George Guy Oliver (September 25, 1878 – September 1, 1932) was an American actor. He appeared in at least 189
silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized Sound recording and reproduction, 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) ...
era motion pictures and 32
talkies
A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed before ...
in
character roles between 1911 and 1931. His obituary gives him credit for at least 600. He directed three films in 1915.
Early years
Oliver was born in
Chicago, Illinois
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, the son of J. O. and Beno Oliver, on September 25, 1889. His father bought a music store in Lamar, Missouri, in 1891, and a few years later he formed the Lamar Ladies' Silver Cornet Band. Oliver was playing cornet in the group when he was 6 years old, and his mother was the conductor. Later the family formed The Musical Olivers, a troupe that "played Carthage, Springfield, Joplin, Rolla, and nearly every other town and city in Missouri". Later the group affiliated with the Southern Carnival Company and traveled across the United States. His mother's death ended the family performances.
Career
After Oliver's mother died, he began acting with the Fennberg Stock Company in New England. Later, he and
Joe Keaton
Joseph Hallie Keaton (July 6, 1867 – January 13, 1946) was an American vaudeville performer and silent film actor. He was the father of actor Buster Keaton and appeared with his son in several films.
Life and career
Keaton was born a few mile ...
teamed in a "burlesque boxing act" that they performed in amusement parks around the United States
Oliver followed that routine with a vaudeville act in which he sang and whistled.
After "an unsuccessful engagement with a stock company in Rome, Georgia," in 1908 he began working for
Lubin Studios
The Lubin Manufacturing Company was an American motion picture production company that produced silent films from 1896 to 1916. Lubin films were distributed with a Liberty Bell trademark.
History
The Lubin Manufacturing Company was formed in 1 ...
in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
, earning $3.00 a day. He also worked for
Eclair,
Kinemacolor
Kinemacolor was the first successful colour motion picture process, used commercially from 1908 to 1914. It was invented by George Albert Smith in 1906. He was influenced by the work of William Norman Lascelles Davidson and, more directly, E ...
and the
Selig Polyscope Company before he joined
Jesse L. Lasky's company in California in 1916. Oliver appeared in at least 18 films starring
Wallace Reid, and in those made by many other stars at
Paramount
Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to:
Entertainment and music companies
* Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. The following busin ...
. In 1931 his health led him to retire, but the studio continued to pay him.
Personal life and death
Oliver was married on January 31, 1906, in Jackson, Mississippi.
He and his wife, Elinor, had a son, Parker, and a daughter, Georgie. He died at Hollywood Hospital in
Hollywood, California
Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...
.
Partial filmography
*''
Saved From the Titanic
''Saved from the Titanic'' is a 1912 American silent motion picture short starring Dorothy Gibson, an American film actress who survived the sinking of the RMS ''Titanic'' on April 15, 1912. Premiering in the United States just 31 days after ...
'' (1912, Short) - Jack's pal
*''
Robin Hood
Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is dep ...
'' (1912, Short) - Much
*''The Adventures of Kathlyn'' (1913)
*''Memories'' (1914) - Professor Scott
*''
A Just Punishment
''A Just Punishment'' is a lost 1914 silent short film directed by Edward Le Saint and starring Guy Oliver and Eugenie Besserer.
Cast
*Guy Oliver - Bob Preston
*Eugenie Besserer
Eugenie Besserer ( – May 29, 1934) was an American actress ...
'' (1914, Short) - Bob Preston - the Husband
*''
The Carpet from Bagdad
''The Carpet from Bagdad'' is a 1915 American silent adventure film directed by Colin Campbell and based on Harold MacGrath's 1911 eponymous novel. In the story, Horace Wadsworth (played by Guy Oliver), one of a gang of criminals also planni ...
'' (1915) - Horace Wadsworth
*''
His Father's Rifle
''His Father's Rifle'' is a 1915 American silent short drama directed by Edward LeSaint and written by Joseph F. Poland. The film starred Earle Foxe and Bertram Grassby in the main roles. The film is presumed to be lost.
Plot
James Birch, an ...
'' (1915, Short) - Kirke Warren
*''
The Circular Staircase'' (1915) - Halsey Innes
*''I'm Glad My Boy Grew Up to Be a Soldier'' (1915) - Frank Archer
*''
Thou Shalt Not Covet
''Thou Shalt Not Covet'' is a 1916 American silent drama film directed by Colin Campbell and starring Tyrone Power Sr., Kathlyn Williams, and Guy Oliver.''Guide to the Silent Years of American Cinema'', p. 66
Cast
* Tyrone Power Sr. as I, or th ...
