Eugene Strong
Eugene Strong (August 9, 1893 – June 25, 1962) was an American film actor and vaudevillian.
Eugene Strong | |
---|---|
Born | Wisconsin, U.S. | August 9, 1893
Died | June 25, 1962 68) Los Angeles, California, U.S. | (aged
Resting place | Hollywood Forever Cemetery |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1916–1938 |
Spouses | Gladys Webster (div. 1919)Maryland Morne
(m. 1935, died) |
Career
Eugene Strong oscillated between stage and film work throughout his acting career. He played the lead role in the stage production of The Virginian for two years.[1] He was working in vaudeville in 1915.[2]
Strong's first film was The Crimson Stain Mystery (1916); he received positive notice for his role as a man seduced by a vampire.[3]
Strong returned to vaudeville in the 1920s.[4] Strong worked with Valeska Surrat and supported Surrat in a lawsuit brought against her by Walter Percival in 1920.[5] He was part of the vaudeville act Mann and Strong, with singer Hazel Mann. A Variety review of the play Garage Love states, "Strong, as always, is the personified matinee hero who gets the flappers on sight... Strong is a romantic 'hero' who has few equals. With any kind of luck he should be a 'name' in the native legitimate drama. He has proven it. Even in vaudeville he has done worth-while and outstanding things".[6] A 1925 Billboard review of the act at The Palace Theatre in Cincinnati noted, "Eugene Strong has a likable easy-going manner that does much to put the act over."[7]
He was signed to a five-year motion picture contract with Edward Small in 1926.[8] One of his final films as an actor was The Front Page (1931).[9]
Personal life
Strong's marriage to Gladys Webster ended in divorce in 1919 on the grounds of his adultery.[10]
Strong was married to Maryland Morne, an actress, until her death in 1935.[11]
Death
On June 25, 1962, Strong died in Los Angeles, California, aged 68. He was buried in Abbey of the Psalms of Hollywood.[12]
Partial filmography
As actor
- The Crimson Stain Mystery (1916), a serial, as Robert Clayton
- Infidelity (1917) as Ford Maillard
- In the Hands of the Law (1917)
- The Trail of the Shadow (1917) as Henry Hilliard
- Her Mistake (1918) as Ralph Van Cort
- The Border Legion (1918) as Jim Cleve
- Life's Greatest Problem (1918) as Dick Craig
- The Divorcee (1919) as Young Lord Mereston
- A Stitch in Time (1919) as Worthington Bryce
- The Vengeance of Durand (1919) as Captain St. Croix Trouvier
- His Temporary Wife (1920) as Arthur Eliot
- Miss 139 (1921) as Capt. Marlowe
- Damaged Hearts (1924) as David
- The Better Way (1926) as The Boss
- Not for Publication (1927) as Eli Barker
- The Drop Kick (1927) as Brad Hathaway
- Web of Fate (1927) as Don Eddington
- The Warning (1927) as No. 24
- Coney Island (1928) as Tammany Burke
- Crooks Can't Win (1928) as Alfred Dayton Jr
- The Front Page (1931) as Endicott (as Gene Strong)
- Men of America (1932) as Bugs - Henchman
- Let 'em Have It (1935) as 'Dude'
Production
- Hopalong Cassidy Returns (1936) – Producer
- Trail Dust (1936) – Producer
- Borderland (1937) – Producer
- Ramrod (1947) (as Gene Strong) – Producer
- The Barrier (1937) – Location manager
- Partners of the Plains (1938) – Production manager
References
- The Moving Picture World. World Photographic Publishing Company. 1916.
- "Vaudeville". Newspapers.com. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
- "New Film Star in Crimson Stain: Eugene Strong Is Appearing with Olga Olonova in SIlent Drama". San Francisco Chronicle. October 15, 1916. p. 34. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
- "Star of Films to Play Here: Eugene strong to Appear on Stage of Grand in Vaudeville Number". The Times. March 23, 1924. p. 35. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
- "Vaudeville: Percival-Suratt Dispute." Variety. Vol. 60, Iss. 6, (Oct 1, 1920): 5. Via Proquest.
- "New Acts This Week: Mann and Strong." Variety. Vol. 75, Iss. 9, (Jul 16, 1924): Pg. 34. Via Proquest.
- Wesselmann, Cliff. Big City Vaudeville Reviews by special wire: Palace, Cincinnati. The Billboard (Archive: 1894-1960); Cincinnati Vol. 37, Iss. 34, (Aug 22, 1925): pg. 14.
- "Vaudeville: Eugene Strong Contracted for 5 Years in Films." Variety. Vol. 84, Iss. 5, (Aug 18, 1926): Pg. 70. Via Proquest.
- "Realistic Story and Splendid Cast Help in Making Up The Front Page". Messenger-Inquirer. March 26, 1931. p. 4. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
- "Moving Pictures: Strong's Wife Wins Divorce." Variety. Vol. 55, Iss. 4, (Jun 20, 1919): Pg. 57. Via Proquest.
- "The Final Curtain". The Billboard. Vol. 47, Iss. 31, (Aug 3, 1935): Pg. 28. Via Proquest.
- Ellenberger, Allan R. (2001). Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory. McFarland. p. 14. ISBN 978-0-7864-0983-9. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
External links
- Eugene Strong at IMDb
- Eugene Strong at the British Film Institute
- Eugene Strong at Find a Grave
- Interview from 1928