Found 29 collections related to Actors -- United States

The Frederick O'Neal Papers document the theatrical, labor, and civic activities of this actor and labor leader, mostly from the 1940s through the 1990s. The collection consists primarily of personal papers, correspondence, speeches and addresses, writing, and information about the theatrical productions in which he appeared. There are also research materials about the 19th century African-American actor, Ira Aldridge, and files pertaining to the many organizations with which O'Neal was associated. less

Ewing Cherry was an American stage actor with years of touring experience. Born in Des Moines, Iowa, Ewing Cherry (sometimes billed as V. E. Cherry) made his stage debut in WITHIN THE LAW in Chicago in 1916. Soon afterwards Cherry was working in vaudeville in a skit called OUT OF LUCK. He went on to play juvenile leads for various stock companies in such shows as MRS. WIGGS OF THE CABBAGE PATCH and THE LITTLE SPITFIRE through the 1910s and 1920s. His Broadway credits include WHAT PRICE GLORY?, SKIDDING with Glenda Farrell, THE NIGHT BEFORE with Franchot Tone, and MARCHING MEN (1930) with Leon Ames. Cherry also acted in radio drama. After a period of retirement, he returned to the stage for a role in the Off-Broadway production of Sean O'Casey's RED ROSES FOR ME (1961), then appeared in O'Casey's MOON SHINES ON KYLENAMOE and in Nikolai Evreinov's THE CHIEF THING (1963), his last professional credit. Ewing Cherry died in New York City on March 30, 1969. The Ewing Cherry papers span 1916 to 1962, and consist of letters to Ewing Cherry from employers and friends, a number of contracts securing Mr. Cherry's services as an actor for various stock companies between 1917 and 1927, three booklets (1920-23) introducing the members of the Gene Lewis-Olga Worth stock company, photographs of Ewing Cherry in a variety of characterizations, playbills for a dozen plays in which Ewing Cherry appeared, press releases, fliers, telegrams to and from Ewing Cherry, and clippings of reviews which mention his performances. less

The Michael Strange papers consist primarily of 218 autographed letters, many more then 2 pages in length, from her second husband John Barrymore. These span the years 1917-1925 and coincide with the end of her marriage to Leonard Thomas, as well as Barrymore's and Strange's courtship, marriage and divorce. Michael Strange was John Barrymore's second wife and the correspondence gives insight to the stormy nature of their relationship. Most of the correspondence is love letters which use personal terms of endearment and are almost always affectionate and sometimes sexually explicit. less

Morton DaCosta (born Tecosky), stage and film director and actor, was born 7 March 1914 in Philadelphia. A graduate of Temple University, Mr. DaCosta began his career as an actor and director in regional theatre in 1937. He made his acting debut on Broadway in 1942 in THE SKIN OF OUR TEETH and his New York directing debut in 1949 with a revival of SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER. Among his many productions are PLAIN AND FANCY (1955), NO TIME FOR SERGEANTS (1955), AUNTIE MAME (1956) with which he made his film directing debut in 1958, and THE MUSIC MAN (1957). Mr. DaCosta died in 1989. The Morton DaCosta Papers consist of scripts and promptbooks, production materials, correspondence and personal papers documenting his life and career as a director and actor of stage and film. The papers span the years 1929 to 1978 and include such productions as THE MUSIC MAN, SARATOGA, NO TIME FOR SERGEANTS and AUNTIE MAME, among others. less

The Roman Bohnen papers consist of family, personal and professional correspondence as well as scrapbooks of clippings, reviews, programs, and photographs. The collection documents Bohnen's career including early theatrical experiences, his life as a New York actor and member of the Group Theatre, his motion picture years, and the establishment of the Actors' Laboratory Theatre. The correspondence between him and his brother Arthur is rich in personal information about family relationships. The papers span the years 1919-1976 with the emphasis on 1922-1949. Arthur Bohnen's account of his brother's life is included. less

