Jack Dougherty (actor)

Jack Dougherty (born Virgil Ashley Dougherty) (November 16, 1895 – May 16, 1938) was an American actor who appeared in B-movies in the 1910s, 1920s, and 1930s.[1] He was married to actress Barbara La Marr at the time of her death.

Jack Dougherty
Newspaper advertisement for The Fighting Ranger (1925)
Born
Virgil Ashley Dougherty

November 16, 1895
Bowling Green, Missouri, U.S.
DiedMay 16, 1938 (aged 42)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
OccupationActor
Spouses
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(m. 1923; died 1926)​
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1927; div. 1928)​

    Biography

    Jack was born in Bowling Green, Missouri, to Roy Dougherty and Julia Ach. The family relocated to Southern California when Jack was young.[2] He began a career as an actor in Broadway musicals in the late 1910s.[3] In 1920, after returning from serving in France during World War I, he was signed with Metro to play Alice Lake's leading man.[4]

    He and actress Barbara La Marr got married in 1923, the same year Dougherty was signed to a five-year contract at Universal. The marriage was tumultuous, and multiple separations were noted in the press.[5] The pair were still legally wed, however, when La Marr died of tuberculosis in 1926 at the age of 29.[6][7]

    In 1927, Dougherty married his second wife, actress Virginia Brown Faire.[8] That marriage did not last long—the pair parted ways in 1929, and she soon married director Duke Worne.[9] In 1928, he and actress Lottie Pickford were assaulted by robbers outside of a cafe in East Los Angeles.[10] Later that year, Dougherty was charged for assaulting another male guest at a party held by Pickford.[11]

    His legal foibles and troubles with alcohol led to diminishing roles on screen right as the silent era waned; he was no longer getting starring roles or gigs from major studios. After an attempted suicide in 1933, he committed suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning on May 16, 1938, in the Hollywood Hills; he reportedly left behind four suicide notes that blamed financial troubles for his ultimate fate.[12][13] He was 42 years old.[14][15]

    Partial filmography

    References
    1. "Lead with American Beauty". The Los Angeles Times. June 28, 1922. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
    2. "Moose Minstrel Players Give High-Class Performance". Santa Maria Times. February 24, 1921. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
    3. "Katherine Acquires Leading Man". The Sacramento Bee. August 5, 1922. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
    4. "Jack Dougherty Engaged". The Los Angeles Times. October 15, 1920. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
    5. "Barbara LaMarr in New Marital Row". The San Francisco Examiner. July 9, 1924. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
    6. "The Pace That Killed". Oakland Tribune. April 11, 1926. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
    7. "Noted Star of Films Ill in South". Visalia Daily Times. January 7, 1926. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
    8. "It's Birthday Week!". The Los Angeles Times. December 11, 1927. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
    9. "Hollywood Marriage in July Is Rumored". The Pasadena Post. March 15, 1929. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
    10. "Pickford Case Baffles Police". The Los Angeles Times. November 10, 1928. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
    11. "Guest Chokes Hostess as Fight Rages". The San Francisco Examiner. December 26, 1928. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
    12. "Virgil Dougherty, Actor, Kills Self in Auto". The Sacramento Bee. May 17, 1938. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
    13. "Up and Down California". Santa Maria Times. May 17, 1938. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
    14. Ellenberger, Allan R. (May 1, 2001). Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-0983-9.
    15. Stumpf, Charles (April 13, 2010). ZaSu Pitts: The Life and Career. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-6023-6.
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