John J. Cooke (born John Joseph Cooke; 1874 – 1921) was an American stage performer and a silent film actor. Cooke was born on October 1, 1874, in Manhattan, New York. He was 47 when he died in Los Angeles, California on October 2, 1921. Between 1914 and 1921, Cooke acted in over 30 films.

John J. Cooke (actor)
Johnnie Cooke as Prof. Saxton
Born
John Joseph Cooke

(1874-10-01)October 1, 1874
DiedOctober 2, 1921(1921-10-02) (aged 47)
Burial placeCalvary Cemetery (Los Angeles)
NationalityAmerican
Other names
  • John Jay Cooke
  • John Cook
  • Johnnie Cooke
  • Johnny Cooke
  • J.C. Cook
Occupations
  • Movie actor
  • Stage actor
Years active1914–1921
EraSilent film
Known for
Parents
  • Bartholomew Joseph Cooke (father)
  • Mary Josephine Cooke (mother)

Early years

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John Joseph Cooke was born in New York on October 1, 1874. [a][2] When John was born, his father, Bartholomew Joseph Cooke, was 35 and his mother, Mary Josephine, was 31. He was the fifth child born and the only male of this burgeoning family. At the time of his birth, the Irish family was settled in New York's Lower East Side of Manhattan.[3]

Death

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John Joseph "Johnnie" Cooke celebrated his 47th birthday on Saturday, October 1, 1921. On Sunday, October 2, 1921, Cooke died in Los Angeles, California at 8:30 AM.[b] At the time of his death, Cooke was residing with his 78 year-old mother, Mary, and 42 year-old younger sister, Catherine. Cooke chose to be buried at the Calvary Cemetery, located in Los Angeles, California.

A simple obituary appeared in the Friday edition of The Tidings published on October 7, 1921.[5] The obituary read:

The funeral of Johnnie Cooke, a well-known film actor, was held at Our Lady of Loretto Church, Tuesday morning (Tues, October 4, 1921) . . . The pallbearers, coworkers (Universal) of the deceased, were Wilfred Lucas, Bobbie Mack, James O'Neill, George W Kitchen, George O'Donnell, and Dick Cummings.

John was preceded in death by his 62 year-old father Bartholomew J Cooke on October 14, 1901, his second oldest sister Margaret Maud Cooke on December 28, 1907, at age 39, and his fourth oldest sister Genevieve Cooke on February 9, 1919, who was 46.[6][7][8] Cooke is survived by his mother Mary J. Cooke and sisters – Miss Catherine Cooke, Mrs. Mary Ellen Young, Mrs. Lillian Gonzalez, and Mrs. Theresa Haskins.

Filmography

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John J. Cooke's filmography showcases his acting career, which began at the comparatively mature age of 38. Like numerous actors transitioning from the stage, he initially ventured into the world of motion pictures as an atmosphere player. He is believed to have first appeared in films around 1912–1913. However, those early uncredited roles remain unknown and are thus not included in his filmography.

