Otis C. Sheridan (c. 1872 – 20 September 1961) was an American

character actor A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to b ...

who had a five decade long career on the stage from the 1890s into the early 1940s. He made his

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

debut in 1901 as Ludwig Dollar in Thomas Q. Seabrooke's revival of the

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

''The Rounders''. He appeared in several more Broadway musicals and plays into the late 1930s, and was also active in regional theatre until his retirement from the stage in 1941. In addition to a career in the theater, he appeared in the films ''

The Night Angel ''The Night Angel'' is a 1931 American pre-Code drama film written and directed by Edmund Goulding. The film stars Nancy Carroll, Fredric March, Phoebe Foster, Alison Skipworth and Alan Hale, Sr. The film was released on July 18, 1931, by Paramo ...

'' (1931) and '' Sweet Surrender'' (1935).

Life and career

Born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, Sheridan began his career as an actor in the 1890s. He starred in the national tour of

Ludwig Engländer Ludwig Engländer (October 20, 1853 Vienna, Austria – September 13, 1914) was an Austrian-born American composer of more than 30 musicals. He was born in Vienna, Austria.Passport application available in the series ''U.S. Passport Applications, ...

's musical ''The Rounders''; beginning with performances at the Grand Opera House in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

in October 1900. Produced by and starring the comedian

Thomas Q. Seabrooke Thomas Q. Seabrooke (October 20, 1860 – April 3, 1913) was an American actor, comedian, vaudeville performer, and impresario who achieved fame as the star of several comic operas and musicals. Life and career Thomas Q. Seabrooke was born on Octo ...

, ''The Rounders'' was a loosely plotted

backstage musical A backstage musical is a genre of musical with a plot set in a theatrical context that revolves around the production of a play or musical revue. The film's narrative trajectory often comes to a halt one or more times to allow a performance. The son ...

in the vein of a

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

variety show, and Sheridan drew praise from critics for his portrayal of the chief coronetist, Ludwig Dollar, in the production. The national tour played Broadway's Casino Theatre in 1901, and Sheridan was still with the production when it reached the Court Theatre in Buffalo, New York in January 1902. In 1903 Sheridan was a member of a touring theatre troupe led by actress

Minnie Tittell Brune Minnie Tittell Brune (1875–1974) was an American actress. Although little known in her own country, she became a major figure in the history of the Australian stage, achieving the peak of her career during an Antipodean tour from 1904 to 1909. S ...

which was touring a production of

Francis Marion Crawford Francis Marion Crawford (August 2, 1854 – April 9, 1909) was an American writer noted for his many novels, especially those set in Italy, and for his classic weird and fantastical stories. Early life Crawford was born in Bagni di Lucca, in th ...

's ''Unorna''; a play written for Brune. He returned to Broadway in 1906; appearing first at the Lew M. Fields Theatre and later the Lyric Theatre in

Clara Lipman Clara Lipman (December 6, 1864 – June 22, 1952) was an American musical comedy actress and playwright whose career began in 1885 and continued on until her retirement in 1927. She was the wife of comedian Louis Mann and the sister of popular ...

's play ''Julie Bonbon''. The following year he returned to the Casino Theatre to create the character role of Lieutenant Wilhelm Klopstock in the premiere of another Engländer musical, ''

The White Hen ''The White Hen'' is a 1921 British silent comedy film directed by Frank Richardson and starring Mary Glynne, Leslie Faber and Pat Somerset. It was based on a novel by Phyllis Campbell. Cast * Mary Glynne as Celeste de Crequy * Leslie Fabe ...

'', which was a starring vehicle for the actor

Louis Mann Louis Mann (20 April 1865 – 15 February 1931) was an American theatre actor and sometime director, who in his later life made a few appearances in motion pictures. He was married to actress and playwright Clara Lipman. History Mann was bor ...

. He remained with the production when it went on national tour after it left Broadway. Sheridan's other Broadway credits include Novotny in ''

Blossom Time Blossom Time may refer to: * Blossom Time (operetta), a 1921 English-language adaptation of the operetta ''Das Dreimäderlhaus'' * Blossom Time (1934 film), a British musical drama film, based on the operetta ''Das Dreimäderlhaus'' * Blossom Time ...

'' (original 1921 production, and both the 1923 and 1924 revivals); the Property Man in

Leslie Howard Leslie Howard Steiner (3 April 18931 June 1943) was an English actor, director and producer.Obituary ''Variety'', 9 June 1943. He wrote many stories and articles for ''The New York Times'', ''The New Yorker'', and '' Vanity Fair'' and was one ...

's ''Out of a Blue Sky'' (1930), Strup in

Robert Emmet Sherwood Robert Emmet Sherwood (April 4, 1896 – November 14, 1955) was an American playwright and screenwriter. He is the author of ''Waterloo Bridge, Idiot's Delight, Abe Lincoln in Illinois, Rebecca, There Shall Be No Night, The Best Years of Our L ...

's ''Reunion in Vienna'' (1931), Mr. Herbert Selton in Henry R. Misrock's ''Bright Honor'' (1936), and Mr. Seamon in Irving Gaumont and Jack Sobell's ''30 Days Hath September'' (1938). He retired from performing in 1941 due to illness. In addition to his work in theatre, Sheridan portrayed Schmidt in the 1931 film ''

'', and James P. Hargrave in the 1935 film '' Sweet Surrender''.Nash & Ross, p. 3239 Sheridan died at the age of 89 on September 20, 1961, in

Fort Lauderdale A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

References

Citations

Bibliography

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External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sheridan, Otis 1870s births 1961 deaths 20th-century American male actors American male film actors American male musical theatre actors American male stage actors Male actors from Philadelphia