The Shepperd Strudwick Papers is composed of correspondence, newspaper clippings, programmes, memorabilia, scripts, and other material relating to the career of Shepperd Strudwick. The papers document in detail the rise of Strudwick's career from "The Carolina Playmakers'' to his nomination for a Tony award for TO GRANDMOTHER'S HOUSE WE GO. Included are financial statements and contracts giving salary information for the years 1952 to 1978. The collection also contains information about accusations by the Onandaga County American Legion that Strudwick was a communist and his reaction to those statements. Insight into his acting technique and his teaching career at the University of Detroit is also included. There is also information about the acting career of his third wife Margaret O'Neill. less

Nathan "Nate" Salsbury (1846-1902) was producer and manager of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, a highly successful show business enterprise that toured the United States, Europe, and elsewhere from the 1880s well into the 20th century, and featured William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody. Born in Illinois in 1846, Nathan Salsbury entered the U. S. Army while still in his teens, first as a drummer boy and eventually as a soldier with the 89th Illinois Regiment of Infantry, fighting in Georgia, Tennessee, and Texas. After the war, he became an actor in various stock companies, appeared for a time with his own troupe, Salsbury's Troubadours, then retired from performing in 1887. Meanwhile, in 1883, Salsbury had been a key figure in the launch of Buffalo Bill's Wild West, an outdoor extravaganza that dramatized frontier life, built around the personality of onetime soldier, scout and hunter William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody (1846-1917). The show, which also starred sharpshooter Annie Oakley and, for one season, Chief Sitting Bull, was a worldwide success for many years, outlasting its producer and manager Nate Salsbury, who died on Christmas Eve of 1902, at the age of 56. His daughter Rebecca Salsbury James (1891-1968) was an artist who lived for most of her life in Taos, New Mexico. Consists of a typescript of Nate Salsbury's reminiscences, much of which concerns his Civil War experiences, his life as a touring actor, and, briefly, his years with Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. In addition to Salsbury's memoir, there are four folders of correspondence, mostly written to Rebecca Salsbury, although there is one telegram to Cody and Salsbury from actor Henry Irving. There is one letter dated 1917 to Rebecca's brother Milton Salsbury from actor James O'Neill, and a number of condolence letters to Rebecca upon Milton's death in August 1927, including one from James' son, playwright Eugene O'Neill. There is also a two-page account, written in 1943 by Wild West Show factotum Harry Tarleton, of a musical production Nate Salsbury mounted around 1895 called Black America, which featured an all African-American cast, and toured several cities in the U.S. before it disbanded. less

The Alexander Scourby Papers document the professional career of the prolific actor and narrator through contracts, correspondence, photographs, scripts, and other material. Although he had a long and varied career as an actor and narrator on stage, screen, and radio, Alexander Scourby considered his most important work to be the performances he gave as a voice actor in the Talking Books recordings he made for the American Foundation for the Blind. less

Alexander Frank (1866-1939), was a stage actor, first in England and then, after 1900, in the United States, where he was also a motion picture actor and director. Born in Boston, England, Alexander Frank initially worked as a political secretary for a Member of Parliament, but turned instead to acting. After receiving his early training from Sir Henry Irving and making a number of appearances on the London stage, he came to the United States around 1900. Mr. Frank acted opposite many of the leading actors of his era, and belonged to the companies of such major figures as James K. Hackett and Olga Nethersole. Mr. Frank acted in several films between 1913 and 1920, and also directed, but later restricted himself to stage work as a performer. Mr. Frank's last major role was in Elsie Schauffler's play Parnell in 1935, in which he portrayed British Prime Minister William E. Gladstone, whom he had met in his youth. The Alexander Frank papers span 1902-1920 and consist of contracts, correspondence, and a notebook. The collection is split between contracts for various plays and theatrical companies, and correspondence, encased in mylar, consisting of letters of recommendation from Mr. Frank's past employers to prospective ones. There is also a small notebook, which holds four pages of sketchy pencilled notes concerning Medieval England. less

