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- Ivan IV Vasilyevich, was the first of two children of Basil III and Elena Glinskaya. Ivan came into the world on August 25, 1530. Nearly a year after this Ivan's father died when he was only three. Basil had died due to a small, little pimple on his thigh that had developed into a deadly sore. Basil requested at his deathbed that his son Ivan would become the ruler of Russia when he became a man at age 15. Once Basil died the boyars took over Russia, denying Ivan's right to the throne. Ivan's mother then with other trusted boyars took over the ruling party. Elena was able to successfully rule Russia for four years, until she died suddenly in 1538, apparently from poisoning, leaving eight-year-old Ivan an orphan.
Through all this Ivan had remained isolated, Ivan's brutal behavior later on in life is testimony to his never having forgotten nor forgiven the childhood indignities he had suffered. The boyars would only pay attention to him when his presence was required at a ceremony. As the rivalry in the Palace for the power of Russia escalated into a bloody feud, Ivan witnessed horrible things. Living in poverty he watched and heard murders, beatings, and verbal and physical abuse regularly. The boyars alternately neglected or molested him; Ivan and his deaf-mute brother Yuri often went about hungry and threadbare. Incapable to strike at his tormentors, Ivan took out his terrible frustrations on defenseless animals, He tore feathers off birds, pierced their eyes and slit open their bodies.
On December 29, 1543 Ivan surprised his boyars by calling them to a meeting. He condemned them for their neglect of him and the nation, and denounced them for their misconduct. Prince Andrew Shuiksy, the leader of the boyars was thrown to a pack of hungry hunting dogs as an example to the others. After this the boyars conceded that their rule had ended and that Ivan had complete power. On Sunday, January 16, 1547, Ivan was crowned czar in Moscow's lavish Cathedral of the Assumption. Ivan soon married Anastasia Romanovna-Zakharyina-Yurueva. Anastasia bore him six children of whom only two survived infancy.
At times Ivan was very devote; he used to throw himself before the icons, banging his head against the floor. It resulted in a callosity at his forehead. Once Ivan even did a public confession of his sins in Moscow.
During the beginning of Ivan's reign, the administrative functions of the government were handled by two brothers of Ivan's mother, Prince Yuri Glinsky and Prince Mikhail Glinsky abused their position in the government, mistreating the boyars and the citizens. Ivan vowed to no longer leave administration duties in the hands of others.
From 1547 to 1560 Ivan is believed to have governed with the aid of a talented group of advisers dubbed the Chosen Council. It is unknown who wielded more power, Ivan or the council. In 1550, Ivan announced a reformed code of laws and a new system for justice, the Sudebnik. Criminal acts now were clearly defined, and punishments were prescribed for each. In addition, judges who were appointed by Moscow, would share their benches with representatives elected by local populations, in an effort to curb the practice of corrupt judges that sold justice to those who could afford it. Now magistrates would, at least in theory, enforce the laws equally, without discrimination against persons of low status. The central Moscow government also became more professional through a division of labor responsibilities. The Foreign Office was established, as was the Bureau of Criminal Affairs, the Land Office, and the Office of Military Affairs. Local officials were appointed to oversee the rebuilding of Muscovy's fortresses and then given other assignments. In the 1530s local police officials were appointed to try to stamp out crime, which was rampant during the disorder of Ivan's early years.
In June 1552 Ivan led his newly formed army of 100,000 troops down the Volga toward Kazan, the fortified capital of khanate. Ivan besieged the Tartar stronghold in late August and waited for its surrender. After Ivan's victory over Kazan he received, from his troops, the second part of his name that still remains today. This name that he received is Grozny, which has been taken to mean "the terrible" or "the dread," but most accurately translated as "the awesome."
Ivan's victories over Kazan and Astrakhan extended the Russian nation to the Caspian Sea in the south and to the Ural Mountains in the east, adding nearly 1,000,000 square kilometers to Ivan's realm.
