Gayne Whitman (born Alfred D. Vosburgh; March 19, 1890 – August 31, 1958) was an American radio and film actor. He appeared in more than 200 films between 1904 and 1957. In some early films he was credited under his birth name. He was born in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. Whitman's theatrical debut came when he carried a spear behind an actor portraying King Richard III in a production in Indianapolis. As Allen Vosburgh, he was the leading man in the film ''Princess of the Dark'' (1917). Soon after that, he changed his screen name to Alfred Whitman because "1917 was not a good time to have a German sounding name." Beginning in 1921, Whitman acted at the Morosco Theater in Los Angeles. He returned to films in 1925 when he received a contract with

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

On radio, Whitman played the title role in '' Chandu the Magician'', was the narrator on ''Lassie'' and ''

Strange as It Seems ''Strange as It Seems'' appeared as a syndicated cartoon feature published from 1928 to 1970, and became a familiar brand to millions around the globe for its comic strips, books, radio shows and film shorts. Created by John Hix, ''Strange as It S ...

'', and was an announcer on ''Paducah Plantation'' and other programs.

Personal life

Whitman was married to Estelle Taylor, an actress with a stock theater company in St. Louis. On August 31, 1958, Whitman died of a heart attack in Los Angeles at age 68.

Selected filmography

* ''

A Natural Man ''A Natural Man'' is a 1915 silent film drama short directed by Ulysses Davis and produced by the Vitagraph Company of America. The General Film Company distributed the film. The film is preserved in the Library of Congress collection.''Catalog ...

'' (1915, Short) - Karl Holden * ''

The Substitute Minister ''The Substitute Minister'' is a 1915 American short film directed by B. Reeves Eason. Cast * Vivian Rich * Roy Stewart * Gayne Whitman Gayne Whitman (born Alfred D. Vosburgh; March 19, 1890 – August 31, 1958) was an American radio a ...

'' (1915, Short) - John Drummond * ''

The Bluffers ''The Bluffers'' is a 1986 children's cartoon series created by Frank Fehmers. The stories revolved around the inhabitants of the fictitious land of Bluffoonia and their ongoing struggle against the evil tyrant Clandestino and his plans to dest ...

'' (1915, Short) - Tom Murdock * ''The Silver Lining'' (1915, Short) - Richard Grant * ''

The Solution to the Mystery ''The Solution to the Mystery'' is a 1915 short film produced by the American Film Manufacturing Company, released by Mutual Film and directed by B. Reeves Eason. Cast * Vivian Rich as Bessie Mitchell * Roy Stewart as James T. Willard * Char ...

'' (1915, Short) - Franklyn Davis * '' The Red Circle'' (1915, Serial) * '' Matching Dreams'' (1916, Short) - Hugh Clayton * '' Time and Tide'' (1916, Short) - Ned Lang * '' A Sanitarium Scramble'' (1916, Short) - Frank Fellows * ''

Tangled Skeins ''Tangled Skeins'' is a 1916 short silent film drama directed by E. Mason Hopper. It was released by the Mutual Film Company. This film is preserved in the Library of Congress collection(Packard Campus is part of the Library of Congress system).' ...

'' (1916, Short) - Randall Wellington * ''

Her Father's Son ''Her Father's Son'' is a 1916 American silent comedy film directed by William Desmond Taylor and written by Anna Fielder Brand and L. V. Jefferson. The film stars Vivian Martin, Gayne Whitman, Herbert Standing, Helen Jerome Eddy, Joe Mass ...

'' (1916) - Lt. Richard Harkness * ''

The Road to Love ''The Road to Love'' is a surviving 1916 American Drama film, drama silent film directed by Scott Sidney and written by Blanche Dougan Cole and Gardner Hunting. The film stars Lenore Ulric, Colin Chase, Lucille Ward, Estelle Allen, Gayne Whitman ...

'' (1916) - Karan * ''

The Serpent's Tooth ''The Serpent's Tooth'' is a novel by Singaporean writer Catherine Lim, first published in 1982 by Times Edition Pte Ltd. The title of the novel is taken from a quote from Shakespeare's ''King Lear'': "Sharper than a serpent’s tooth/ It is to hav ...

