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- Edward George Bulwer-Lytton was born on 25 May 1803 in London, England, UK. He was a writer, known for The Last Days of Pompeii (1959), In the Name of Love (1925) and The Last Days of Pompeii (1913). He was married to Rosina Doyle Wheeler. He died on 18 January 1873 in Torquay, Devon, England, UK.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803 - April 27, 1882), who went by his middle name Waldo, was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, abolitionist, and poet who led the transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. He was seen as a champion of individualism and a prescient critic of the countervailing pressures of society, and his ideology was disseminated through dozens of published essays and more than 1,500 public lectures across the United States.
- Aranka Hegyi was born on 25 May 1855 in Pest, Hungary [now part of Budapest, Hungary]. She died on 9 June 1906 in Budapest, Austria-Hungary [now Hungary].
- Emil Bergendorff was born on 25 May 1864 in Stockholm, Stockholms län, Sweden. He was an actor, known for Kiss of Death (1916), På livets ödesvägar (1913) and Gatans barn (1914). He died on 2 April 1921 in Solna, Sweden.
- Edwin Boring was born on 25 May 1868 in Columbus, Ohio, USA. He was an actor, known for Romeo and Juliet (1916), Two Old Pals (1912) and The Bigger Man (1915). He died on 18 January 1923 in Bronx, New York City, New York, USA.
- Helena of Schleswig-Holstein was born on 25 May 1846 in Buckingham Palace, Westminster, London, England, UK. She was married to Prince Christian. She died on 9 June 1923 in London, England, UK.
- Clara Louise Burnham was born on 25 May 1854 in Newton, Massachusetts, USA. She was a writer, known for Opened Shutters (1921), Jewel (1915) and The Opened Shutters (1914). She was married to Walter Burnham. She died on 20 June 1927 in Bailey Island, Maine, USA.
- King Frederick August was born on 25 May 1865 in Vienna, Austria. He was married to Archduchess Louise of Austria. He died on 18 February 1932 in Sibyllenort, Lower Silesia, Germany [now Szczodre, Dolnoslaskie, Poland].
- William Muldoon was born on 25 May 1845. He died on 3 June 1933 in Purchase, New York, USA.
- Antônio Alcântara Machado was born on 25 May 1901 in São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil. He was a writer, known for Lisetta (1974) and As Cinco Panelas de Ouro (1982). He died on 14 April 1935 in Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
- Charles Hill Mailes was born on 25 May 1870 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. He was an actor, known for The Mark of Zorro (1920), The Hungarian Nabob (1915) and Money Madness (1917). He was married to Claire McDowell. He died on 17 February 1937 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Guy Newall was born on 25 May 1885 in Brighton, Sussex, England, UK. He was an actor and writer, known for Beauty and the Beast (1922), The Boat from Shanghai (1931) and Fox Farm (1922). He was married to Dorothy Batley and Ivy Duke. He died on 25 February 1937 in Hampstead, London, England, UK.- Tony Bruce was born on 25 May 1909 in Broughty Ferry, Scotland, UK. He was an actor, known for Windjammer (1930) and The Battle of Gallipoli (1931). He died on 3 March 1937 in Kensington, London, England, UK.
- Alexandre Trébitsch was born on 25 May 1862 in Paris, France. Alexandre died on 5 May 1937.
- Frank "Fatty" Alexander was an obese comedian who appeared in silent one- and two-reel slapstick comedies as a side-kick before co-starring with two other heavyweights, Hilliard Karr and 'Kewpie Ross' in F.B.O.'s low-budget "Ton of Fun" series at the end of the silent era. Born in Olympia, Washington on May 25, 1879, Frank Alexander was a cowboy and stage driver prior to ballooning up in weight and turning his attention away from the bright lights of the open spaces to those of Hollywood.
He made his screen debut with Keystone in support of screen comedian Syd Chaplin in Gussle's Backward Way (1915), the eighth of Chaplin's nine "Gussle" comedies, and his debut as his own director. Ironically, Syd -- Charles Chaplin's older half-brother -- had made his own acting debut the year before in Fatty's Wine Party (1914), with the great man himself, Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, after whom Alexander modeled his screen persona. Paramount's biggest star at the time of his fall from grace after his three manslaughter trials for the death of Virginia Rappe, the original "Fatty" at 266 lbs. couldn't match Frank Alexander, who topped the scale at 350 lbs.
