Edward Joseph McNamara (19 September 1894 – February 1928) was an Australian
vaudevillian
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 ...
who made a career on stage in Australia, the United States, and in Hollywood silent films before dying suddenly in 1928. At various times he has credited as Ted McNamara, Teddy McNamara, and Teddie McNamara.
Biography
McNamara was born in Melbourne, Australia. As a juvenile, he appeared on stage in numerous productions while travelling Australia and New Zealand, with great acclaim. In 1905, he joined a long tour by
Pollard's Lilliputian Opera Company through Japan, China, Canada and the US, the company achieving considerable renown.
He married former company member and Australian actress Phyllis Hill in Canada in 1913, while both were underage. She returned to Australia in 1915, obtaining a divorce nine years later, in 1926, on the grounds of desertion. There was one child of the union. McNamara continued to perform in North America, including on Broadway through 1922–1924.
In 1926,
Raoul Walsh teamed him with fellow comedian
Sammy Cohen for supporting character roles in the war film ''
What Price Glory?'' As a comedy duo, McNamara and Cohen would appear together in several films.
He died of pneumonia in early 1928. Many of the former Pollard's performers living in Hollywood attended the funeral, including
Alf Goulding
Alfred John "Alf" Goulding (January 26, 1885 – April 25, 1972) was an Australian-born vaudevillian, who became an American film director and screenwriter. He directed more than 180 films between 1917 and 1959 and is credited with having H ...
,
Billy Bevan,
Snub Pollard
Harold Fraser (9 November 1889 – 19 January 1962), known professionally as Snub Pollard, was an Australian-born vaudevillian, who became a silent film comedian in Hollywood, popular in the 1920s.
Career
Born in Melbourne, Australia, on 9 No ...
, and
Daphne Pollard
Daphne Pollard (born Daphne Trott; October 19, 1891 – February 22, 1978) was an Australian-born vaudeville performer and dancer, active on stage and later in US films, mostly short comedies.
Diminutive stage star
Born Daphne Trott, in the in ...
.
COMEDIAN'S DEATH
''The Daily News'' (Perth), Fri 23 Mar 1928, Page 11, Accessed 23 December 2016 He had remarried by this time.
Filmography
* ''Shore Leave
Shore leave is the leave that professional sailors get to spend on dry land. It is also known as "liberty" within the United States Navy, United States Coast Guard, and Marine Corps.
During the Age of Sail, shore leave was often abused by the ...
''(1925)
* '' What Price Glory?'' (1926) (with Sammy Cohen)
* ''The Monkey Talks
''The Monkey Talks'' is a 1927 American silent drama film directed by Raoul Walsh and written by Malcolm Stuart Boylan and Elizabeth Pickett Chevalier. The film stars Olive Borden, Jacques Lerner, Don Alvarado, Malcolm Waite, Raymond Hitchc ...
'' (1927)
* ''Upstream
Upstream may refer to:
* Upstream (bioprocess)
* ''Upstream'' (film), a 1927 film by John Ford
* Upstream (networking)
* ''Upstream'' (newspaper), a newspaper covering the oil and gas industry
* Upstream (petroleum industry)
* Upstream (software ...
'' (1927)
* ''Rich But Honest
''Rich But Honest'' is a 1927 American silent comedy-drama film, written by Randall H. Faye and directed by Albert Ray and Horace Hough. The film was released on May 22, 1927 by Fox Film Corporation, starring Nancy Nash, John Holland, Charles ...
'' (1927)
* '' Colleen'' (1927) (with Sammy Cohen)
* '' Chain Lightning'' (1927)
* '' The Gay Retreat'' (1927) (with Sammy Cohen)
* '' The Gateway of the Moon'' (1928)
* ''Mother Machree
''Mother Machree'' is a 1928 American silent drama film, directed by John Ford, based on the 1924 work ''The Story of Mother Machree'' by Rida Johnson Young about a poor Irish immigrant in America. Rida Johnson Young had invented Mother Machr ...
'' (1928)
* ''Why Sailors Go Wrong
''Why Sailors Go Wrong'' is a 1928 American silent comedy film directed by Henry Lehrman and written by Randall Faye and Delos Sutherland. The film stars Sammy Cohen, Ted McNamara, Sally Phipps, Nick Stuart, E. H. Calvert, and Carl Miller. Th ...
'' (1928) (with Sammy Cohen)
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:McNamara, Ted
1894 births
1928 deaths
Australian male film actors
Male actors from Melbourne
20th-century Australian male actors
Deaths from pneumonia in California
Australian emigrants to the United States