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Frank Craven

( 1875 Births )

Early years
Career
Death
Filmography
References
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Frank Craven (August 24, 1875September 1, 1945)U.S. Passport Application, Issue Date: 3-Jul-1919; National Archives Microfilm Publication M1490, Roll 0818, Certificate 93117; General Records of the Department of State, Record Group 59; National Archives, Washington, D.C. was an American stage and film actor, playwright, and screenwriter, best known for originating the role of the Stage Manager in Thornton Wilder's Our Town.

Early years

Craven's parents, John T. Craven and Ella Mayer Craven, were actors, and he first appeared on stage when he was three years old, in a child's part in The Silver King, in which his father was acting. His next appearance on stage occurred 13 years later in another production of the same play. That experience stirred an interest in acting as a career.

Career

Before he acted in films, Craven worked in stage productions, not limiting his activity to acting. "I would do anything around the place," he said. He found later that work with carpentry, painting, and other backstage activities proved "invaluable" to him. His initial success in New York came in the role of James Gilley in Bought and Paid For (1911). He also played the same role in a production in London. He also was a playwright, penning hits such as Too Many Cooks (1914) and The First Year (1920).(2 September 1945). Frank Craven, 65, Noted Actor, Dies; Playwright and Director Won Equal Success in His Many Stage and Film Chores, The New York Times

Craven was a character actor who often portrayed wry, small-town figures. His first film role was in We Americans (1928), and he appeared in State Fair (1933), Penrod and Sam (1937), Jack London (1943), and Son of Dracula (1943), among many others.

He wrote numerous screenplays, most notably for the Laurel and Hardy film Sons of the Desert (1933).

In 1938, Craven played the Stage Manager in Our Town on Broadway theatre, and reprised the role in the 1940 film version of the play, co-writing the screenplay. His son John Craven starred as George Gibbs in the stage version, a role played by William Holden in the 1940 film.

Craven was a Republican who campaigned for Thomas Dewey in the 1944 United States presidential election.

(2013). 9781107650282, Cambridge University Press. . ISBN 9781107650282

Death

Craven died in 1945, shortly after finishing his work in Colonel Effingham's Raid.

Filmography

Uncredited