'' (1916) - My Neighbor
*''Into the Primitive'' (1916) - Thomas Blake
*''The Valiants of Virginia'' (1916) - Major Bristow
*''
Nan of Music Mountain
''Nan of Music Mountain'' is a 1917 American Silent film, silent drama film directed by George Melford and Cecil B. DeMille (who receives no screen credit). The film is based on Frank H. Spearman's novel of the same name and stars Wallace Reid a ...
'' (1917)
*''
Rimrock Jones
''Rimrock Jones'' is a lost 1918 American silent Western film directed by Donald Crisp and starring Wallace Reid.
Cast
* Wallace Reid as Rimrock Jones
* Ann Little as Mary Fortune
* Charles Stanton Ogle as Hassayamp Hicks
* Paul Hurst as ...
'' (1918)
*''
The Whispering Chorus
''The Whispering Chorus'' is a 1918 American silent psychological drama film directed by Cecil B. DeMille. It is the first and earliest film was considered a psychological drama.
Plot
John Tremble (Hatton), an impoverished cashier in a cont ...
'' (1918)
*''
Old Wives for New
''Old Wives for New'' is a 1918 American silent drama film directed by Cecil B. DeMille. Prints of the film survive at the International Museum of Photography and Film at George Eastman House.
Plot
As described in a film magazine, disgusted by ...
'' (1918)
*''
Such a Little Pirate
''Such a Little Pirate'' is a lost 1918 American silent Pirate adventure film directed by George Melford and starring Lila Lee as a young sea-going heroine and Theodore Roberts as her grandfather. It was produced by Adolph Zukor and Jesse Lasky.
...
'' (1918)
*''
The Squaw Man'' (1918)
*''
The Dub
''The Dub'' is a lost 1919 American silent comedy film directed by James Cruze and written by Edgar Franklin and Will M. Ritchey. The film stars Wallace Reid, Charles Ogle, Ralph Lewis, Raymond Hatton, Winter Hall, and Nina Byron. The film w ...
'' (1919)
*''
Don't Change Your Husband
''Don't Change Your Husband'' is a 1919 American silent comedy film directed by Cecil B. DeMille and starring Gloria Swanson. The film was the third of six "marriage films" directed by DeMille and the first DeMille film starring Gloria Swanso ...
'' (1919)
*''
The Poor Boob'' (1919)
*''
Rustling A Bride
''Rustling A Bride'' is a lost 1919 silent film comedy-Western directed by Irvin Willat and starring Lila Lee.
Plot
As described in a film magazine, cowboy Nick McCredie (Blue) discovers the name and address of a Kentucky girl on the fly leaf ...
'' (1919)
*''
Putting It Over'' (1919)
*''
Secret Service
A secret service is a government agency, intelligence agency, or the activities of a government agency, concerned with the gathering of intelligence data. The tasks and powers of a secret service can vary greatly from one country to another. For ...
'' (1919)
*''
Told in the Hills'' (1919)
*''
The Lottery Man'' (1919)
*''
Double Speed'' (1920)
*''
The Round-Up'' (1920)
*''
The Sins of Rosanne
''The Sins of Rosanne'' is a surviving 1920 American silent drama film starring Ethel Clayton and directed by actor/director Tom Forman. The Famous Players-Lasky studio produced the film with release by Paramount Pictures.
The film is preserved ...
'' (1920)
*''
What Every Woman Knows'' (1921)
*''
'' (1921)
*''
Too Much Speed'' (1921)
*''
Moonlight and Honeysuckle
''Moonlight and Honeysuckle'' is a 1921 American silent romantic comedy film directed by Joseph Henabery and starring Mary Miles Minter and Monte Blue. It was adapted by Barbara Kent from the 1919 stage play of the same name by George Scarboro ...
'' (1921)
*''
Fool's Paradise'' (1921)
*''
The Little Minister'' (1921)
*''
'' (1922)
*''
Pink Gods
''Pink Gods'' is a lost film, lost 1922 American silent film, silent melodrama film produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It was directed by Penrhyn Stanlaws and starred Bebe Daniels and Adolphe Menjou. The sourc ...
