Erville Alderson (September 11, 1882 – August 4, 1957) was an American character actor, usually portraying strong-willed or wise men. He appeared in nearly 200 films between 1918 and 1957.

Life

Alderson was born in

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the List of United States cities by populat ...

. He married Lillian Worth, an American actress, on January 14, 1918 in Sydney, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. By 1925, the couple were divorced. Alderson's work in films included portraying Jefferson Davis as a young Army officer in ''

Santa Fe Trail The Santa Fe Trail was a 19th-century route through central North America that connected Franklin, Missouri, with Santa Fe, New Mexico. Pioneered in 1821 by William Becknell, who departed from the Boonslick region along the Missouri River, ...

'' (1940). Alderson died in

Glendale, California Glendale is a city in the San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Mountains regions of Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2020 U.S. Census the population was 196,543, up from 191,719 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth-larges ...

. He is buried in lot 299, section 12 of the

Hollywood Forever Cemetery Hollywood Forever Cemetery is a full-service cemetery, funeral home, crematory, and cultural events center which regularly hosts community events such as live music and summer movie screenings. It is one of the oldest cemeteries in Los Angel ...

near

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

Selected filmography

*''Her Man'' (1918) as 'Old Milt' McBrian *''The Good-Bad Wife'' (1920) as Col. Denbigh *'' The White Rose'' (1923) as Man of the World *'' The Exciters'' (1923) as Chloroform Charlie *''

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

'' (1924) as Justice Montague *''

Isn't Life Wonderful ''Isn't Life Wonderful'' is a 1924 American silent romantic drama film directed by D. W. Griffith for his company D. W. Griffith Productions, and distributed by United Artists. It was based on the short story "Isn’t Life Wonderful?" in the ...

'' (1924) as The Professor *''

Sally of the Sawdust ''Sally of the Sawdust'' is a 1925 American silent comedy film directed by D. W. Griffith and starring W. C. Fields. It was based on the 1923 stage musical '' Poppy''. Fields would later star in a second film version, '' Poppy'' (1936). Plot B ...

'' (1925) as Judge Henry L. Foster *'' Lightnin''' (1925) as Courtroom Attendant (uncredited) *'' The White Black Sheep'' (1926) as Yasuf *''

The Fortune Hunter ''The Fortune Hunter'' is a drama in three acts by W. S. Gilbert. The piece concerns an heiress who loses her fortune. Her shallow husband sues to annul the marriage, leaving her pregnant and taking up with a wealthy former lover. The piece wa ...

'' (1927) as Blinky Lockwood *'' Salvation Jane'' (1927) as Gramp *''

The Price of Honor ''The Price of Honor'' is a 1927 American silent crime film directed by Edward H. Griffith and starring Dorothy Revier, Malcolm McGregor and Gustav von Seyffertitz.Langman p.100 Cast * Dorothy Revier as Carolyn McLane * Malcolm McGregor as An ...

'' (1927) as Ogden Bennett *'' The Heart of Maryland'' (1927) as Maj. Gen. Kendrick *''

The Girl from Chicago ''The Girl from Chicago'' is a 1932 American Pre-Code drama film produced and directed by Oscar Micheaux, with an all-African-American cast including lead actors Grace Smith and Carl Mahon. The story concerns a federal agent who falls in love ...

'' (1927) as Colonel Carlton *'' The Valley of the Giants'' (1927) as Councilman *''

A Thief in the Dark ''A Thief in the Dark'' is a 1928 American silent mystery film directed by Albert Ray, written by C. Graham Baker and William Kernell (based on a plot idea from director Ray), and starring George Meeker, Doris Hill, Gwen Lee, Marjorie Beebe, ...

'' (1928) as Armstrong *'' Fazil'' (1928) as Iman Idris *'' Fleetwing'' (1928) as Trad Ben Sabam *''

Speakeasy A speakeasy, also called a blind pig or blind tiger, is an illicit establishment that sells alcoholic beverages, or a retro style bar that replicates aspects of historical speakeasies. Speakeasy bars came into prominence in the United States ...

'' (1929) as City Editor *'' Acquitted'' (1929) as Prison Warden (uncredited) *'' Guilty?'' (1930) *'' The Lash'' (1930) *'' The Dawn Trail'' (1930) *''

Shanghaied Love ''Shanghaied Love'' is a 1931 American Pre-Code drama film directed by George B. Seitz and starring Richard Cromwell, Sally Blane and Noah Beery. It was produced and released by Columbia Pictures. The film's sets were designed by the art direc ...