'' (1917) * ''

Princess of the Dark ''Princess of the Dark'' is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by Charles Miller and starring Enid Bennett, John Gilbert, and Gayne Whitman. Cast * Enid Bennett as Fay Herron * John Gilbert as 'Crip' Halloran * Gayne Whitman as Jack ...

'' (1917) * '' Money Madness'' (1917) * ''

The Divorcee ''The Divorcee'' is a 1930 American pre-Code drama film written by Nick Grindé, John Meehan, and Zelda Sears, based on the 1929 novel ''Ex-Wife'' by Ursula Parrott. It was directed by Robert Z. Leonard, who was nominated for the Academy Award ...

'' (1917) * '' Sunlight's Last Raid'' (1917) * ''

The Flaming Omen ''The Flaming Omen'' is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by William Wolbert and starring Gayne Whitman, Mary Anderson and Otto Lederer.Weaver p.206 Cast * Gayne Whitman as Dorian * Mary Anderson as Blanca * Luella Smith as Violet * ...

'' (1917) * ''

When Men Are Tempted ''When Men Are Tempted'' is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by William Wolbert and starring Mary Anderson, Gayne Whitman and Robert N. Bradbury.Weaver p.499 Plot Cast * Mary Anderson as Jessie Garden * Gayne Whitman as John Bur ...

'' (1917) * '' Baree, Son of Kazan'' (1918) * ''

The Sea Flower ''The Sea Flower'' is a 1918 American silent adventure film directed by Colin Campbell and starring Juanita Hansen, Gayne Whitman and Fred Huntley.Guide to the Silent Years of American Cinema p.66 Cast * Juanita Hansen as Lurline * Gayne W ...

'' (1918) * '' Desert Law'' (1918) * '' The End of the Game'' (1919) * '' His Majesty, Bunker Bean'' (1925) * ''

The Wife Who Wasn't Wanted ''The Wife Who Wasn't Wanted'' is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by James Flood and written by Bess Meredyth. It is based on the 1923 novel ''The Wife Who Wasn't Wanted'' by Gertie Wentworth-James. The film stars Irene Rich, Huntley ...

'' (1925) * ''

A Woman of the Sea ''A Woman of the Sea'', also known by its working title ''Sea Gulls'', is an unreleased silent film produced in 1926 by the Chaplin Film Company. It is one of only two lost Charlie Chaplin films (the other being '' Her Friend the Bandit''), havin ...

'' (1926) * ''

Oh! What a Nurse! ''Oh! What a Nurse!'' is a 1926 American silent comedy film directed by Charles Reisner and written by Darryl F. Zanuck. The film stars Sydney Chaplin, Patsy Ruth Miller, Gayne Whitman, Matthew Betz, Edith Yorke, and David Torrence. The film w ...

'' (1926) * ''

Hell-Bent for Heaven ''Hell-Bent for Heaven'' is a 1926 American silent drama film directed by J. Stuart Blackton and written by Marian Constance Blackton. It is based on the 1924 Pulitzer Prize-winning play ''Hell-Bent Fer Heaven'' by Hatcher Hughes. The film sta ...

'' (1926) * '' Sunshine of Paradise Alley'' (1926) * '' The Love Toy'' (1926) * ''

The Night Cry ''The Night Cry'' is a 1926 American silent film family drama directed by Herman C. Raymaker and starring Rin Tin Tin. It was produced and distributed by Warner Bros. Cast * Rin Tin Tin as himself *John Harron as John Martin * June Marlowe ...

'' (1926) * ''

Exclusive Rights In Anglo-Saxon law, an exclusive right, or exclusivity, is a de facto, non-tangible prerogative existing in law (that is, the power or, in a wider sense, right) to perform an action or acquire a benefit and to permit or deny others the right to p ...

'' (1926) * '' A Woman's Heart'' (1926) * ''

The Woman on Trial ''The Woman on Trial'' is a 1927 American silent film directed by Mauritz Stiller, starring Pola Negri, and based on the play ''Confession'' by Erno Wajda (aka Ernest Vajda). Adolph Zukor, Jesse L. Lasky, and B. P. Schulberg produced for Param ...

