Frank Alexander (actor)

Frank Dwight Alexander (May 25, 1879 – September 8, 1937) was an American silent film comedian and actor. He was occasionally billed as Fatty Alexander.

Frank Alexander
Alexander in A Lover's Lost Control (1915)
Born
Frank Dwight Alexander

(1879-05-25)May 25, 1879
Olympia, Washington, U.S.
DiedSeptember 8, 1937(1937-09-08) (aged 58)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting placeHollywood Forever Cemetery
Other namesTiny Alexander
Fatty Alexander
Occupations
  • Comedian
  • Actor
Years active1915–1933

Biography

In the mid-1910s, Alexander acted in comedy roles for Keystone Studios, often with Sydney Chaplin.[1]

Alexander, who was morbidly obese (350 pounds), played villains in the films of Larry Semon, who are often the father of Semon's love interest. He is best known to contemporary audiences for portraying a villainous interpretation of Uncle Henry, eventually proclaimed "Prince of Whales" upon reaching the Emerald City in Semon's Wizard of Oz. He was also part of the comedy team called "A Ton Of Fun" with two other large actors, Kewpie Ross and Hilliard Karr.

Performing with Norma Nichols and Larry Semon in The Rent Collector (1921)

Richard M. Roberts's article in Classic Images listed the top ten ingredients of a Larry Semon film, which began with these four:

  1. Larry Semon
  2. A heroine (usually Larry's current girlfriend or wife)
  3. A fat guy (usually Oliver Hardy, to play the villain)
  4. A really fat guy (usually Frank Alexander, to play Larry's current girlfriend's father)

He was proclaimed at the time as one of the three fattest actors ever to appear on the screen, with Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle as one of the others.

Alexander died of a heart attack on September 8, 1937, aged 58. He weighted 465 pounds when he died.[2] He was cremated two days later at Hollywood Cemetery. His ashes are unmarked but lie in the Garden of Beginnings at Hollywood Forever Cemetery near Los Angeles.[3]

Filmography

References
  1. "Portlander in Movies". The Oregon Daily Journal. Oregon, Portland. May 23, 1915. p. 34. Retrieved February 3, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. "Frank 'Fatty' Alexander, Movie Comedian, Is Dead". The Daily Times. Iowa, Davenport. United Press. September 9, 1937. p. 12. Retrieved February 3, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14000 Famous Persons by Scott Wilson
  4. Sassen, Claudia (October 20, 2015). Larry Semon, Daredevil Comedian of the Silent Screen: A Biography and Filmography. McFarland. ISBN 9780786498222 – via Google Books.
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