'' (1931) *''

They Call It Sin ''They Call It Sin'' is a 1932 American pre-Code drama film directed by Thornton Freeland and starring Loretta Young as a farmer's daughter who follows a traveling salesman to New York City, only to discover he already is engaged. Plot Small-to ...

'' (1932) *''

Haunted Gold ''Haunted Gold'' is a 1932 Pre-Production Code, American Western film directed by Mack V. Wright and starring John Wayne. It is a remake of the 1928 film ''The Phantom City'', starring Ken Maynard and his horse Tarzan. Filmed in 1932, two year ...

'' (1932) *''

The Thirteenth Guest ''The Thirteenth Guest'' is a 1932 American pre-Code mystery comedy thriller film, released on August 9, 1932. The film is also known as ''Lady Beware'' in the United Kingdom. It is based on the 1929 novel ''The Thirteenth Guest'' written by ...

'' (1932) *'' The Fighting Code'' (1933) *''

Lazy River A lazy river is a water ride found in water park A water park (or waterpark, water world) is an amusement park that features water play areas such as swimming pools, water slides, splash pads, water playgrounds, and lazy rivers, as well a ...

'' (1934) *''

Square Shooter ''Square Shooter'', which was also known under the title ''Quicksand'', is a 1935 American Western film directed by David Selman and starring Tim McCoy, Jacqueline Wells, and Erville Alderson. Cast list * Tim McCoy as Tim Baxter * Jacqueline ...

'' (1935) *'' Hearts in Bondage'' (1936) *''

Lincoln in the White House ''Lincoln in the White House '' is a 1939 American biographical short or historical "special" about United States President Abraham Lincoln, highlighting events during his first term of office, from his inaugural speech in 1861 to his delivery o ...

'' (1939) *'' The Mighty Treve'' (1937) *''

Jesse James Jesse Woodson James (September 5, 1847April 3, 1882) was an American outlaw, bank and train robber, guerrilla and leader of the James–Younger Gang. Raised in the " Little Dixie" area of Western Missouri, James and his family maintained st ...

'' (1939) *''

'' (1940) as

Jefferson Davis Jefferson F. Davis (June 3, 1808December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. He represented Mississippi in the United States Senate and the House of Representatives as ...

*''

The Grapes of Wrath ''The Grapes of Wrath'' is an American realist novel written by John Steinbeck and published in 1939. The book won the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize for fiction, and it was cited prominently when Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Priz ...

'' (1940) as Arkansas Storekeeper (uncredited) *'' Abe Lincoln in Illinois'' (1940) as

Stonewall Jackson Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson (January 21, 1824 – May 10, 1863) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, considered one of the best-known Confederate commanders, after Robert E. Lee. He played a prominent role in nearl ...

(uncredited) *'' Parachute Battalion'' (1941) *''

Sergeant York Alvin Cullum York (December 13, 1887 – September 2, 1964), also known as Sergeant York, was one of the most decorated United States Army soldiers of World War I. He received the Medal of Honor for leading an attack on a German machi ...

'' (1941) as Nate Tomkins *''

Man from Frisco ''Man from Frisco'' (1944) is a United States feature-length spy and war film by Republic Pictures directed by Robert Florey and starring Michael O'Shea (1906–1973) and Anne Shirley. Plot Matt Braddock is a civil engineer during the Second W ...

'' (1944) *''

An American Romance ''An American Romance'' is a 1944 American epic drama film directed and produced by King Vidor, who also wrote the screen story. Shot in Technicolor, the film stars Brian Donlevy and Ann Richards and is narrated by Horace McNally. The film is ...

'' (1944) as Olson *'' Objective, Burma!'' (1945) *''

The Bishop's Wife ''The Bishop's Wife'' (also known as ''Cary and the Bishop's Wife'') is a 1947 American romantic comedy film directed by Henry Koster and starring Cary Grant, Loretta Young, and David Niven. The plot is about an angel who helps a bishop with his ...

'' (1947) as Stevens (Mrs. Hamilton's butler) *''

Again Pioneers ''Again Pioneers'' (sometimes referred to as ''Again... Pioneers!'') is a 1950 American black-and-white short drama film produced by Paul F. Heard for the Protestant Film Commission. Directed by William Beaudine, it stars Colleen Townsend, T ...

'' (1950)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Alderson, Erville 1882 births 1957 deaths American male silent film actors Male actors from Missouri Male actors from Kansas City, Kansas 20th-century American male actors Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery Male Western (genre) film actors