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Henry Kolker

(Redirected from Joseph Henry Kolker)

Joseph Henry Kolker (November 13, 1874[2] – July 15, 1947) was an American stage and film actor and director.

Henry Kolker
Kolker, c. 1910
Born
Joseph Henry Kolker

(1874-12-13)December 13, 1874
Berlin, Germany
DiedJuly 15, 1947(1947-07-15) (aged 72)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)Actor
Film director
Years active1914–1947
Spouse(s)Margaret Bruenn (1926–1947; her death)
Lillian Carroll (?-1926)(suicide 1935)[1]

Early years

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Kolker was born in Berlin, Germany, in 1874.[3] ([Some sources say 1870.[citation needed]) He came to America at age five and was educated by Franciscan Monks[4] at Quincy, Illinois.[5]

Career

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Kolker had a substantial stage career before entering silent films.[6] He began acting professionally in stock theater in 1895.[5] On stage he appeared opposite actresses such as Edith Wynne Matthison, Bertha Kalich and Ruth Chatterton.

Kolker began acting in films in 1915.[5] He is best remembered for his movie roles, including one in the ground-breaking Pre-Code film Baby Face (1933) as an elderly CEO. Another well-remembered part is as Mr. Seton, father of Katharine Hepburn and Lew Ayres in the 1938 film Holiday directed by George Cukor.

Kolker also directed. His best-known effort is Disraeli (1921), starring George Arliss, which is now a lost film with only one reel remaining,[7] and not to be confused with a later sound era portrayal by Arliss of the same name.

Personal life

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Kolker was married to Lillian Carroll; they divorced in 1926. Soon after the divorce, he married Margaret Bruen.[8]

Kolker died on July 15, 1947, aged 72.

Selected filmography

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As actor

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As director

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Kolker directed 18 feature films, most of them lost.

As writer

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  • The Man with the Iron Heart (1915, short)
  • The Third Generation (1920)

References

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  1. ^ "EX-WIFE OF FILM ACTOR IS FOUND DEAD ON BEACH (January 16, 1935)". December 6, 2023.
  2. ^ Who's Who in Music and Drama: An Encyclopedia of Biography of Notable Men and Women in Music and the Drama, c.1913, page 186; edited by Harry Prescott Hanaford, Dixie Lines
  3. ^ Who's Who in Music and Drama p.186 c.1914 by Dixie Hines and Harry Prescott Hanaford
  4. ^ ...see Who's Who in Music and Drama by Hines and Hanaford
  5. ^ a b c "Henry Kolker, star of stage and screen". The New York Times. Associated Press. July 18, 1947. p. 17. ProQuest 107883991. Retrieved September 30, 2020 – via ProQuest.
  6. ^ "Henry Kolker - Biography, Movie Highlights and Photos - AllMovie".
  7. ^ "Silent Era : Progressive Silent Film List".
  8. ^ "A Forgotten Flirtation -- And Now the Veteran Actor Must Pay $40,000 Alimony". The Salt Lake Tribune. Utah, Salt Lake City. King Features Syndicate, Inc. October 20, 1935. p. 7. Retrieved December 11, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.  
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