              Filmography of John J. Cooke (37 films)             
Year Title Role[9] Credit Director Production Distribution Released Genre Length Notes
1914 The Desert's Sting Professor Edwards John Cook Lucas Kriterion Kriterion 1914-02-28 Western Short [10]
1914 The Feud Unknown Johnnie Cooke Unknown Universal Universal 1914-05-29 Drama Short [11]
1914 Bess the Detectress in Tick, Tick, Tick! Cedric Johnnie Cooke Curtis Universal Universal 1914-07-01 Comedy Short [12]
1915 The Kingdom of Nosey Land The Dwarf Johnnie Cooke Mattews Universal Universal 1915-11-09 Fantasy Short 4379
1916 The Bold, Bad Burglar Second Story Steve Johnnie Cooke Mattews Universal Universal 1916-03-14 Comedy Short 778
1916 The Three Brave Hunters Unknown Johnnie Cooke Mattews Universal Universal 1916-07-13 Comedy Short 8099
1916 The Shine Girl John Kenyon John Cook Parke Thanhouser Thanhouser 1916-08-27 Drama Feature [13]
1916 Gloriana The Father Johnnie Cooke Hopper Universal Universal 1916-11-06 Drama Feature 2987
1916 The Right to Be Happy Bob Cratchit Johnnie Cooke Julian Universal Universal 1916-12-25 Drama Feature 6715
1917 Love in Suspense Porter Johnnie Cooke Beaudine Universal Universal 1917-01-06 Comedy Short 4844
1917 Out for the Dough James Cartottle Johnnie Cooke Beaudine Universal Universal 1917-02-10 Comedy Short 5924
1917 Wanta Make a Dollar? Cripple Johnnie Cooke Beaudine Universal Universal 1917-03-10 Comedy Short 8757
1917 Art-Aches The Butler Johnnie Cooke Beaudine Universal Universal 1917-03-17 Comedy Short 243
1917 The Leak The Justice Johnnie Cooke Beaudine Universal Universal 1917-04-28 Comedy Short 4516
1917 Like Wildfire Phillip Potter Johnnie Cooke Paton Universal Universal 1917-05-21 Comedy Feature 4608
1917 The Gray Ghost John Reis Johnnie Cooke Paton Universal Universal 1917-06-25 Serial Feature 3081
1917 The Battling Bellboy Mr. Pugilist Johnnie Cooke Beaudine Universal Universal 1917-08-02 Comedy Short 450
1917 The Wart on the Wire Pete the Unfortunate Johnnie Cooke Curtis Universal Universal 1917-10-08 Comedy Short 8781
1918 Thieves' Gold Uncle Larkin Johnnie Cooke Ford Universal Universal 1918-03-18 Western Feature 8061
1918 The Widow Dangerous Unknown John Cook Watt Vitagraph General Film 1918-08-24 Western Short [14]
1918 The Romance of Tarzan Unknown John Cook Lucas National Pioneer 1918-09-16 Action Feature [15]
1919 Hoop-La Old Toddles(Clown) John Cooke Chaudet Mutual General 1919-01-16 Comedy Feature [16]
1919 The Little White Savage Sailor Johnnie Cooke Powell Universal Universal 1919-02-24 Drama Feature 4696
1919 What Am I Bid? John Yarnell Johnnie Cooke Leonard Universal Universal 1919-04-14 Drama Feature 8863
1919 The Blinding Trail Bill Cairnes Johnnie Cooke Powell Universal Universal 1919-05-19 Drama Feature 732
1919 The Weaker Vessel J.B.Hanks Johnnie Cooke Powell Universal Universal 1919-06-30 Comedy Feature 8820
1919 The Man in the Moonlight Sancho Jones Johnnie Cooke Powell Universal Universal 1919-07-28 Drama Feature [17][18]
1919 The Girl from Nowhere Dr. Ferguson J.C. Cook Lucas National Pioneer 1919-09-01 Western Feature [19]
1919 Common Property Stepan Johnnie Cooke Powell Universal Universal 1919-10-18 Drama Feature 1451
1919 A Gun Fightin' Gentleman Old Sheriff Johnnie Cooke Ford Universal Universal 1919-12-15 Western Feature 3161
1919 The Pointing Finger William Saxton Johnnie Cooke Morrissey Universal Universal 1919-12-24 Comedy Feature 6270
1920 The Prince of Avenue A Butler Johnnie Cooke Ford Universal Universal 1920-02-23 Drama Feature 6363
1920 Alias Miss Dodd Thomas Dodd Johnnie Cooke Franklin Universal Universal 1920-06-21 Comedy Feature 1009
1920 Just Pals Constable John B. Cooke Ford Fox Fox 1920-10-21 Drama Feature [20]
1920 Eyes of the Heart John Dunn J.C. Cook Powell Realart Realart 1920-10-31 Drama Feature [21]
1921 Bare Knuckles Old Soaky John Cook Hogan Fox Fox 1921-03-20 Drama Feature [22]
1921 Jackie Winter John Cook Ford Fox Fox 1921-11-27 Drama Feature [23]

The notes section contains three and four-digit numbers that serve as references to locate Silent movie data within Richard Braff's book - The Universal Silents.[24]

