William Collier Jr.

William Collier Jr. (born Charles F. Gall Jr.; February 12, 1902 – February 5, 1987) was an American stage performer, producer, and a film actor who in the silent and sound eras was cast in no less than 89 motion pictures.[1][2]

William Collier Jr.
Born
Charles F. Gall Jr.

(1902-02-12)February 12, 1902
New York City, U.S.
DiedFebruary 5, 1987(1987-02-05) (aged 84)
San Francisco, California, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years activeActor: 1916–1935
producer: 1946–1956
Spouse(s)Marie Stevens (1934–1981) (her death) (1 child)

Biography

William Collier (nicknamed "Buster")[3] was born in New York City.[4] When his parents divorced, his mother, the actress Paula Marr, remarried the actor William Collier Sr. who adopted Charles (the two did share a resemblance) and gave the boy the new name William Collier Jr.[5] Collier's acting experience in childhood, having first appeared on stage at age seven, helped him get his first movie role at age 14 in The Bugle Call (1916).[6][7]

He later became a popular leading man in the 1920s and successfully made the transition from silent into sound film. Nevertheless, he retired from acting in 1935, and in 1937 traveled to England to work as a movie producer.[8] He returned to the United States in the late 1940s and began producing drama series for television. In February 1960, in recognition of his contributions to the entertainment industry, Collier received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.[9]

Collier & Catherine Calvert in The Heart of Maryland (1921)

Collier died in San Francisco on February 5, 1987, just a week before his 85th birthday.[1]

Selected filmography as an actor

References
  1. "William Collier Jr". British Film Institute.
  2. League, The Broadway. "William Collier, Jr. – Broadway Cast & Staff - IBDB".
  3. "Special Collections - Margaret Herrick Library - Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences".
  4. "William Collier Jr". virtual-history.com. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
  5. "WILLIAM COLLIER JR". emovieposter.com. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
  6. League, The Broadway. "The Patriot – Broadway Play – Original - IBDB". IBDB. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
  7. "William Collier, Jr. - Movies and Filmography". allmovie.com. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
  8. "Special Collections - Margaret Herrick Library - Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences". oscars.org. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
  9. "William Collier - Hollywood Walk of Fame".

Bibliography
  • John Holmstrom, The Moving Picture Boy: An International Encyclopaedia from 1895 to 1995, Norwich, Michael Russell, 1996, p. 16.


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