William J. Butler
William J. Butler (born 1860 in Dublin , Ireland ; died January 27, 1927 in New York , New York ) was an American actor of the silent film era . He starred in more than 250 films between 1908 and 1917.
Career
Little is known about William J. Butler's pre-film life. He is said to have brought experience from vaudeville and the theater stage when he joined the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company in 1908 . There he played mostly small roles and in 1910 wrote a one-time script for the short film A Salutary Lesson . As a supporting actor, he never enjoyed much publicity and was quickly forgotten after his acting career ended.
In December 1915, Butler left the Biograph Company and went to Gaumont Pictures . But he only shot a few films for various production companies. In August 1925, he and his wife moved into the Actors' Fund Home in Staten Island , New York City . William J. Butler died at Staten Island Hospital on January 27, 1927, aged 66 or 67. His son Lawrence "Larry" W. Butler , born in Akron , Ohio , shortly before Butler moved to New York in 1908 , had been a film technician since the 1930s and won two Academy Awards. He is considered the inventor of blue screen technology . Several of Butler's grandchildren and great-grandchildren are or were cameramen .
Filmography (selection)
- 1908: The Taming of the Shrew
- 1909: The Wheat King ( A Corner in Wheat )
- 1909: The Hessian Renegades
- 1909: A Trap for Santa Claus
- 1910: A Child of the Ghetto
- 1910: A Salutary Lesson (screenplay)
- 1910: In the Border States
- 1910: The House with Closed Shutters
- 1910: A Child's Stratagem
- 1911: The Last Drop of Water
- 1911: Fighting Blood
- 1911: Her Awakening
- 1911: Swords and Hearts
- 1911: The Battle
- 1912: Iola's Promise
- 1914: Judith of Bethulien ( Judith of Bethulia )
- 1915: Colomba
- 1916: Susie Snowflake
- 1917: The Girl Who Didn't Think
Individual evidence
- ↑ George A. Katchmer: A Biographical Dictionary of Silent Film Western Actors and Actresses . McFarland, Jefferson, North Carolina 2015, ISBN 978-0-7864-4693-3 , p. 48.
- ^ And a Little Child Shall Lead Them . In: The Moving Picture World , Volume 26, No. 14, December 25, 1915, p. 2343, digitized .
- ^ William J. Butler . In: Variety , February 2, 1927, p. 55, digitized .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Butler, William J. |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American actor of the silent film era |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1860 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Dublin , Ireland |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 27, 1927 |
| Place of death | New York , New York |