When Moscow needed revenue to invade Kazan, Ivan planned to sell what was left of provincial administration to the locals. This was so successful that the sale of provincial civil administration was completed in 1556 to raise funds for the Astrakhan campaign. The tsar's treasury benefited, but the Russian people benefited also, as locally elected officials replaced the exploitative governors sent from Moscow.
In 1556, Ivan exerted control over the boyars and princes who still held private lands in Muscovy by requiring them and their personal slave soldiers to serve in the cavalry as well. By forcing them into the "service class," Ivan took away the Russian nobility's independence. The country's vast lower class, the peasants, also saw their lot worsened during Ivan's reign. Much of the land turned over to the military servicemen had been state land worked by free peasants. The system gradually turned many peasants into serfs, bound to the land they tilled. In 1581 Ivan even issued an edict forbidding some peasants on service lands from moving.
Looking to further expand his empire, Ivan targeted Livonia, a small, Baltic-coast nation in 1558. After the annexation of the Volga, Muscovy had two expansionist alternatives: either to conquer and annex the Crimean khanate, which was ceaselessly raiding Russia and Poland for slaves; or to reconquer Slavic lands to the west which had been annexed by Livonia, Lithuania, and Poland. Adopting a defensive posture toward Crimea the Russians plunged into an war against the Livonians on the western front.
With the Livonian monopoly on trade between Russia and Western Europe broken, merchants from as far away as Holland and France rushed to Narva to negotiate trade agreements with the Russians. Ivan had pursued relations with England, opened the port of Archangel to British merchant ships, and started trading directly with Western Europe. He brought Moscow a wide variety of artisans to teach his people the new trades that were essential for success in the modern world. He instituted sweeping reforms in the Church and the army, as well as in the way the country was governed
Ivan's much-loved wife Anastasia withered away due to a lingering illness in of 1560. Ivan suffered a severe emotional collapse. He banged his head on the floor in full view of the court and smashed his furniture. His suspicion deepened into paranoia. Angry and depressed, with his old cruelty resurfacing. Ivan had alternately violent fits of temper and feelings of remorse.
In December 1564 Ivan left Moscow with some of his court supposedly to visit various monasteries. In reality, the paranoid tsar had abandoned the capital, taking valuables and relatives with him. Ivan returned to the capital in February 1565, the hair on his head had fallen out and his beard had turned white, signs of major psychological stress.
Shortly after Ivan returned, he set up the Oprichniki, which became a separate police state within Russia. They dressed in black, the traditional colors of death, and rode black horses, from whose saddle hung two emblems - those of a broom and a dog's head. The broom signified the rider's mission to sweep Russia clean of Ivan's enemies; the dog's head symbolized that he was watchful for the czar.
The Oprichniki didn't hesitate to burst into a church during mass, either abducting the priest or murdering him in front of the altar. Subsequently, Ivan founded a pseudo-monastic order: he was the 'abbot' and his Oprichniki were the 'monks'. Supposedly they regularly performed sacrilegious masses that were followed by extended orgies of sex, rape and torture. Drunken licentiousness was alternated with passionate acts of repentance. After throwing himself down before the altar with such vehemence that his forehead would be bloody and covered with bruises, Ivan would rise and read sermons on the Christian virtues to his drunken retainers.
Among those killed were the head of the church, Metropolitan Filipp Kolychëv, who had criticized the Oprichnina. In1570, on the basis of unproved accusations of treason, Ivan massacred the 60,000 citizens of Novgorod with his Oprichniki. Novgorod's archbishop was first sewn up in a bearskin and then hunted to death by a pack of hounds. Men, women and children were tied to sleighs, which were then run into the freezing waters of the Volkhov River. The mass of corpses made it flood its banks. In the same year, there were mass public executions in Moscow. Crimean Tatars were able to sack Moscow in 1571, and much of the land around Moscow was depopulated.
In 1572 the Oprichniki were disbanded after their failure to defend Moscow. Ivan abdicated and placed a Tartar general, Simeon Bekboelatovitch, on the Moscow throne, while he retired to a country estate. Ivan made regular visits to the capital to pay homage to the new Tsar. This strange game lasted for a year.
