L. King and starring Kenneth Harlan, Jane Novak and David Powell.Munden p.362 Cast * Kenneth Harlan as Rufus Asher * Jane Novak as Barbara Wier * David Powell ...

'' (1924) * ''

The Average Woman ''The Average Woman'' is a 1924 American silent melodrama film directed by Christy Cabanne and starring Pauline Garon, David Powell, and Harrison Ford. It was released on March 1, 1924. Plot Sally Whipple is the daughter of the local judge, w ...

'' (1924) * '' Lend Me Your Husband'' (1924) * ''

Virtuous Liars ''Virtuous Liars'' is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by Whitman Bennett and starring David Powell, Edith Allen, Maurice Costello, and Dagmar Godowsky.Munden p. 860 A man abandons his wife and child and goes to live in Havana H ...

'' (1924) * ''

The Lost Chord "The Lost Chord" is a song composed by Arthur Sullivan in 1877 at the bedside of his brother Fred during Fred's last illness. The manuscript is dated 13 January 1877; Fred Sullivan died five days later. The lyric was written as a poem by Adelai ...

'' (1925) * '' Back to Life'' (1925)

External links

* *
On David Powell's mustachestill of a scene from ''Lady Rose's Daughter''(1920)
with Powell,

Elsie Ferguson Elsie Louise Ferguson (August 19, 1883 – November 15, 1961) was an American stage and film actress. Early life Born in New York City, Elsie Ferguson was the only child of Hiram and Amelia Ferguson. Her father was a successful attorney. Raise ...

and

Ida Waterman Ida Waterman (born Ida Shaw; March 10, 1852 – May 22, 1941) was a stage and screen actress. Waterman was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She appeared some thirty or more Broadway productions between the late 1880s and early 1920s. She play ...

Powell with Billie Burke; in ''Gloria's Romance''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Powell, David 1883 births 1925 deaths Scottish male silent film actors Scottish male film actors Male actors from Glasgow Scottish emigrants to the United States 20th-century Scottish male actors