William Thomas Kent (April 29, 1886 - October 5, 1945) was an American stage

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

who later appeared in sound films. He was born in

St. Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center o ...

and died in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. Kent's career traversed many forms of entertainment (i.e.

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 ...

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 ...

burlesque A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.

, minstrel (at age 14), circus, and silent and sound films). Between 1918 and 1935, he appeared in thirteen Broadway shows, including two Gershwin musicals, ''

Funny Face ''Funny Face'' is a 1957 American musical romantic comedy film directed by Stanley Donen and written by Leonard Gershe, containing assorted songs by George and Ira Gershwin. Although having the same title as the 1927 Broadway musical ''Funny F ...

'' (1927) and ''

Girl Crazy ''Girl Crazy'' is a 1930 musical by George Gershwin with lyrics by Ira Gershwin and book by Guy Bolton and John McGowan. Ethel Merman made her stage debut in the first production and co-lead Ginger Rogers became an overnight star. Rich in song, ...

'' (1930). In 1922, he appeared with

Marion Davies Marion Davies (born Marion Cecilia Douras; January 3, 1897 – September 22, 1961) was an American actress, producer, screenwriter, and philanthropist. Educated in a religious convent, Davies fled the school to pursue a career as a chorus girl ...

in the silent '' When Knighthood Was in Flower''. He turned up in ''

The Scarlet Letter ''The Scarlet Letter: A Romance'' is a work of historical fiction Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym ...

'' (1934).Evelyn Mack Truitt. ''Who Was Who on Screen'' p. 398, 3rd edition, c. 1983

Filmography

*'' When Knighthood Was in Flower'' (1922) *''Wall Tell Tales'' (1928, short film) *''

King of Jazz '' King of Jazz'' is a 1930 American pre-Code color musical film starring Paul Whiteman and his orchestra. The film title refers to Whiteman's popular cultural appellation. At the time the film was made, "jazz", to the general public, meant jazz ...

'' (1930) *''

Saturday's Millions ''Saturday's Millions'' is a 1933 American pre-Code sports drama film directed by Edward Sedgwick and starring Robert Young, Andy Devine, Leila Hyams and Johnny Mack Brown. It was produced and distributed by Universal Pictures. The film is an a ...

'' (1933) *''

'' (1934)

References

External links

*, accessed July 26, 2015 *
William Kent portrait (second portrait w/ moustache only)
at NY Public Library website; accessed July 26, 2015.
William T. Kent profile
alexanderstreet.com, ''North American Theatre Online''; accessed July 26, 2015.
grave of William Kent profile
findagrave.com; accessed July 26, 2015. {{DEFAULTSORT:Kent, William T. 1886 births 1945 deaths Male actors from Saint Paul, Minnesota American male film actors American male stage actors 20th-century American male actors