Frank Keenan (born James Francis Keenan; April 8, 1858 – February 24, 1929) was an American stage and film actor and stage director and manager during the

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, wh ...

era. He was among the first stage actors to star in Hollywood, and he pursued work in film features for a number of years.

Early life

Born to

Irish Catholic Irish Catholics are an ethnoreligious group native to Ireland whose members are both Catholic and Irish. They have a large diaspora, which includes over 36 million American citizens and over 14 million British citizens (a quarter of the Briti ...

parents in

Dubuque, Iowa Dubuque (, ) is the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. At the time of the 2020 census, the population of Dubuque was 59,667. The city lies at the junction of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin, a r ...

, Keenan acquired his education both there and at Boston College.

Career

In New York, he became a star, a celebrated Shakespearean actor who later specialized in ''King Lear.'' He was a noted Broadway matinee idol, and his name appeared at the top of showbills. He acted in such hits as ''The Capitol,'' ''A Poor Relation'' and '' The Girl of the Golden West''. He played the title role in '' Macbeth'' opposite

Nance O'Neil Gertrude Lamson (October 8, 1874 – February 7, 1965), known professionally as Nance O'Neil or Nancy O'Neil, was an American stage and film actress who performed in plays in various theaters around the world but worked predominantly in the Unite ...

. At one point, he briefly operated his own theater, the Berkeley Lyceum in New York, which brought him recognition as both actor and director. Keenan made his screen debut under the direction of

Reginald Barker Reginald C. Barker (April 2, 1886 – February 23, 1945) was a pioneer film director. Biography Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, Barker's family moved to Scotland when he was an infant and then to the United States. Living in California, ...

in '' The Coward'' (1915). His career lasted into his late 60s, and he was a leader in the

Actors' Equity Association The Actors' Equity Association (AEA), commonly referred to as Actors' Equity or simply Equity, is an American labor union representing those who work in live theatrical performance. Performers appearing in live stage productions without a boo ...

. His last stage appearance, at 68, was as a Southern colonel in ''Black Velvet''.

Family

Keenan was married for many years to Katherine Agnes Long, who often acted with him. The Keenans had two daughters, Frances and Hilda, both of whom were stage and film actresses.''Who Was Who on Screen'', p.247 2nd Edition c.1977 by Evelyn Mack Truitt His wife Katherine died in 1924; the same year, he married a young music teacher, Margaret White, from Los Angeles, but divorced her in 1927. By October 1928, at age 70, Frank Keenan remarried again, to a 41-year-old actress, Leah May from

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

. By daughter Hilda he was the grandfather of actor Keenan Wynn and, in turn, the great-great grandfather of actor and writer Ned Wynn (born Edmond Keenan Wynn), multiple Emmy Award winning screenwriter Tracy Keenan Wynn, and actress Jessica Keenan Wynn.

Filmography

Actor

*'' Camille'' (1926) * '' The Gilded Butterfly'' (1926) *'' When the Door Opened'' (1925) *'' East Lynne'' (1925) *'' My Lady's Lips'' (1925) *''

The Dixie Handicap ''The Dixie Handicap'' is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by Reginald Barker. The film stars Claire Windsor, Lloyd Hughes, and Otis Harlan. It is written by Waldemar Young. Plot As described in a review in a film magazine, Judge Ro ...

'' (1924) *'' Women Who Give'' (1924) *'' Scars of Jealousy'' (1923) *''

Brass Brass is an alloy of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), in proportions which can be varied to achieve different mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. It is a substitutional alloy: atoms of the two constituents may replace each other wit ...

'' (1923) *'' Hearts Aflame'' (1923) *''

Lorna Doone ''Lorna Doone: A Romance of Exmoor'' is a novel by English author Richard Doddridge Blackmore, published in 1869. It is a romance based on a group of historical characters and set in the late 17th century in Devon and Somerset, particularly ar ...