Ivan grew increasingly vicious and blood thirsty. So much that on November 19, 1582 his pregnant daughter-in-law Elena appeared immodestly dressed and Ivan attacked and caused her to miscarry. His son Ivan Ivanovich rose to defend his wife, whereupon the tsar killed his son, his only possible respectable heir. This left as heir Ivan's feebleminded son Fyodor. Ivan left behind a joyless Russia on March 18, 1584, when he died suddenly of a heart attack while preparing for a game of chess.
Scholars believe that Ivan manifested psychopathic characteristics; his quick mood shifts, unreliability, egocentricity and lack of lasting emotions. His first mock abdication showed that he was a master at manipulating other people, while convincing them of his good intentions. His personal friendships were of short duration and his friends usually ended up dead.
Later the exhumation of his body showed he suffered from mercury poisoning. It has also been suggested that Ivan suffered from syphilis; his sexual promiscuity with both sexes, his last illness and many features of his personality support such a diagnosis. However, it can not be determined indisputably if Ivan's problems were basically organic or psychological. - Ivan the Terrible was born on 25 August 1530 in Kolomenskoye, Russia.
- Music Department
J.B. Borghi was born on 25 August 1738 in Camerino, Macerata, Italy. J.B. is known for Anna (1987). J.B. died on 22 February 1796 in Loreto, Ancona, Italy.- Henrik Hertz was born on 25 August 1798 in Copenhagen, Denmark. Henrik was a writer, known for King René's Daughter (1913), The Metropolitan Opera HD Live (2006) and Jolanta (2013). Henrik was married to Louise v. Halle. Henrik died on 25 February 1870 in Copenhagen, Denmark.
- Bret Harte was born on 25 August 1836 in Albany, New York, USA. Bret was a writer, known for The Girl Who Ran Wild (1922), Wild Girl (1932) and Tongues of Flame (1918). Bret was married to Anna Griswold. Bret died on 5 May 1902 in Camberley, Surrey, England, UK.
- A man with the unlikely name of Marion Maus would not be many people's idea of a fierce Indian fighter, a genuine war hero, a Medal of Honor winner and someone described by none other than legendary Apache warrior Geronimo as "the bravest man I have ever seen", but that in fact is just what Marion Maus was.
Maryland-born Marion Perry Maus grew up wanting to be a soldier (his brother Louis also grew up to be an army officer). He graduated from the US Army Military Academy at West Point in the class of 1874, and was posted as an infantry officer to the southwest US, which was experiencing a wave of Indian wars. He served under renowned Indian fighter Gen. Nelson Appleton Miles as Chief of Scouts, and participated in the running down and capturing of Nez Perce Indian leader Chief Joseph in 1877 (it was to Maus that Chief Joseph spoke the famous words, "From where the sun now sits, I will fight no more forever"). Maus was promoted to First Lieutenant and assigned to the Texas and Arizona territories in 1880. In 1885 he was appointed commander of a troop of Apache scouts and was part of the force sent into Mexico to capture Geronimo and his band. In 1886 he and a combined force of US cavalry troopers and Apache scouts were trailing Geronimo in the Sierra Madre mountains of Mexico when they were ambushed by the Indian chief and his warriors in a narrow pass. Maus and his men took cover behind some rocks, but a trooper was hit by gunfire before he could take cover and was lying exposed. Maus dashed out to drag him to safety. As he did so several Apaches burst out of hiding and rushed him, but Maus coolly shot and killed them all, then dragged the wounded soldier to cover. As he rejoined the fight, he saw Geronimo above him hiding behind a rock with part of his head exposed. A deadly shot, Maus fired off a round at Geronimo, who wasn't hit but the round grazed the rock just inches from his head; in fact, the dust kicked up by the bullet got in Geronimo's eyes and temporarily blinded him. He called off the ambush and his band slipped away. For his actions in this engagement, Maus was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for bravery.
(As a side note, several days after the incident a letter arrived at the office of Maus' commanding general. It was from Geronimo, who recommended that Lt. Maus be decorated for bravery for his actions, saying that Maus "was the bravest man I have ever seen". He said that if Maus hadn't killed several of his best warriors and almost killed Geronimo himself, the patrol would have been wiped out. Maus was decorated for his actions, but it's not known how much Geronimo's recommendation influenced the army's decision.)