Although Syd Chaplin continued with his Gussle character for one more movie, Alexander did not appear as his sidekick, although he stayed on the Keystone lot. His next appearance was as a fireman in the Mack Swain vehicle When Ambrose Dared Walrus (1915). After moving over to Fox for a couple of comedies with Harold Lloyd in 1917, Alexander caught on with comedian Larry Semon, a white-faced comedian whose screen popularity and income rivaled that of the great Charlie Chaplin himself.
Alexander became a member of Semon's stock company at Vitagraph along with Oliver Hardy, whom Alexander made look as svelte as his future partner Stan Laurel. From 1918's Pluck and Plotters (1918) to 1925's The Perfect Clown (1925), Alexander would appear in 27 Semon films, including Babes and Boobs (1918), Bathing Beauties and Big Boobs (1918), and Boodle and Bandits (1918). Kid Speed (1924) was typical of Semon's two-reel farces that were filmed quickly at the Charles Ray Studios.
Fatty played Avery DuPays (a pun on avoirdupois), the city's wealthiest man, who will marry off his daughter Lou (Dorothy Dwan) to whomever wins the Big Auto Race. The Speed Kid (Semon) and Dangerous Dan McGrew (Oliver "Babe" Hardy) are in love with Lou, but she seems to prefer the Kid (her real life husband, Semon). Fatty's character favors the wealthier McGrew, who sabotages the brakes on The Kid's race car. Despite this problem, or more likely, because of it, -- the Kid wins both the race and the girl. The entire second reel features the race, which features The Speed Kid barreling through a farm house and emerging covered in a sheet, thus evoking the specter of the Ku Klux Klan and scaring his African- American sidekick/mechanic Spencer Bell (often billed by Semon with the highly imaginative moniker "G. Howe Black" and mostly forced to play the crude stereotype). At one point, former world's heavyweight boxing champion James J. Jeffries (the Great White Hope himself!) comes on-screen as a blacksmith just to punch "Babe" Hardy in the nose!
Alexander ended his association with Semon after playing Dorothy's father in Semon's "Wizard of Oz" (1925), a box office flop that finished off Semon personally and professionally. Frank Alexander made avoirdupois, if not screen history, as "Fatty" Alexander, part of "A Ton of Fun", one of three very fat comedians who appeared in a series of two-reel slapstick comedies produced by 'Joe Rock' from 1925-1927. The team made its debut in 1925's Tailoring (1925), with Fatty using the moniker 'Tiny' (which Alexander also used in "All Tied Up" (1925), directed by and co- starring beanpole comic actor Slim Summerville. The shorts were made by Poverty Row studio Standard Photoplay Co. and released by Joseph P. Kennedy's Film Booking Office (F.B.O.), the precursor to R.K.O Radio Pictures.
Advertized by F.B.O. as the "three fattest men on the screen, "Fatty romped across the screen in with fellow fat men Hilliard Karr (a.k.a. "Fat" Karr) and Kewpie Ross in 34 shorts, many with the adjective "Heavy" in the title (The Heavy Parade (1926), Heavy Fullbacks (1926), Heavy Infants (1928) and the strangely named Heavyation (1926)). Also billed as "The Three Fatties", the "Ton of Fun" team offered the most anarchic comedy per pound available at the time or after. In the series entry Three of a Kind (1981), The Three Fatties play entertainers at a nightclub/restaurant. In short order, a melee breaks out between the audience and A Ton of Fun, with the expected result of tables overturned and dishes smashed.
After making the last "Ton of Fun" comedy in 1928, A Joyful Day (1928), Alexander became a supporting player at Hal Roach Studios in two of director Leo McCarey's shorts, Feed 'em and Weep (1928) and Madame Q (1929) starring Edgar Kennedy. With the coming of the sound era, Fatty Alexander's career tailed off. At Roach, he appeared in support of 'Harry Langdon' in The Shrimp (1930), but was then bounced around among the studios, including Roach, Universal and R.K.O., playing bit parts as fat men. He appeared in support of Zazu Pitts in two of her comedies, then did a turn in the early 'George Stevens' comedy The Kick-Off! (1931). His last movie was 1933's "The Barber Shop" starring W.C. Fields, in which he appeared as in an unbilled bit part.
Frank "Fatty" Alexander, 58, died in his 4155 Lankershim Blvd. home on September 8, 1937 in Los Angeles, California. His "Variety" obit called him a 440-pound comic. - Carl E. Schultze was born on 25 May 1866. Carl E. was a writer, known for Foxy Grandpa Shows the Boys a Trick or Two with the Tramp (1902), Boys Take Grandpa's Cigars with Distressing Results (1902) and The Boys Try to Put One Up on Foxy Grandpa (1902). Carl E. died on 18 January 1939.