'' (1922) *''

Dollar for Dollar ''Dollar for Dollar'' is a 1920 American silent drama film produced, directed by, and starring stage star Frank Keenan. It was written by Ethel Watts Mumford and distributed through Pathé Exchange. It was filmed at various locations in the Uni ...

'' (1920) *''

Smoldering Embers ''Smoldering Embers'' is a 1920 American silent drama film directed by Frank Keenan and starring Keenan, Jay Belasco and Katherine Van Buren.Connelly p.412 Cast * Frank Keenan as John Conroy * Jay Belasco as Jack Manners * Katherine Van Bure ...

'' (1920) *'' Brothers Divided'' (1919) *''

The False Code ''The False Code'' is a lost 1919 American silent drama film directed by Ernest C. Warde and produced by and starring Frank Keenan. It was distributed by Pathé Exchange. Cast *Frank Keenan as John Benton * Miles McCarthy as Henry Vance *Joseph J ...

'' (1919) *'' The World Aflame'' (1919) *'' The Master Man'' (1919) *'' Gates of Brass'' (1919) *'' The Silver Girl'' (1919) *''

Todd of the Times ''Todd of the Times'' is a lost 1919 American silent comedy film directed by Eliot Howe and starring Frank Keenan, Charles A. Post, and Aggie Herring Agnes Herring (February 4, 1876 – October 28, 1939) was an American actress. She a ...

'' (1919) *'' The Midnight Stage'' (1919) *'' The Bells'' (1918) *'' More Trouble'' (1918) *'' Ruler of the Road'' (1918) *''

Loaded Dice Dice (singular die or dice) are small, throwable objects with marked sides that can rest in multiple positions. They are used for generating random values, commonly as part of tabletop games, including dice games, board games, role-playing ...

'' (1918) *'' Public Defender'' (1917) *'' The Crab'' (1917) *'' The Bride of Hate'' (1917) * " War's Women" (1916) *'' The Sin Ye Do'' (1916) *'' Jim Grimsby's Boy'' (1916) *'' The Thoroughbred'' (1916) *'' Honor Thy Name'' (1916) *''

The Phantom ''The Phantom'' is an American adventure comic strip, first published by Lee Falk in February 1936. The main character, the Phantom, is a fictional costumed crime-fighter who operates from the fictional African country of Bangalla. The char ...

'' (1916) *'' The Stepping Stone'' (1916) *''The Despoiler'' (1915) *''The Long Chance'' (1915) *'' The Coward'' (1915) *''Desert Thieves'' (1914) *''Love vs Duty'' (1914) *''The Bells of Asti'' (1914) *''The Hunchback'' *''The Fisherman; Or, Men Must Work and Women Must Weep'' (1909) *''Judge Not That Ye Be Not Judged'' (1909) The Public Defender.jpg, ''The Public Defender'' (1917) More Trouble.jpg, ''More Trouble'' (1918) Frank Keenan 1919.jpg, ''Gates of Brass'' (1919)

Director

*''

'' (1920) * ''

'' (1920) *''Brothers Divided'' (1919) *''The Silver Girl'' (1919)

Producer

*''Brothers Divided'' (1919)

Writer

*''The World Aflame'' (1919)

Stageplays

*'' Sherlock Holmes'' (1928) *''Peter Weston'' (1923) *''Hon. John Grigsby'' (1902) *''At the Threshold'' (1905) *''Strolling Players'' (1905) *''The System of Dr. Tarr'' (1905) *''The Lady Bookie'' (1905) *''The Lady Across the Hall'' (1905) *''A Passion in the Suburb'' (1905) *''The Cardinal's Edict'' (1905) *''A Woman's Pity'' (1905) *''The Warrens of Virginia'' (1907)

Death

Keenan died of pneumonia in his Hollywood mansion, and is buried next to his first wife at

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 ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Keenan, Frank 1858 births 1929 deaths Male actors from Iowa American male silent film actors American male stage actors American people of Irish descent Boston College alumni Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery People from Dubuque, Iowa Vaudeville performers 20th-century American male actors Deaths from pneumonia in California Catholics from Iowa