William Collier Junior

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William Collier Jr. with Audrey Ferris in Beware of Bachelors (1928)
William Collier Jr. as a child with his stepfather, William Collier Sr.

William Collier junior (born February 12, 1902 in New York City as Charles F. Gall Jr. , † February 5, 1987 in San Francisco , California ) was an American actor and film and television producer.

life and career

Charles F. Gall Jr. was born in New York City to stage actress Paula Marr and a theater manager. He was on stage for the first time at the age of seven. After his parents divorced, the mother remarried: the famous actor William Collier senior (1864-1944). He adopted Charles Gall and renamed his stepson William Collier Jr. in 1914 . After he had already gained some experience on the stage, Collier made his first silent film The Bugle Call in 1916 at the age of 14 . This was the beginning of a very successful career as a silent film actor in Hollywood . Especially in the 1920s, Collier achieved a high level of popularity as a performer in leading young roles. Most of his silent films are now lost.

William Collier made the leap into talkies at the end of the 1920s without any major problems. In 1931 he played what is now probably his most famous film roles: In Mervyn LeRoy's gangster classic The Little Caesar , he played the gangster Tony Passa at the side of Edward G. Robinson ; and in the western epic Pioneers of the Wild West - which won the Oscar for Best Picture of the Year - he played an important supporting role as a bandit. Soon after, however, his popularity waned, after which he retired from acting in 1935 after the film The People's Enemy . In total, he had acted in 89 films over a period of 19 years. Collier then worked as a producer of films and plays, first in the United States, then from 1937 to the late 1940s in England . In the 1950s, Collier returned to the USA and was responsible for a number of television series as a producer.

William Collier was married to Marie Stevens from 1934 until her death in 1981, they had one child. He died in San Francisco in 1987, a week before his 85th birthday, of arteriosclerosis . He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his film work .

Filmography (selection)

  • 1916: The Bugle Call
  • 1919: Back Stage
  • 1920: The Soul of Youth
  • 1920: Everybody's Sweetheart
  • 1921: The Heart of Maryland
  • 1924: Wine of Youth
  • 1924: The Lighthouse by the Sea
  • 1925: The Wanderer
  • 1925: Eve's Secret
  • 1926: The Lucky Lady
  • 1927: Convoy
  • 1927: The College Widow
  • 1929: Tide of Empire
  • 1929: The Show of Shows
  • 1930: The Melody Man
  • 1930: Rain or Shine
  • 1931: The Little Caesar (Little Caesar)
  • 1931: Street Scene
  • 1931: Pioneers of the Wild West (Cimarron)
  • 1932: The Phantom Express
  • 1932: Speed ​​Demon
  • 1933: The Story of Temple Drake
  • 1933: Her Secret
  • 1935: The People's Enemy

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Collier, William Jr.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Gall, Charles F. junior (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION US-American actor
DATE OF BIRTH February 12, 1902
PLACE OF BIRTH New York City
DATE OF DEATH 5th February 1987
Place of death San Francisco , California