The George Cochrane Hazelton Papers consist of diaries, correspondence, ledgers, promptbooks, scripts, photographs, clippings and programs from 1848-1941, documenting Hazelton's private and professional life. After his death, his wife, as executor, maintained the business correspondence and records until 1941. The collection provides detailed and extensive research materials about theater and daily life in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. less

James Young (1872?-1948) was active on stage and in motion pictures as an actor, director, and writer. Born on New Year's Day 1872 (some sources say 1878), in Baltimore, Md., James Young was appearing onstage by the 1890s. Eventually, his theatrical career would encompass playwriting, producing, directing, and management, as well as nationwide lecturing on Shakespeare. Mr. Young began acting in motion pictures in 1909 and writing and directing them three years later; he had appeared in some 35 films by 1917, including Maurice Tourneur's TRILBY (1915) opposite his then-wife Clara Kimball Young, when he gave up acting to focus on directing his own scripts. With F. Richard Jones he co-directed MICKEY (1918) starring Mabel Normand. He directed a number of literary adaptations, including BEAU BRUMMELL (1913), OLIVER TWIST (1916), and a remake of TRILBY (1923). Among his last films was THE BELLS (1926) starring Lionel Barrymore and Boris Karloff. James Young's film career ended with the coming of talking pictures. After several years of poor health he died in New York City on June 9, 1948. The James Young papers consist of nine folders of material and includes personal correspondence, financial documents, newspaper clippings, and ephemera, most of it from the last three years of Mr. Young's life. The early period of James Young's career is represented by a booklet of testimonials praising his lectures on Hamlet and Shylock, and by clippings from the New York Times and the Baltimore American, both dated July 1896, which describe James Young's collection of theatrical portraits, especially of the Booth family, which he donated to the Players Club in New York. Much of the material from Mr. Young's last years details the deterioration of his health. less

Lester Vail was a stage and screen actor, most active during the 1920s and 1930s. Vail's stage appearances included CAUGHT (1925), George S. Kaufman & Herman J. Mankiewicz' THE GOOD FELLOWS (1926), Maxwell Anderson's GYPSY (1929), and Sophie Treadwell's HOPE FOR A HARVEST (1941), with Fredric March and Florence Eldridge. Vail's film credits include DANCE, FOOLS, DANCE with Joan Crawford and Clark Gable, I TAKE THIS WOMAN with Gary Cooper and Carole Lombard (both 1931), and BIG TOWN (1932). Lester Vail was born in Denver, Colorado, in 1899, and died in Los Angeles, California, on November 28, 1959, at the age of 60. Consists of 19 congratulatory telegrams to Lester Vail from friends and relatives, dated between 1925 and 1928, on the opening nights of various shows in which he was appearing. There is also one calling card inscribed with complimentary remarks. less

The Claudia & Ralph Morgan Papers contain the certificates, contracts, correspondence, scripts, telegrams and miscellaneous material relating to the acting careers on stage, in motion pictures and with professional organizations (e.g. Screen Actors Guild) for this father and daughter collection. less

Jean Stein (1934-2017) was an American author, oral historian, editor, and philanthropist. She worked as an editor at The Paris Review, under George Plimpton, and co-edited the literary and visual arts magazine Grand Street with Walter Hopps. She was married to William vanden Heuvel and Torsten Wiesel. The Jean Stein papers (1916-2016) document Stein's career and life. The works most extensively represented are Stein's oral history biography of the American actress and Andy Warhol muse, Edie Sedgwick, Edie: An American Biography, (1982); and the oral history West of Eden: An American Place, which focused on five families and individuals Stein considered essential to the history of Los Angeles. Personal files, which include letters Stein received from novelist William Faulkner, document Stein's childhood of wealth and privilege as a the daughter of talent agent and MCA founder, Jules Stein; and her adult life as a member of New York's intellectual elite. less

