James Lyon Crane (1889–1968) was an American stage and screen actor.

Early years

Crane was born in

Rantoul, Illinois Rantoul is a village in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 12,371 at the 2020 census. History The community was named after Robert Rantoul, Jr., a U.S. representative from Massachusetts, and a director of the Illino ...

, and was the son of writer Frank Crane, who left the ministry and became an editorial writer for ''

The New York Globe ''The New York Globe'', also called ''The New York Evening Globe'', was a daily New York City newspaper published from 1904 to 1923, when it was bought and merged into ''The New York Sun''. It is not related to a New York City-based Saturday fami ...

.'' He attended Bowdoin College and

Williams College Williams College is a private liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, a colonist from the Province of Massachusetts Bay who was kill ...

. During summer vacations, he began acting with stock companies in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Career

Crane's New York debut came in ''The Price'' at the

Hudson Theatre The Hudson Theatre is a Broadway theater at 139–141 West 44th Street, between Seventh Avenue and Sixth Avenue, in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. One of the oldest surviving Broadway venues, the Hudson was built ...

, after which he spent three years in stock theater, including having his own troupes in four cities. His Broadway credits included ''The Varying Shore'' (1921), ''Odd Man Out'' (1925), ''All Dressed Up'' (1925), ''Black Cockatoo'' (1926), ''Lost'' (1927), and ''Revelry'' (1927). In 1930, Crane signed with First National to make the film ''

One Night at Susie's ''One Night at Susie's'' is a 1930 American pre-Code drama film released by First National Pictures and directed by John Francis Dillon. The movie stars Billie Dove and features Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Helen Ware and Tully Marshall. Plot Susi ...

''.

Personal life

Crane was married to actress

Alice Brady Alice Brady (born Mary Rose Brady; November 2, 1892 – October 28, 1939) was an American actress who began her career in the silent film era and survived the transition into talkies. She worked until six months before her death from cancer in ...

from 1919 to 1922. Together they had a son Donald Crane. He began in films in 1919 with one of his last films being the classic horror movie ''

The Mummy A mummy is an unusually well preserved corpse. Mummy or The Mummy may also refer to: Places *Mummy Range, a mountain range in the Rocky Mountains of northern Colorado in the United States *Mummy Cave, a rock shelter and archeological site in Par ...

'' (1932).

Arrest

On April 27, 1927, Crane was arrested for having a handgun in his hotel room in New York City, a violation of the state's Sullivan Act. He said that the gun was one that he had used in theatrical productions. He was acquitted on June 17, 1927, after he reiterated the entertainment use of the weapon, saying that his valet had packed the pistol by mistake after a theatrical engagement ended. The patrolman who arrested him said the automatic pistol's magazine was missing.

Filmography

*''His Bridal Night'' (1919) *'' The Misleading Widow'' (1919) *''

Sadie Love ''Sadie Love'' is a lost 1919 American silent comedy film distributed by Paramount Pictures (as Famous Players-Lasky Corporation) and directed by John S. Robertson. It is based on a 1915 stage play of the same name by Avery Hopwood and s ...

'' (1919) *'' Wanted: A Husband'' (1919) *''

Sinners In a religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered immoral, selfish, s ...

'' (1920) *''

A Dark Lantern ''A Dark Lantern'' is a lost 1920 American silent drama film produced and released by Realart Pictures. It is based on a 1905 novel of the same name by Elizabeth Robins. John S. Robertson directed and Alice Brady and her then husband James Cr ...

'' (1920) *'' The Drake Case'' (1929) *''

'' (1930) *'' Dude Ranch'' (1931) *'' Two Kinds of Women'' (1932) *''

Lady and Gent ''Lady and Gent'' is a 1932 American pre-Code drama film directed by Stephen Roberts for Paramount, featuring a young Charles ("Durango Kid") Starrett, Syd ("Three Mesquiteers") Saylor and an early supporting role by John Wayne. Plot A young b ...

'' (1932) *''

Good Dame ''Good Dame'' is a 1934 American pre-Code drama film directed by Marion Gering and written by Sam Hellman, Vincent Lawrence and William R. Lipman. The film stars Sylvia Sidney, Fredric March, Jack La Rue, Noel Francis, Russell Hopton, Bradley P ...

'' (1934)*uncredited *'' The Amazing Mr. Williams'' (1939)*uncredited

References

External links

* * 1889 births 1968 deaths People from Rantoul, Illinois Male actors from Illinois American male silent film actors 20th-century American male actors American male stage actors {{US-film-actor-1880s-stub