'' (1922)
*''
Manslaughter'' (1922)
*''
The Covered Wagon
''The Covered Wagon'' is a 1923 American silent film, silent Western (genre), Western film released by Paramount Pictures. The film was directed by James Cruze based on a 1922 novel of the same name by Emerson Hough about a group of pioneers tr ...
'' (1923)
*''
The Woman With Four Faces
''The Woman With Four Faces'' is a lost 1923 American silent crime melodrama film directed by Herbert Brenon and starring Betty Compson. Famous Players-Lasky produced while Paramount Pictures released. The story is based on a play (possibly unpro ...
'' (1923)
*''
Hollywood'' (1923) cameo
*''
To the Last Man'' (1923)
*''
The Cheat'' (1923)
*''
The Dawn of a Tomorrow'' (1924)
*''
Changing Husbands'' (1924)
*''
The Air Mail
''The Air Mail'' is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by Irvin Willat and starring Warner Baxter, Billie Dove, and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. It was produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed through Paramount Pictures. Filmed in ...
'' (1925)
*''
A Woman of the World
''A Woman of the World'' is a 1925 American silent comedy-drama film starring Pola Negri, directed by Mal St. Clair, produced by Famous Players-Lasky, and distributed by Paramount Pictures.
Plot
As described in a review in a film magazine, ...
'' (1925)
*''
The Eagle of the Sea'' (1926)
*''
The Mysterious Rider'' (1927)
*''
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...
'' (1927)
*''
Shootin' Irons'' (1927)
*''
Feel My Pulse
''Feel My Pulse'' is a 1928 American silent comedy film directed by Gregory La Cava and starring Bebe Daniels.
A copy of ''Feel My Pulse'' is preserved in the Library of Congress archives.Hot News
''Hot News'' is a 1928 American silent comedy film produced and distributed by Paramount Famous Lasky Corporation, an amalgamation of Famous Players-Lasky and Paramount Pictures. Clarence Badger directed and Bebe Daniels starred.
Cast
* Bebe ...
'' (1928)
*''
The Docks of New York
''The Docks of New York'' is a 1928 American silent drama film directed by Josef von Sternberg and starring George Bancroft, Betty Compson, and Olga Baclanova. The movie was adapted by Jules Furthman from the John Monk Saunders story ''The Dock ...
'' (1928)
*''
Avalanche
An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a slope, such as a hill or mountain.
Avalanches can be set off spontaneously, by such factors as increased precipitation or snowpack weakening, or by external means such as humans, animals, and eart ...
'' (1928)
*''
Three Weekends'' (1928)
*''
Sunset Pass'' (1929)
*''
Stairs of Sand
''Stairs of Sand'' is a 1929 American silent Western film starring Wallace Beery, Jean Arthur and Phillips Holmes, made by Paramount Pictures, directed by Otto Brower, and written by Agnes Brand Leahy, Sam Mintz and J. Walter Ruben, based on ...
'' (1929)
*''
Woman Trap'' (1929)
*''
The Light of Western Stars'' (1930)
*''
The Devil's Holiday
''The Devil's Holiday'' is a 1930 American Pre-Code film starring Nancy Carroll, Phillips Holmes, ZaSu Pitts, James Kirkwood, Sr., Hobart Bosworth, and Ned Sparks, and released by Paramount Pictures.
The movie was adapted by Edmund Goulding f ...
'' (1930)
*''
Murder by the Clock
''Murder by the Clock'' is a 1931 American pre-Code murder mystery film starring William "Stage" Boyd and Lilyan Tashman. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Rufus King and the play ''Dangerously Yours'' by Charles Beahan.
Pl ...
'' (1931)
*''
The Lawyer's Secret'' (1931)
*''
I Take This Woman'' (1931)
*''
Up Pops the Devil
''Up Pops the Devil'' is a 1931 American pre-Code comedy drama film directed by A. Edward Sutherland. The screenplay concerns an advertising man (Norman Foster) who quits his job to become a novelist, upsetting his wife ( Carole Lombard) and s ...
'' (1931)
References
External links
*
Guy Oliverat the
AFI Catalog of Feature Films
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oliver, Guy
1889 births
1932 deaths
American male film actors
American male silent film actors
Male actors from Chicago
Deaths from cancer in California
20th-century American male actors
People from Lamar, Missouri