William H. Crane

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

William H. Crane
Born(1845-04-30)30 April 1845
Leicester, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedMarch 7, 1928(1928-03-07) (aged 82)
NationalityAmerican
OccupationActor
Years active1863-1928
1898 poster for Crane's starring role in the Broadway production of His Honor the Mayor

Early years

Crane was born in Leicester, Massachusetts on April 30, 1845. He grew up in Boston and graduated from Brimmer School.[1]

Career

He made his first professional appearance at Utica, New York, in Donizetti's The Daughter of the Regiment on July 13, 1865.[1]:152 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 (1836–1903), in The Comedy of Errors and other Shakespearian plays, and in The Henrietta (1881) by Bronson Howard (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.[2]

In 1904 he turned to more serious work and played Isidore Izard in Business is Business, an adaptation from Octave Mirbeau's Les Affaires sont les Affaires.[2]

In his 70s, Crane appeared in a number of films, notably in a reprise of his role in David Harum (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 5, 1928, at the age of 82 in the Hollywood Hotel.

Partial filmography

References
  1. Strang, Lewis Clinton. Famous Actors of the Day. L.C. Page. pp. 149–165. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  2. Chisholm 1911.
  •  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Crane, William Henry". Encyclopædia Britannica. 7 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 367.
  • "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. Online here.
  • "Crane-Robson" in Some Players: Personal Sketches by Amy Leslie, Herbert S. Stone & Company, Chicago & New York, 1901. Online here.
  • "William H. Crane, A Study", By Edwin F. Edgett in Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly, January 1903 (Volume LV No. 3). Online here. (Illustration here).
  • Obituary in the New York Times, March 8, 1928, page 25, online here.
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