The Chamberlain and Lyman Brown Papers are 351 linear feet and contain business and personal correspondence, scrapbooks, autographs, legal and financial papers, scripts, photographs, clipping files, and production materials documenting their work as theatrical agents, managers, and producers. The papers provide a history of the entertainment industry from the end of the 19th century through the middle of the 20th century. A number of family and personal papers are also included. less

Jesse W. Levy (1918-1991) was a personal assistant to Tallulah Bankhead (1902-1968) the film and stage actor. The collection, dated from the 1930s to 1980s, contains material amassed by Levy about Bankhead. (Some of the files focus on Levy's personal life.) The collection holds information about Bankhead's estate; photographs, correspondence, newspaper clippings, a script, artifacts, and audio-visual materials. less

Joseph Holland (1910-1994) was an American actor who appeared on the Broadway stage during the mid 20th century. The Joseph Holland papers date from 1937 to 1989 (bulk dates: 1950-1957) and contain correspondence and a scrapbook with clippings, programs, and production photographs documenting Holland's career in the theatre. Most productions represented in the scrapbook date after 1950, including The Show Off (1950), Julius Caesar (1950), The Bad Seed (1954), and Small War on Murray Hill (1957). The scrapbook also contains a few congratulatory telegrams and greeting cards. One caricature by Neil Ferguson is present, from the 1937 production of Julius Caesar at the Mercury Theatre. All loose material from the scrapbook was rehoused in folders. less

Paul Lipson (1913-1996) was an American actor best known for portraying Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof. The Paul Lipson papers (1932-1996) consist of production files, scripts, and a scrapbook that document Lipson's career acting in summer stock, Off-Broadway, and Broadway productions, with a particular focus on Fiddler on the Roof. There is a small amount of posthumous material consisting of a program and sound recording from his memorial service. less

The Carole Shelley papers, dated 1940s to 2016, document the career of character actor Carole Shelley (1939-2018). Her collection contains correspondence, production scripts, notes, photographs, posters, costume sketches, scrapbooks, animation cels, awards and sound recordings. less

Stage, screen and television actor, Roland Young (1887-1953), was born in London and performed in England and the United States. One of his most notable films was Topper (1937). Young became a U.S. citizen in 1918; he died at home in his sleep in New York City in 1953. Roland Young's scrapbook and originals consist primarily of his original drawings and artwork, personal and professional photographs, scripts and poetry (several written by Young himself), a few pieces of correspondence, contracts, financial papers, and some personal ephemera, all documenting Young's life and acting career. There are some photographs of caricatures by Jean Negulesco. Stage and film productions included in the photographs are the film, The Great Lover (1949) with Bob Hope, the stage production, Perfect Pitch (Montclair Theatre, New Jersey, 1948) with Buddy Ebsen; Actors Cary Grant and Henry Daniell are in 2 candid photographs. less

Robert Shafer (1908-1981) was an American actor known mostly for his roles in regional musicals. One of his most successful roles was in Damn Yankees!, portraying the character Joe Boyd, a role he reprised for the movie. The Robert Shafer papers, dated 1936 to 1965, hold mostly letters between Robert Shafer and his wife Jane while he was touring in USO camp shows during WWII and regional musicals, including Damn Yankees. There are occasional letters from his son Rikard; a pencil sketch of the Shafers; photographs of Shafer and his wife, actors, and performances; clippings; playbills; and a scrapbook from the stage production The Merry Widow. less

Novella Nelson (1938-2017) was an actor, singer, and director who appeared on stage on Broadway and Off-Broadway, in regional theatres and cabaret venues, and on television and film. Nelson's papers, dated 1949 to 2017, reflect her professional and personal accomplishments and interests through correspondence, subject files, writings, poetry, photographs, scores, scripts, printed matter, and sound recordings. less