- Soundtrack
Born of American parents in Southern Russia, pianist/composer Mischa Levitsky was educated at Juilliard with Stojowski and at the Berlin Hochschule with Dohnanyi, and was twice-awarded the Mendelsohn piano prize. At fifteen, he made his piano debut in Berlin, and at sixteen, in New York, later giving concerts throughout the world. He joined ASCAP in 1940, and his compositions include "Waltz in A"; "Valse Brilliante", "Gavotte", "Cadenza to Beethoven's 3rd Piano Concerto", "Arabesque Valsante", "Valse Tzigane", and "The Enchanted Nymph" (ballet).- Günther Lütjens was born on 25 May 1889 in Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany. He died on 27 May 1941.
- William Fazan was born on 25 May 1877 in Shepherd's Bush, London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Murder! (1930), Once in a New Moon (1934) and Break the News (1938). He died on 13 December 1942 in Clapham, London, England, UK.
- Duke Daly was born on 25 May 1909 in Portland, Maine, USA. He was an actor, known for Swing Hotel (1939). He was married to Paula Stone, Marjorie Wentworth O'Brion and Dorothy Jean Edwards. He died on 13 May 1943 in France.
- Actor
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Producer
Harry Ham was born on 25 May 1886 in Napanee, Ontario, Canada. He was an actor and assistant director, known for The Four Feathers (1921), Her Kingdom of Dreams (1919) and Mr. Robinson Crusoe (1932). He died on 27 July 1943 in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Lizzi Waldmüller was born on 25 May 1904 in Knittelfeld, Styria, Austria-Hungary [now Austria]. She was an actress, known for Bel Ami (1939), Es lebe die Liebe (1944) and Frau Luna (1941). She was married to Max Hansen. She died on 8 April 1945 in Vienna, Austria.- J. Langley Levy was born on 25 May 1870 in Liverpool, Lancashire, England, UK. J. Langley was a writer, known for The Illicit Liquor Seller (1916) and And Then --- (1917). J. Langley was married to Mabel Rushton. J. Langley died on 11 May 1945 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Sammy Blum was born on 25 May 1889 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Siberia (1926), Black Paradise (1926) and The Delightful Rogue (1929). He died on 1 June 1945 in Hollywood, California, USA.- Actor
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Teddy Brown was born on 25 May 1900 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for On the Air (1934), Variety Parade (1936) and The Arcadians (1927). He was married to Sophie Inselberg. He died on 30 April 1946 in Birmingham, England, UK.- Actor
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
J. Malcolm Dunn was born on 25 May 1867 in London, England, UK. He was an actor and assistant director, known for Peter Stuyvesant (1924), The Magic Cup (1921) and Sandy (1926). He was married to Violette Kimball (actress and writer). He died on 10 October 1946 in Beechurst, New York, USA.- Arthur Loft was born on 25 May 1897 in Denver, Colorado, USA. He was an actor, known for The Woman in the Window (1944), Charlie Chan in the Secret Service (1944) and Should a Girl Marry? (1939). He was married to Daisy Loft. He died on 1 January 1947 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Bob Desmarets was born on 25 May 1887 in Falaise, Calvados, France. He was an actor, known for The King of the Gate Crashers (1930) and Le roi de la pédale (1925). He died on 16 March 1947 in Paris, France.
- Barrett Whitelaw was born on 25 May 1890 in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, USA. He was an actor, known for Lure of the Night Club (1927). He died on 2 October 1947 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Carl Rößler was born on 25 May 1864 in Vienna, Austrian Empire [now Austria]. He was a writer, known for Annette in Paradise (1934), Die fünf Frankfurter (1922) and Der Feldherrnhügel (1932). He died on 13 February 1948 in London, England, UK.
- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Kenean Buel was born on 25 May 1880 in Springfield, Kentucky, USA. He was a director and writer, known for Doing Their Bit (1918), We Should Worry (1918) and American Buds (1918). He died on 5 November 1948 in New York City, New York, USA.- Rodolfo Garcia was born on 25 May 1873 in Ceará-Mirim, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. He died on 14 November 1949 in Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Bill Robinson quit school at age seven and began work as a professional dancer the following year. Bojangles (the name referred to his happy-go-lucky ebullience) starred in vaudeville, musical stage and movies. He invented the stair tap routine and was considered one of the world's greatest tap dancers. His film debut was in Dixiana (1930). He worked in fifteen movies, but his movie fame came primarily from the films he made with Shirley Temple -- The Little Colonel (1935), The Littlest Rebel (1935), and Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1938). In 1989 the US Congress named his birth date as National Tap Dancing Day.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Lilian Ellis was born Ellis Stampe Bendix Forchhammer in Copenhagen, Denmark. Her father, Olaf Forchhammer, was a prominent engineer. When she was a child she studied ballet and started her own dance company. Lilian began her acting career at Max Reinhardt's Deutsche Theater in Berlin. At the age of twenty-one she made her film debut in the German silent film Strauss, The Waltz King, In 1930 she starred in six films including The Theft of the Mona Lisa and The Woman They Talk About. She quickly became one of the most popular musical comedy stars in Europe. Lillian was offered a contract with Hal Roach in 1934 and came to America. Roach said he wanted to make her into the next Thelma Todd. Her press agent described her as "a slim exquisite beauty of the continental type with eyes of cerulean blue and golden blonde tresses."
Unfortunately her thick accent prevented her from getting any good roles. She spent most of her time in Hollywood posing for sexy pin-up photos. After just a few months she decided to return to Europe. During the late 1930s she started performing in revues in London and Paris. Lilian married Mogens Lind, an actor and writer, on April 3, 1943. Her final film was the 1945 Danish comedy De kloge og vi gale. Then she appeared on several European radio shows. Sadly she was diagnosed with kidney disease in 1950. She underwent an operation in Copenhagen but there were complications. On February 21, 1951 she died from cardiac arrest at the young age of forty-three. Lilian was buried at Soendermarken Cemetery in Copenhagen, Denmark.- Lauri Wylie was born on 25 May 1880 in Southport, Lancashire, England, UK. Lauri was a writer, known for Never Trouble Trouble (1931), Alexandra (1934) and A Warm Corner (1930). Lauri died on 29 June 1951 in Brighton, East Sussex, England, UK.
- Augusto Jandolo was born on 25 May 1873 in Rome, Lazio, Italy. Augusto was a writer, known for Silvio Pellico (1915). Augusto died on 11 January 1952 in Rome, Lazio, Italy.
- Romain Coolus was born on 25 May 1868 in Rennes, France. He was a writer, known for The Blues (1918), Antoinette Sabrier (1927) and Petite peste (1939). He died on 9 September 1952 in Paris, France.
- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Helen Biggar was born in the Hyndland area of Glasgow on 25th May 1909, the eldest of three daughters to Hugh and Florence Biggar. Her family were socialists and both her father and uncle were involved in local politics. Although during her childhood she suffered from various ailments and accidents, including an operation to remove a tubercular gland from her neck, and two spine injuries which left her permanently short in size.
Due to this, she attended a school for handicapped children in 1918 and in 1825 she was admitted to the Glasgow School of Art (GSA). In 1929 she was awarded a diploma in textile design and followed this with post-graduate work in sculpture. Her artistic flair was put to good use over the next 15 years, mainly in Glasgow, where she worked as a sculptor in a variety of studios, producing works for local patrons.
In 1934 she met Norman McLaren and began to work in film, producing a number of scripts and film treatments, usually with local or political interest. Their 1936 short Hell Unltd (1936) is still widely regarded as one of the most innovative and important political films ever made in the UK, and featured the ground-breaking use of live action and animation. She continued to make films for Glasgow Kino Film Group (these are currently not listed on IMDB). In 1938 Biggar began a long association with the Glasgow Workers'; Theatre Group, designing their agitprop stage shows, some of which toured to the Edinburgh Festival and to London. She eventually moved to Londion permanently, where, on 11th October 1948 she married collaborator and fellow artist Eli Montlake. Whilst in London she resumed her film-making activities, including a contribution to the documentary Ta-ra-ra-boom-de-day (A Century of Song) (1946), but she also continued her theatre work and in 1950 she was appointed wardrobe mistress and costume designer for the dance company Ballet Rambert.