'' (1927) * ''

Wolves of the Air ''Wolves of the Air'' is a 1927 American silent action film directed by Francis Ford and starring Johnnie Walker, Lois Boyd and Maurice Costello. It is now considered a lost film. In 2021 this so called lost film was retrieved in the collectio ...

'' (1927) * '' Stolen Pleasures'' (1927) * ''

Backstage Backstage most commonly refers to backstage (theatre), also in motion picture and television production. Backstage may also refer to: Film and television * ''Back Stage'' (1969 film), a silent film starring Oliver Hardy * ''Back Stage'' (1942 fil ...

'' (1927) * ''

In the First Degree ''In the First Degree'' is a 1927 American silent melodrama film, directed by Phil Rosen. It stars Alice Calhoun, Bryant Washburn, and Gayne Whitman, and was released on April 15, 1927. Cast *Alice Calhoun as Barbara Hurd * Bryant Washburn as ...

'' (1927) * ''

Sailors' Wives ''Sailor's Wives'' is a lost 1928 silent film romantic-comedy directed by Joseph Henabery and starring Mary Astor. It was produced and distributed by First National Pictures. Cast *Mary Astor as Carol Trent * Lloyd Hughes as Don Manning * Earl ...

'' (1928) * '' Lucky Boy'' (1929) * ''

Reno Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the c ...

'' (1930) * '' Finger Prints'' (1931) * ''

Heroes of the Flames ''Heroes of the Flames'' is a 1931 American Universal movie serial. Although once considered to be lost, it has survived and a print has been preserved by Universal as of 2016. It stars Tim McCoy (in a break from his usual cowboy roles) as a fir ...

'' (1931) * ''

Igloo An igloo (Inuit languages: , Inuktitut syllabics (plural: )), also known as a snow house or snow hut, is a type of shelter built of suitable snow. Although igloos are often associated with all Inuit, they were traditionally used only b ...

'' (1932) * '' The Sea'' (1933) * ''

Art Trouble ''Art Trouble'' is a 1934 American pre-Code comedy short directed by Ralph Staub and starring Harry Gribbon and Shemp Howard. The film is notable for featuring an uncredited James Stewart in his first screen role. Gribbon was one of several c ...

'' (1934) short film * ''Born to Die'' (1934) narrator educational short * ''

Flight Command ''Flight Command'' is a 1940 American film about a cocky U.S. Navy pilot who has problems with his new squadron and with the wife of his commander. It stars Robert Taylor, Ruth Hussey and Walter Pidgeon. ''Flight Command'' has the distinction of ...

'' (1940) * ''

The Rookie Bear ''The Rookie Bear'' is a 1941 MGM cartoon featuring Barney Bear. It is the fourth cartoon in the Barney Bear series. Plot Barney Bear is selected by a drawn Draft Number to enlist in the United States Army. His hibernation is interrupted when a ...

'' (1941) * '' Speaking of Animals and Their Families'' (1942) * ''Barney Bear's Victory Garden'' (1942) * ''

War Dogs Dogs in warfare have a very long history starting in ancient times. From being trained in combat, to their use as scouts, sentries, messengers, mercy dogs, and trackers, their uses have been varied and some continue to exist in modern military ...

'' (1943) * ''

The Masked Marvel ''The Masked Marvel'' (1943) is a 12-chapter film serial created by Republic Pictures, who produced many other well known serials. It was Republic's thirty-first serial, of the sixty-six they produced. Plot In ''The Masked Marvel'', a hero dress ...

'' (1943) *''

The Sickle or the Cross ''The Sickle or the Cross'' is a 1949 American drama film directed by Frank Strayer, which stars Kent Taylor, Gloria Holden, and Gene Lockhart. The screenplay was written by Jesse L. Lasky Jr. from an original story by T. G. Eggers. Produced and ...

'' (1949)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Whitman, Gayne 1890 births 1958 deaths American male film actors American male radio actors American male silent film actors American male stage actors Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) 20th-century American male actors Male actors from Chicago Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio people