Thomas A. Curran (May 29, 1879 – January 24, 1941), was an Australian-born American actor on the stage and in motion pictures. Between 1915 and 1941 he appeared in 60 films, the last of which was ''

Citizen Kane ''Citizen Kane'' is a 1941 American drama film produced by, directed by, and starring Orson Welles. He also co-wrote the screenplay with Herman J. Mankiewicz. The picture was Welles' first feature film. ''Citizen Kane'' is frequently cited ...

'', in which he played the uncredited role of Theodore Roosevelt in the "News on the March" newsreel sequence.

Biography

Thomas A. Curran was born on May 29, 1879, in Sydney, Australia. He studied acting in the United States, where he made his stage debut in 1897. After returning to Australia for a few years, he returned to the U.S. in 1912 or 1913 and worked in vaudeville and

repertory theatre A repertory theatre is a theatre in which a resident company presents works from a specified repertoire, usually in alternation or rotation. United Kingdom Annie Horniman founded the first modern repertory theatre in Manchester after withdrawing ...

. He acted in the original productions of ''Excuse Me'' written by Rupert Hughes (later adapted twice for the screen) and ''

Oh! Oh! Delphine ''Oh! Oh! Delphine'' is a musical comedy with book and lyrics by C.M.S. McLellan and music by Ivan Caryll. It is based on the French farce ''Villa Primrose'' by Marcel Guillemaud and Georges Berr. A Broadway production opened at the Knickerbock ...

''. Curran was signed to a three-year contract by the Thanhouser Company in 1915 and made 22 films, including ''

The World and the Woman ''The Woman and the World'' is a 1916 American silent drama film starring Jeanne Eagels as a prostitute who seeks a second chance in the countryside. It was based on the 1914 play ''Outcast'' starring Elsie Ferguson. It was remade in 1922 as '' Ou ...

'' with

Jeanne Eagels Jeanne Eagels (born Eugenia Eagles; June 26, 1890 – October 3, 1929) was an American stage and film actress. A former Ziegfeld Girl, Eagels went on to greater fame on Broadway and in the emerging medium of sound films. She was posthumously no ...

and ''

Inspiration Inspiration, inspire, or inspired often refers to: * Artistic inspiration, sudden creativity in artistic production * Biblical inspiration, the doctrine in Judeo-Christian theology concerned with the divine origin of the Bible * Creative inspirat ...

'', the first non-pornographic American film to show full female nudity. In his later years he moved to California and made his living playing

bit part In acting, a bit part is a role in which there is direct interaction with the principal actors and no more than five lines of dialogue, often referred to as a five-or-less or under-five in the United States, or under sixes in British television, ...

s and small roles in

studio A studio is an artist or worker's workroom. This can be for the purpose of acting, architecture, painting, pottery (ceramics), sculpture, origami, woodworking, scrapbooking, photography, graphic design, filmmaking, animation, industrial design ...

films. His last film appearance was as

Teddy Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

in the "News on the March" sequence in ''

''. The film had not yet been released when Curran, aged 61, died in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

January 24, 1941.

Filmography

References

External links

* 1879 births 1941 deaths American male film actors American male stage actors American male silent film actors 20th-century American male actors Articles containing video clips Australian emigrants to the United States {{US-film-actor-1870s-stub