Frank Craven

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Frank Craven (1922)

Frank Craven (* 24. August 1875 in Boston , Massachusetts ; † 1. September 1945 in Beverly Hills , Los Angeles , California ) was an American actor and writer and director for film and stage.

life and career

Frank Craven began his acting career in his hometown of Boston and first came to Broadway in 1907 for the comedy Artie . From the 1910s, Craven also made a name for himself as a writer and director on Broadway. The comedies he wrote often dealt with domestic issues such as family and marriage, some of which were made into films well into the 1950s, but are largely forgotten today. Perhaps his best-known role today is that of stage manager (in German translations of the play usually the director ) in the world premiere of Thornton Wilder's classic Our Little City , which he played again in the 1940 film of the same name .

Craven has been in the film business since the mid-1920s and has directed twice: In The Very Idea (1929) with himself in the lead role and in That's Gratitude (1934) with Arthur Byron and Mary Carlisle in the lead roles. Craven also worked on the scripts of a number of films, so he provided the idea for the plot of The Sons of the Desert , which is considered by critics to be one of the best comedies by Laurel and Hardy . In his acting appearances, Craven often gave the somewhat eccentric small-towners of advanced age, for example as the father of Janet Gaynor in small-town girls by John Ford . He had other important roles alongside James Cagney in Im Taumel der Weltstadt (1940) and as a family doctor who comes on the trail of a vampire in Robert Siodmak's horror film Dracula's Son (1943). In the last few years of his life, Craven shuttled between roles in Hollywood and on Broadway.

Frank Craven died of heart failure a week after his 70th birthday. He was married to Mazie Blythe Daly from 1914 until his death, their son John Craven (1916-1995) was also an actor.

Filmography (selection)

As a director

  • 1929: That Very Idea
  • 1934: That's Gratitude

Screenwriter / story template

  • 1925: New Brooms
  • 1933: The Sons of the Desert
  • 1934: The Human Side
  • 1935: His last command (Annapolis Farewell)
  • 1940: Our Town (Our Town)

As an actor

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Frank Craven | Biography, Movie Highlights and Photos. Retrieved March 23, 2019 (American English).
  2. ↑ John Craven. Retrieved March 23, 2019 .
personal data
SURNAME Craven, Frank
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American actor, writer, and director
DATE OF BIRTH August 24, 1875
PLACE OF BIRTH Boston , Massachusetts
DATE OF DEATH September 1, 1945
Place of death Beverly Hills , Los Angeles , California