Monroe Righter Owsley (August 11, 1900 – June 7, 1937) was an American stage and film actor.

Monroe Owsley
Owsley in Ex-Lady (1933)
Born
Monroe Righter Owsley

(1900-08-11)August 11, 1900
DiedJune 7, 1937(1937-06-07) (aged 36)
OccupationActor
Years active1924–1937

Early years

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The son of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Owsley,[1] he was born in Atlanta, Georgia.[2] His father was a manufacturing executive, and his mother was a concert singer. Owsley was educated at Loomis Institute in Windsor, Connecticut; Bristol High School in Bristol, Connecticut; and Philadelphia High School.[3] He started taking acting classes when he was a teenager.

Before Owsley became an actor, he worked as a reporter and a drama critic for the Public Ledger newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[4]

Career

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Owsley gained acting experience with stock theater troupes[1] in Chicago, Cincinnati, and Dayton, and in a road company that presented The Meanest Man in the World in a tent in one-night stands. He made his Broadway debut in Young Blood (1925).[5] His film debut was 1928's The First Kiss, starring Fay Wray. This was followed by the Philip Barry film Holiday in 1930, in the role played by Lew Ayres in the 1938 version. Soon after, he was cast opposite actresses such as Clara Bow, Bette Davis, Barbara Stanwyck, Joan Crawford, Gloria Swanson, Mae West, and Kay Francis.

Death

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On June 7, 1937, Owsley died from a heart attack[2] in Belmont, California. He was 36 years old.[1]

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
1928 The First Kiss the Other Suitor Lost film
Carry on, Sergeant! Leonard Sinclair
1930 Holiday Ned Seton
Free Love Rush Begelow
1931 Ten Cents A Dance Eddie Miller
Honor Among Lovers Philip Craig
Indiscreet Jim Woodward
This Modern Age Tony Gerard
1932 Unashamed Harry Swift
Hat Check Girl Tod Reese
Call Her Savage Lawrence Crosby
1933 The Keyhole Maurice Le Brun
The Woman Who Dared Jack Goodwin, Newspaper Reporter
Ex-Lady Nick Malvyn
Brief Moment Harold Sigrift
Twin Husbands Colton Drain
1934 Little Man, What Now? Kessler
Wild Gold Walter Jordan
Shock Bob Hayworth
She Was a Lady Jerry Couzins
Behold My Wife! Bob Prentice
1935 Rumba Hobart Fletcher
Goin' to Town Fletcher Colton
Remember Last Night? Billy Arliss
1936 Private Number Coakley
Yellowstone Marty Ryan / Jenkins
Mr. Cinderella Aloysius P. Merriweather
Hideaway Girl Count de Montaigne
1937 The Hit Parade Teddy Leeds

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Death Calls Actor Owsley". The Los Angeles Times. California, Los Angeles. June 9, 1937. p. Part II-Page 1. Retrieved March 9, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.  
  2. ^ a b Ellenberger, Allan R. (2001). Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory. McFarland. pp. 65–66. ISBN 9780786409839. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  3. ^ "Monroe Owsley, Hollywood Actor". The New York Times. Associated Press. June 9, 1937. p. 25. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  4. ^ "Stage Ambitions of Monroe Owsley". Hartford Courant. Connecticut, Hartford. February 25, 1924. p. 7. Retrieved March 9, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.  
  5. ^ "Monroe Owsley". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on March 10, 2018. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
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