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Richard Carle

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Richard Carle
Carle in 1909
Born
Charles Nicholas Carleton

(1871-07-07)July 7, 1871
Somerville, Massachusetts, United States
DiedJune 28, 1941(1941-06-28) (aged 69)
North Hollywood, California, United States
OccupationActor
Years active1888–1941
Carle as drawn in a newspaper advertisement, 1909

Richard Carle (born Charles Nicholas Carleton; July 7, 1871 – June 28, 1941) was an American stage and film actor as well as a playwright, lyricist, and stage director. He began performing in amateur shows in the late 1880s. In his early career he was a popular performer in musical comedies on Broadway; working regularly on the New York stage from 1891 through 1922. On screen, he appeared in one silent film in 1915 but then resumed performing on stage until moving to California in 1924. From this point on he was predominantly a film actor in both silent and sound films, making more than 100 films as a character actor from the mid 1920s until his death in 1941. During that period he occasionally returned to the stage, most notably in the original Broadway production of Cole Porter's The New Yorkers in the 1930-1931 season.

Life and career

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Richard Carle was born in Somerville, Massachusetts on July 7, 1871.[1] In his early career he performed mainly in local amateur theatricals.[2] He was a member of Winter Hill Universalist Church in Somerville, and in 1888 performed in a minstrel show put on by the young men of the church.[3] By 1889 he was touring in New England as an impersonator and humorist.[4]

Carle made his Broadway debut on September 20, 1891 at the Bijou Theatre in a minor role in Niobe.[2] This was followed by a string of supporting roles in musicals, including Cranks (1892), A Mad Bargain (1892, as Worthington), A Washington Sport (1893, as Washington Strutt), Excelsior, Jr. (1895, as Tomagnio), and The Lady Slavey (1896, as Lord Lavender).[1] After this he rose into leading parts,[2] and had a long career as a popular star on Broadway in mainly musical theatre.[1] Some important early successes included the roles of the Duke of Marlinspike in Sydney Rosenfeld's A Round of Pleasure (1897, [Knickerbocker Theatre)[5] and Heliodoris in Sidney Jones's A Greek Slave (1899, Herald Square Theatre).[2] On the London stage he portrayed J. Offenbach Gaggs in The Casino Girl (1900)[6] and Algy Cuffs in The Belle of Bohemia (1901).[1]

During the early 20th century Carle was also active as playwright and lyricist for the stage.[1] Some Broadway shows for which he both authored the libretti and starred in included Mam'selle 'Awkins (1900),[7] The Ladies Paradise (1901),[8] The Tenderfoot (1904),[9] The Maid and the Mummy (1904),[10] The Mayor of Tokio (1905),[11] The Spring Chicken (1906),[12] The Hurdy-Gurdy Girl (1907),[13] Mary's Lamb (1908),[14] The Boy and the Girl (1909),[15] and Jumping Jupiter (1911).[16] After this he contributed lyrics to and starred in The Broadway Whirl (1921), but otherwise was not active as a writer for Broadway.[17]

Other Broadway productions for which Carle was an actor, included The Girl from Montmartre (1912-1913),[18] The Doll Girl (1913),[19] The Censor and the Dramatists (1913), 90 in the Shade (1915),[20] The Cohan Revue of 1916, Words and Music (1917-1918),[21] The Broadway Whirl (1921), and Adrienne (1923).[22] After an absent period from the New York stage, he returned to Broadway in 1930-1931 as Dr. Windham Wentworth in Cole Porter's The New Yorkers.[17]

On screen, Carle made his film debut in the silent film Mary's Lamb (1915),[17] and then did not return to making movies until 1924 when he moved from New York to California.[23] He appeared in more than 100 films as a character actor;[23] successfully making the transition from silent to sound film.[17] He was filming the movie Almost an Angel (later renamed It Started with Eve) when he suffered a heart attack.[23] On June 28, 1941 he died in North Hollywood, California.[17] Walter Catlett replaced him in It Started with Eve.[23]

Carle married twice, first to Ella Samantha Clifford, with whom he had one child, and then to Laura Casner following Clifford's death.[24]

Selected filmography

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References

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Citations

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  1. ^ a b c d e Gänzl 2001, p. 314.
  2. ^ a b c d Bordman & Norton 2010, p. 212.
  3. ^ "Somerville". The Boston Globe. March 21, 1888. p. 2.
  4. ^ "Resting and Planning". The Boston Globe. August 4, 1889. p. 10.
  5. ^ Bordman & Norton 2010, pp. 176, 212.
  6. ^ 'The Polite Lunatic at Close Quarters' - The Sketch 12 September 1900, p. 327
  7. ^ Dietz 2022, pp. 10–12.
  8. ^ Dietz 2022, pp. 74–75.
  9. ^ Dietz 2022, pp. 210–211.
  10. ^ Dietz 2022, pp. 226–227.
  11. ^ Dietz 2022, pp. 326–327.
  12. ^ Dietz 2022, pp. 381–382.
  13. ^ Dietz 2022, pp. 444–445.
  14. ^ Dietz 2022, pp. 495–496.
  15. ^ Dietz 2022, pp. 547–548.
  16. ^ Dietz 2021, pp. 69–70.
  17. ^ a b c d e Gänzl 2001, p. 315.
  18. ^ Dietz 2021, pp. 160–162.
  19. ^ Dietz 2021, pp. 222–224.
  20. ^ Dietz 2021, pp. 305–307.
  21. ^ Dietz 2021, p. 530.
  22. ^ Dietz 2019, p. 162.
  23. ^ a b c d "Richard Carle, Veteran Actor Dies". Los Angeles Evening Citizen News. June 28, 1941. p. 9.
  24. ^ "Richard Carle biography". IMDb.

Bibliography

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