William Henry Crane (April 30, 1845March 7, 1928) was an American actor.

Early years

Crane was born in

Leicester, Massachusetts Leicester ( ) is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts. The population was 11,087 at the 2020 United States Census. History What is now Leicester was originally settled by the Nipmuc people and was known by them as ''Towtaid''. On January 27 ...

on April 30, 1845. He grew up in Boston and graduated from Brimmer School.

Career

He made his first professional appearance at

Utica, New York Utica () is a Administrative divisions of New York, city in the Mohawk Valley and the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The List of cities in New York, tenth-most-populous city in New York State, its population was 65,283 ...

, in

Donizetti Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti (29 November 1797 – 8 April 1848) was an Italian composer, best known for his almost 70 operas. Along with Gioachino Rossini and Vincenzo Bellini, he was a leading composer of the '' bel canto'' opera style dur ...

's ''

The Daughter of the Regiment ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in En ...

'' on July 13, 1865. Later he had a great success as Le Blanc the Notary, in the burlesque ''Evangeline'' (1873). He made his first hit in the legitimate drama with

Stuart Robson Stuart Robson may refer to: * Stuart Robson (actor) * Stuart Robson (speedway rider) See also * Stewart Robson Stewart Ian Robson (born 6 November 1964) is an English former football player and TV and radio football pundit. He played for A ...

(1836–1903), in ''

The Comedy of Errors ''The Comedy of Errors'' is one of William Shakespeare's early plays. It is his shortest and one of his most farcical comedies, with a major part of the humour coming from slapstick and mistaken identity, in addition to puns and word play. It ...

'' and other

Shakespearian William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

plays, and in ''The Henrietta'' (1881) by

Bronson Howard Bronson Crocker Howard (October 7, 1842 – August 4, 1908) was an American dramatist. Biography Howard was born in Detroit where his father Charles Howard was Mayor in 1849. He prepared for college at New Haven, Conn., but instead of ente ...

(1842–1908). This partnership lasted for 12 years, and subsequently Crane appeared in various eccentric character parts in such plays as '' The Senator'' and ''

David Harum ''David Harum; A Story of American Life'' is a best-selling novel of 1898 by Edward Noyes Westcott, whose principal legacy is the colloquial use of the term ''horse trading''. Literary significance and criticism Written by retired Syracuse, Ne ...

''. In 1904 he turned to more serious work and played Isidore Izard in ''

Business is Business ''Business is business'' (french: :fr:Les affaires sont les affaires, Les affaires sont les affaires) is a French comedy in three acts, by the novelist and playwright Octave Mirbeau, performed in April 1903 on the stage of Comédie-Française, in ...

'', an adaptation from

Octave Mirbeau Octave Mirbeau (16 February 1848 – 16 February 1917) was a French novelist, art critic, travel writer, pamphleteer, journalist and playwright, who achieved celebrity in Europe and great success among the public, whilst still appealing to the ...

's ''Les Affaires sont les Affaires''. In his 70s, Crane appeared in a number of films, notably in a reprise of his role in ''

'' (1915). He also appeared in MGM's '' Three Wise Fools'', a film that was revived on Turner Classic Movies and is available on home video/DVD.

Death

Crane died on March 7, 1928, at the age of 82 in the

Hollywood Hotel The Hollywood Hotel was a famous hotel, society venue of early Hollywood, and landmark, formerly located at 6811 Hollywood Boulevard, on the north side, extending from Highland Avenue to Orchid Avenue, in central Hollywood, Los Angeles, Califor ...

Partial filmography

* '' The Lamb'' (1915) * ''

'' (1915) * ''

The Saphead ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' (1920) * ''

Souls for Sale ''Souls for Sale'' is a 1923 American silent comedy drama film written, directed, and produced by Rupert Hughes, based on the novel of the same name by Hughes. The film stars Eleanor Boardman in her first leading role, having won a contract w ...

'' (1923) * '' Three Wise Fools'' (1923) * ''

'' (1923) * '' True as Steel'' (1924) * ''

So This Is Marriage ''So This Is Marriage'' is a lost 1924 American silent drama film directed by Hobart Henley. The film was originally released with sequences filmed in the Technicolor 2-color process that depicted the story of David and Bathsheba from the Book ...

'' (1924)

References

* *"W. H. Crane" by Joseph Howard, Jr. in ''Famous American Actors of To-day'', edited by Frederic Edward McKay and Charles E. L. Wingate, New York, Thomas Y. Crowell & Company, 1896. Onlin
here
*"Crane-Robson" in ''Some Players: Personal Sketches'' by Amy Leslie, Herbert S. Stone & Company, Chicago & New York, 1901. Onlin
here
*"William H. Crane, A Study", By Edwin F. Edgett in ''

Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly ''Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly'' (1876–1904) was an American popular literary magazine established by Frank Leslie as "the cheapest magazine published in the world." The publisher was Frank Leslie Pub. House which was based in New York City. ...

'', January 1903 (Volume LV No. 3). Onlin
here
(Illustratio
here
.

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Crane, William Henry 1845 births 1928 deaths People from Leicester, Massachusetts Male actors from Massachusetts 19th-century American male actors American male stage actors Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery American male film actors