Maus was promoted to captain in 1890 and took part in the 1890-94 campaign against the Sioux Indians. In 1897 he accompanied his former superior, Gen. Nelson Miles, on an inspection trip to Europe and later took part in the Spanish-American War of 1898. He rose steadily through the ranks, and in 1902 as a Lieutenant Colonel accompanied Miles again on a foreign tour. In 1904 he was promoted to full Colonel and given command of the 20th Infantry Division. His unit was posted to the Philippines to help put down a guerrilla campaign by Filipino nationalists and Moro tribesmen. In 1906 he was transferred to San Francisco, California, and during the great earthquake that devastated the city that year he played a very prominent role in keeping order and organizing rescue and rebuilding efforts in the city. He was promoted to Brigadier General soon afterward and transferred to San Antonio, Texas, where he was given command of a brigade of the 2nd Infantry Division. He retired from the army as a Brigadier General in 1913.
Maus died on February 2, 1930, in New Windsor, Maryland, and is buried (along with his wife and brother) in Arlington National Cemetery. - Edgar Wilson Nye was born on 25 August 1850 in Shirley, Maine, USA. He was a writer, known for Saved by a Song (1916). He was married to Clara Frances Smith. He died on 22 February 1896 in Asheville, North Carolina, USA.
- Actor
- Director
A grand, stoic presence of the silent screen, George Fawcett was an immensely popular stage thespian both here and in London at the turn of the century. During his heyday his eloquence rivaled that of both Lionel Barrymore and John Barrymore.
Born on August 25, 1860, in Alexandria Virginia, Fawcett was a graduate of the University of Virginia. His early acting career began in 1887, when he appeared in a production of "Baron Rudolph." Maintaining on the stage, he married actress wife, Percy Haswell, in 1895. She later formed the Percy Haswell (Stock) Company in Baltimore, Maryland in 1901, with George managing. The name was later changed to the George Fawcett Stock Company. The Company continued to stage shows until 1908.
Fawcett eventually became a formidable fixture under the Broadway lights, appearing in such classic plays as "The Little Minister (1897, his debut), as well as "Peter Stuyvesent" (1899), "Caleb West" (1900), "Ghosts" (1903), "The Squaw Man" (1905, 1911), "The Silver Girl" (1907), "The Great John Ganton" (1909), "Getting a Polish" (1910), "A Gentleman of Leisure" (1911), "The Law of the Land" (1914), "The Mountain Man" (1921) and "Peacock" (1932).
Fawcett came very late to films (age 55) but soon became a steadfast favorite of D.W. Griffith, who used him in his silent masterpieces Intolerance (1916), A Romance of Happy Valley (1919), True Heart Susie (1919), Scarlet Days (1919) and The Greatest Question (1919), as well as Lady of the Pavements (1929). Affectionately dubbed "The Grand Old Man of Films", Fawcett appeared in over 100 movies within a relatively short span of time (15 years), playing to great effect various ports of authority -- often grim, often stubborn and often bigoted. Other grand silent feature film appearances included The Cinderella Man (1917), The Beloved Traitor (1918), Turning the Tables (1919), Sentimental Tommy (1921), Polly of the Follies (1922), Java Head (1923), Pied Piper Malone (1924), Tess of the D'Urbervilles (1924), The Price of Pleasure (1925), The Merry Widow (1925), The Son of the Sheik (1926), Flesh and the Devil (1926), Tillie the Toiler (1927) and The Private Life of Helen of Troy (1927).
The elderly veteran moved into talking pictures with ease and scored several picture parts before retiring a few years into the era. Among those talking pictures, he supported Barbara Stanwyck in Ladies of Leisure (1930); Warner Oland in The Drums of Jeopardy (1931); Helen Twelvetrees in A Woman of Experience (1931); and Nancy Carroll in Personal Maid (1931), his final film.
