Bud Duncan

Bud Duncan (October 31, 1883 – November 25, 1960) was an American actor of the silent era, most known for his early work with silent film comedian Lloyd Hamilton. He appeared in 167 films between 1912 and 1942.

Bud Duncan
Bud Duncan
Born(1883-10-31)October 31, 1883
Brooklyn, New York, USA
DiedNovember 25, 1960(1960-11-25) (aged 77)
Los Angeles, California, USA
Other namesAlbert Edward Duncan
Years active1912-1942

Early life

Duncan was born on October 31, 1883 in Brooklyn, New York. His father was a traveling salesman and ventriloquist and Duncan joined his act at age 6.[1] Although his father sent him to a military school, Duncan started taking on more acting roles after graduation and eventually ended up in vaudeville.[1]

Career

During his early vaudeville career, Duncan worked with vaudeville actors such as Lew Fields and Kolb and Dill.[2] His first work in the film industry was for the Biograph Company and he later played Jeff in the Nestor Film Company's film adaptations of the Mutt and Jeff comic strips.[3] Shortly after the Mutt and Jeff series ended, Duncan returned to vaudeville, where he first encountered Lloyd Hamilton.[2] He and Hamilton were hired by the Kalem Company for a series of one-reelers as the comedy duo, Ham and Bud. Duncan even briefly headlined the series by himself after Hamilton broke his heel in 1915.[3] The series ended when the Kalem Company was sold to Vitagraph in 1917 and Duncan briefly headlined another series for the Schiller Production Company called "Bud and His Buddies."[3] Duncan also co-starred as Casper with Thelma Hill in Larry Darmour's series based on the Toots and Casper comic strips.

Later career

Duncan was mainly limited to bit roles during the sound era and he largely retired from films in the early 1930s. After voicing the title character on the radio program, The Cinnamon Bear, he briefly returned to the film industry to star as Snuffy Smith in two films for Monogram Pictures in the early 1940s. Duncan died of respiratory failure on November 25, 1960 at the age of 77.[4]

Selected filmography

References
  1. Balducci, Anthony (2009). Lloyd Hamilton: Poor Boy Comedian of Silent Cinema. McFarland. ISBN 978-0786441594. p. 18.
  2. Balducci, p. 19.
  3. "Spotlight of Silent Star "Bud" Duncan".
  4. "Bud Duncan at Thanhouser".
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