Helen Biggar died of a brain haemorrhage on 28th March 1953 at St Mary Abbot's Hoaspital in London. Her cremation, at Golder's Green was attended by her many friends and luminaries from the artistic, theatrical and ballet worlds.- Producer
- Production Manager
- Additional Crew
Aaron Klein was born on 25 May 1903 in Pennsylvania, USA. He was a producer and production manager, known for Riot Squad (1941), King of the Stallions (1942) and Gentleman from Dixie (1941). He died on 19 July 1953 in Ventura, California, USA.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Worked in minstrel shows as a singer and eccentric dancer from 1893 until 1903. From then until the 1930s was primarily a recording artist. Worked in radio and did sound effects and animal noises for cartoon. Sang old fashioned songs for the "Follow the Bouncing Ball" shorts. Was married three times, divorced twice. Survived by third wife, Madeleine. No children. Made over 5000 recordings. Closely identified with "In My Merry Oldsmobile". Recorded it in 1905 and reprised it in 1932 for General Motors in a promotional film. Also closely identified with recording of "K-k-k-katy".- Harry Hilliard was born on 25 May 1885 in Barnet, Middlesex, England, UK. He was an actor, known for We'll Smile Again (1942). He died on 2 February 1956 in Brent, Middlesex, England, UK.
- Arturo Suárez was born on 25 May 1887 in Filandia, Quindío, Colombia. He was a writer, known for Adorada enemiga (1964). He died on 30 July 1956 in Bogotá, Colombia.
- Classical stage and movie actress Marie Doro was a direct descendant of American political leader Patrick Henry. She was born Marie Katherine Steward in Pennsylvania in 1882. She began as a chorus girl in musical comedy under the management of impresario Charles Frohman, who took her to Broadway. There she worked for actor/stage director William Gillette, appearing in many melodrama, thrillers and comedies including "The Admirable Crichton" in 1903, "Sherlock Holmes" in 1905-06, "Electricity" in 1910 and "Diplomacy" in 1914 est. On tour of England in the mid-1900s, she starred with the unknown teenage Charles Chaplin. She starred in at least 18 movie, first under contract to Adolph Zukor in 1915, making her film debut in the starring role as Carlotta in Edwin S. Porter's comedy/drama The Morals of Marcus (1915) for the Famous Players Film Co. She is perhaps best remembered in the title role in Oliver Twist (1916), directed by James Young for the Jesse L. Lasky Feature Co. in 1916.
Although still a well-known movie star by the early 1920s, she became increasingly disillusioned with Hollywood and her acting career. She returned to the Broadway stage for one last time in "Lillies of the Field" in 1921. She moved to Europe for a time and starred in a few films in Italy and England, the last being Maurice Elvey's )Sally Bishop (1924)_ in 1924,' co-starring with Henry Ainley in the Stoll Film Co. production. In later life she became increasingly drawn to a more spiritual life, and ended as a recluse, actively avoiding friends and acquaintances. She was briefly married to actor Elliott Dexter, the marriage soon ending in divorce. She had no children and never remarried. - Walter Duranty was born on 25 May 1884 in Liverpool, England, UK. He died on 3 October 1957 in Orlando, Florida, USA.
- Writer
- Producer
Armando Curcio was born on 25 May 1900 in Naples, Campania, Italy. He was a writer and producer, known for Tarantella napoletana (1953), Condannatelo! (1953) and Guaglio (1948). He died on 25 November 1957 in Rome, Lazio, Italy.- Camera and Electrical Department
- Additional Crew
- Editorial Department
Phil Eastman was born on 25 May 1908 in Idaho, USA. Phil is known for Column South (1953). Phil died on 22 July 1958 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Kathryn Adams was born on 25 May 1893 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. She was an actress, known for Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman (1917), Pampered Youth (1925) and A Little Brother of the Rich (1919). She was married to Jacques Magnin and Arthur William Witter. She died on 17 February 1959 in Hollywood, California, USA.
- Actor
Arthur Huotari was born on 25 May 1907 in Aberdeen, Washington, USA. He was an actor. He died on 14 May 1959 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Harry Fox was born on 25 May 1882 in Pomona, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Beatrice Fairfax (1916), Beatrice Fairfax Episode 10: Play Ball! (1916) and Beatrice Faifax Episode 3: Billy's Romance (1916). He was married to Beatrice Curtis, Jenny Dolly, Evelyn Brent and Florrie Millership (performer). He died on 20 July 1959 in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA.- Diomira Jacobini was born on 25 May 1899 in Rome, Lazio, Italy. She was an actress, known for Cento di questi giorni (1933), The Miser's Millions (1913) and Jolly, der Teufelskerl (1921). She was married to Luciano Ghezzi. She died on 13 September 1959 in Rome, Lazio, Italy.