George's wife, Percy Haswell, who frequently billed herself as "Mrs. George Fawcett," appeared with him in the Broadway plays "Peter Stuyvesent" and "Peacock", the latter which he produced in 1932. Fawcett died on June 6, 1939, in Nantucket, Massachusetts of heart problems. He was 78.- Writer
- Actor
- Director
Hans Land was born on 25 August 1861 in Berlin, Germany. He was a writer and actor, known for Stürme (1913), Das goldene Friedelchen (1916) and Der Richter (1917). He died in 1938 in Berlin, Germany.- Louis Barthou was born on 25 August 1862 in Oloron-Sainte-Marie, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France. He died on 9 October 1934 in Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, France.
- Marcel Schwob was born on 25 August 1867 in Chaville, Seine-et-Oise, France. He was a writer, known for Il re della maschera d'oro (1920), Clodia - Fragmenta (1982) and La croisade des enfants (1969). He was married to Marguerite Moreno. He died on 26 February 1905 in Paris, France.
- Actress
- Writer
Alice De Winton born Alice Wilson in Dorchester in 1864, highly well-known on stage, perhaps her best known 'The Man from Blankley's at the Criterion Theatre in 1903. she also worked on Broadway. Beautiful sophisticated lady who starred and supported in many drama films, first with the Cecil Hepworth Film Company with 'The Fairy Doll' in 1912, she perhaps best remembered as Duchess of Berwick in 'Lady Windermere's Fan' directed by Fred Paul and starring Milton Rosmer for the Ideal Film Company in 1916, her finale film she played Dowager in A.V. Bramble's 'The Bachelor's Club' again at Idael Film Co in 1921. she was also a writer. Sister of actress Dora De Winton.- Meri Roini was born on 25 August 1872 in Finland. She is known for Anna-Liisa (1922).
- Blanche Bates was born on 25 August 1873 in Portland, Oregon, USA. She was an actress, known for The Border Legion (1918) and Tom's Little Star (1919). She was married to George Creel and Lieutenant Milton F. Davis. She died on 25 December 1941 in San Francisco, California, USA.
- Percy Carr was born on 25 August 1873 in Kingston upon Thames, England, UK. He was an actor, known for One Exciting Night (1922), The Ragged Edge (1923) and Vincennes (1923). He died on 22 November 1926 in Saranac Lake, New York, USA.
- Lucia Sturza-Bulandra was born on 25 August 1873 in Iasi, Romania. She was an actress, known for Amor fatal (1911) and Squadriglia bianca (1944). She died on 19 September 1961 in Bucuresti, Romania.
- Agnes Mowinckel was born on 25 August 1875 in Bergen, Norway. She was an actress, known for Farende folk (1922), Proletargeniet (1914) and Kunstnerforeningen 100 år (1961). She died on 1 April 1963 in Oslo, Norway.
- Director
- Writer
Rollin S. Sturgeon was born on 25 August 1877 in Rock Island, Illinois, USA. Rollin S. was a director and writer, known for The Chalice of Courage (1915), God's Country and the Woman (1916) and The Shuttle (1918). Rollin S. was married to Edna Fisher and Edna Foster. Rollin S. died on 10 May 1961 in Santa Monica, California, USA.- Director
- Producer
- Actor
Burton L. King was born on 25 August 1877 in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. He was a director and producer, known for Won in the Stretch (1917), The Master Mystery (1918) and When Lightning Strikes (1934). He was married to Adele Lane. He died on 4 May 1944 in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA.- Janis Jaunsudrabins was born on 25 August 1877 in Farm Krodziòi, Neretas pagasts, Latvia. Janis was a writer, known for Ekho (1960), Puika (1977) and Aya (1987). Janis died on 28 August 1962 in Körbecke, Möhnesee, Germany.
- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Murdock MacQuarrie was born on 25 August 1878 in San Francisco, California, USA. He was an actor and director, known for Modern Times (1936), The Star Gazer (1914) and The Old Bell-Ringer (1914). He was married to Claire M.. He died on 22 August 1942 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Actor
- Director
- Cinematographer
Carlo Simoneschi was born on 25 August 1878 in Rome, Lazio, Italy. He is known for La vampa (1915), La ladra di fanciulli (1920) and La maschera della morta (1915).- Frithiof Strömberg was born on 25 August 1878 in Stockholm, Stockholms län, Sweden. He was an actor, known for Järnbäraren (1911), Regina von Emmeritz och konung Gustaf II Adolf (1910) and Emigrant (1910). He died on 6 June 1911 in Stockholm, Stockholms län, Sweden.
- Norwegian stage actress, debut at The National Stage in Bergen in 1897,where she was engaged until 1907. Later she played at Fahlstrøm's Theater and at Tivoli Theater in Kristiania.(now Oslo)
Mrs.Danning also appeared in a few Norwegian silent movies, before moving to Denmark with her Danish husband, composer Christian Danning around 1914.
She outlived her husband with over fifty years, and died at the formidable age of 101 in February 1980. - Producer
- Director
- Writer
John Randolph Bray was born on 25 August 1879 in Detroit, Michigan, USA. He was a producer and director, known for Let's Talk Turkey (1936), Jewel of Asia (1937) and Wildman's Land (1937). He was married to Margaret Bray. He died on 10 October 1978 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA.- Composer
- Music Department
- Actor
Robert Stolz was born on 25 August 1880 in Graz, Styria, Austria-Hungary [now Austria]. He was a composer and actor, known for 13 Sins (2014), Spring Parade (1940) and It Happened Tomorrow (1944). He was married to Yvonne Louise Ulrich, Josephine Zernitz, Grete Holm, Franzi Ressel and Lilli. He died on 27 June 1975 in West Berlin, West Germany.- Mabel Frenyear was born on 25 August 1880 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. She is known for Social Quicksands (1918) and A Fool There Was (1915). She was previously married to Thomas R. Finucane and Edward F. Dunn.
- Neil McKinnon was born on 25 August 1880 in Canada. He was an actor, known for The Phantom Horseman (1924). He died on 28 June 1953 in Ventura County, California, USA.
- Actor
Art Berry Sr. was born on 25 August 1881 in Jacksonville, Florida, USA. He was an actor. He died on 12 June 1945 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Douglas Burley was born on 25 August 1881 in Leicester, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Who's Got the Body? (1930). He died in September 1944 in Hendon, London, England, UK.
- James Brill was born on 25 August 1881 in Kirby, West Virginia. He was an actor, known for Junior Rodeo Daredevils (1949), Keeping Clean and Neat (1956) and Color Keying in Art and Living (1950). He was married to Lillian Harding Brill. He died on 5 March 1959 in Cumberland, Maryland, USA.
- Veda Buckland was born on 25 August 1882 in Montréal, Québec, Canada. She was an actress, known for Mystery of Edwin Drood (1935), This Mad World (1930) and Doctor Bull (1933). She was married to Wilfred Buckland. She died on 20 May 1941 in Los Angeles County, California, USA.
- Production Manager
- Writer
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Leon Metzetti was born on 25 August 1882 in Bergen, Norway. He was a production manager and writer, known for The Live Wire (1935), Get That Girl (1932) and Speed Madness (1932). He died on 2 February 1957 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Actor
- Director
James C. Morton was born on 25 August 1884 in Helena, Montana, USA. He was an actor and director, known for A Daughter of Uncle Sam (1918), Lucky Devils (1941) and She's Dangerous (1937). He died on 24 October 1942 in Reseda, California, USA.- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Léon Poirier was born on 25 August 1884 in Paris, France. He was a director and writer, known for The Call (1936), Brazza ou l'épopée du Congo (1940) and Soeurs d'armes (1937). He died on 27 June 1968 in Urval, Dordogne, France.- Luigi Ferrari Trecate was born on 25 August 1884 in Alessandria, Piedmont, Italy. Luigi was a composer, known for Il fu Mattia Pascal (1937). Luigi died on 17 April 1964 in Rome, Lazio, Italy.
- Max Waizmann was born on 25 August 1884 in San Francisco, California, USA. He was an actor, known for A Woman of Experience (1931), Code of the Outlaw (1942) and Man of Conquest (1939). He died on 17 July 1969 in Northridge, California, USA.