Notes

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  1. ^ There seems to be an element of uncertainty concerning the exact year of Cooke's birth. A variety of sources propose a timeframe spanning from 1874 to 1877. It's important to highlight that the specific birthdate, October 1, has remained undisputed. Cooke completed his federally mandatory World War I Draft Registration Card in 1918. In the section labeled "I AFFIRM THAT I HAVE VERIFIED ABOVE ANSWERS AND THAT THEY ARE TRUE," he affixed his signature as John Joseph Cooke on September 18, 1918. The draft card shows his age as 43 and a birth date of October 1, 1874. Given the official nature of this government record, the birth year 1874 is the most credible choice.[1]
  2. ^ John Joseph Cooke death certificate is available for purchase from the Registrar-Recorder/CountyClerk, Birth, Death & Marriage Records, P.O. Box 489, Norwalk, California 90651-0489
    State of California Certification of Vital Record County of Los Angeles Registrar-Recorder/CountyClerk Certificate of Death 6718. . .
    John Joseph Cooke Died: October 2, 1921, 8:30 am Born New York October 1, 45 yrs old
    Father – B. J. Cooke Ireland, Mother – Mary J. O'Leary Ireland
    occupation – Actor
    Death Certificate signed October 3, 1921, death caused by "laryngeal hemorrhage" contributed by "cardiovascular renal disease." Physical stress from loud talking or singing can contribute to laryngeal hemorrhage, which is usually small in quantity, but sometimes it can be so abundant as to cause death.[4]

References

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  1. ^ "U.S., World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918". NARA. 2005. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  2. ^ "New York, New York City Births, 1846-1909". New York Municipal Archives, New York. 2018. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  3. ^ "Residential Patterns of Irish Immigrants to New York". May 7, 2009. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  4. ^ "What is Vocal Hemorrhage". news-medical.net. December 30, 2022. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
  5. ^ "Johnie Cooke". The Tidings. Los Angeles, California. October 7, 1921. p. 14. Retrieved August 20, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Died". The Tidings. Los Angeles, California. October 19, 1901. p. 5. Retrieved August 21, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Died". Los Angeles Herald. Los Angeles, California. December 29, 1907. p. 21. Retrieved August 21, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Died". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. February 11, 1919. p. 12. Retrieved August 21, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ All appearances in a Short film were verified using:

    All appearances in a Feature film were verified using:

  10. ^ Progressive Silent Film List: The Desert's Sting at silentera.com
  11. ^ The Feud at AllMovie
  12. ^ "Bess the Detectress in Tick, Tick, Tick". kinorium.com. July 1, 1914. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  13. ^ The Shine Girl at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
  14. ^ "The Window Dangerous". kinorium.com. August 24, 1918. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  15. ^ Carl Bennett (ed.). "The Romance of Tarzan". silentera.com. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  16. ^ Hoop-La at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
  17. ^ "New Salisbury Picture ready". Moving Picture World. New York, Chalmers Publishing Company. July 12, 1919. p. 272. Archived from the original on September 6, 2016. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  18. ^ "Service Page for "The Man in The Moonlight". The Moving Picture Weekly. New York, The Moving Picture Weekly. July 26, 1919. p. 2026. Archived from the original on June 29, 2015. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  19. ^ The Girl from Nowhere at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
  20. ^ Just Pals at AllMovie
  21. ^ Eyes of the Heart at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
  22. ^ Bare Knuckles at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
  23. ^ Jackie at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
  24. ^ Braff, Richard E. (1999). The Universal Silents: A Filmography of the Universal Motion Picture Manufacturing Company, 1912-1929. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-0287-8. Retrieved July 24, 2023.

Bibliography

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Further reading

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  • Spehr, Paul E.; Lundquist, Gunnar (1996). American Film Personnel and Company Credits, 1908 - 1920. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 695. ISBN 0-7864-0255-5.
  • Dramatic Mirror of Motion Pictures and the Stage. Dramatic Mirror Company. 1918. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
  • Robert B. Connelly. The Silents: Silent Feature Films, 1910-36, Volume 40, Issue 2. December Press, 1998.
  • Hampton, Benjamin B. (1970). History of the American Film Industry from its beginnings to 1931. New York,New York: Dover Publications, Inc. p. 628. ISBN 0-486-22403-1.
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