- Director
- Producer
- Writer
Georg Wilhelm Pabst is considered by many to be the greatest director of German cinema, in his era. He was especially appreciated by actors and actresses for the humane way in which he treated them. This was in contrast to some of his contemporaries, such as Arnold Fanck, who have been characterized as martinets.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Charles "Chic" Sale was primarily a stage comedian who, although he infrequently appeared on Broadway from 1902-30 and appeared in a handful of silent films, spent the majority of his career treading the boards of vaudeville as a comedian, usually in the persona of "Lem Putt," a carpenter from Urbana, Illinois who specialized in the building of outhouses. By age 49 his stage act had become so popular that he felt compelled to write, with the help of two newspaper writers, a 3000-word collection of his monologues (at the urging of his lawyer who expressed dismay over lesser comedians stealing his act) which was published as, "The Specialist." The book was a huge hit, published in 9 languages and remains in print to this day (he actually took 6 months off touring to personally answer fan mail resulting from the book and a sequel was published as "I'll Tell You Why"). During the 1930s and 40s there were outhouses sporting "Chic Sale" signs all over the world, his name becoming synonymous for toilet (which didn't please him in the least) and the butt of fellow comedian Groucho Marx' jokes. After appearing in a flop Broadway show in 1930 Sale headed for Hollywood for good and became, thanks to effective makeup and complete mastery of his lanky body, a character actor. Still in his mid to late 40s Sale convincingly played octogenarians. He did this so well that it was quite a shock to see him out of make-up; he was unrecognizable from his old man screen persona. He died of pneumonia in 1936 at just 51 years of age, survived by his wife Marie.- Actress
Baroness Barany was born on 25 August 1885 in Vienna, Austria. She was an actress. She died on 5 June 1949 in Birmingham, England, UK.- Östen Undén was born on 25 August 1886 in Karlstad, Värmlands län, Sweden. He died on 14 January 1974.
- Irén Iványi was born on 25 August 1887 in Homorog, Hungary [now Romania]. She was an actress, known for Tamás úrfi kalandjai (1920) and Torockói menyasszony (1937). She died on 18 February 1967 in Budapest, Hungary.
- Music Department
- Composer
Fartein Valen was born on 25 August 1887 in Stavanger, Rogaland, Norway. He was a composer, known for 1001 Grams (2014), Til deg - du hei (1987) and Ernst Orvil - absolutt poet (1994). He died on 14 December 1952 in Haugesund, Norway.- Herbert Delmar was born on 25 August 1888 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for The Three Musketeers: Part 1 (1911), The Three Musketeers: Part 2 (1911) and The New South (1916). He died on 14 November 1980 in Miami Beach, Florida, USA.
- Additional Crew
Sidney R. Flower was born on 25 August 1888 in England. Sidney R. is known for Whom the Gods Would Destroy (1919) and The Heart of Humanity (1918).- Bretislav Heinc was born on 25 August 1888 in Nové Benátky, Austria-Hungary [now Czech Republic]. He was an actor, known for Hríchy lásky (1929), Pohorská vesnice (1928) and Osm srdcí v plamenech (1927). He died on 14 March 1945 in Prague, Protektorát Cechy a Morava [now Czech Republic].
- Additional Crew
Ted Behr was born on 25 August 1889 in Johannesburg, South Africa. He is known for To Tell the Truth (1956). He died on 12 November 1969 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Aslaug Vaa was born on 25 August 1889 in Vinje, Norway. He was a writer, known for Frøken Rosita (1969). He was married to Ola Raknes. He died on 28 November 1965 in Oslo, Norway.
- James R. Cowan was born on 25 August 1889 in Glasgow, Scotland, UK. James R. was a producer, known for The Cocoanuts (1929). James R. died on 26 March 1940 in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Harry Brunning was born on 25 August 1889 in Hackney, London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Miracle in Soho (1957), The Saint (1962) and The Teckman Biography (1953). He died on 12 March 1973 in Twickenham, Middlesex, England, UK.