Vincent Coleman (February 16, 1900 – October 26, 1971) was an American stage and film actor of the silent film era of the late 1910s and early 1920s.

Biography

Born in Louisiana, Coleman began his acting career while still a young boy; touring the United States with the Cecil Spooner stock theater company. Occasionally credited in the early years of his career as Willie B. Coleman, he made the transition to film in the 1912 Frank Montgomery drama short ''The Junior Officer'' at age twelve opposite film actors

Hobart Bosworth Hobart Van Zandt Bosworth (August 11, 1867 – December 30, 1943) was an American film actor, director, writer, and producer. Early life Bosworth was born on August 11, 1867, in Marietta, Ohio. His father was a sea captain in the Civil Wa ...

and

Camille Astor Camille Astor (born before 1900 – died September 16, 1944) was an American actress in silent films. Early life Astor usually said to have been born in 1896 in Warsaw, then a part of the Russian Empire. During 1910 court testimony, she gave ...

before returning to

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

at the age of sixteen to appear in the 1917 play ''Difference in Gods''.Internet Broadway Database
/ref> Coleman then returned to filmmaking to play a variety of juvenile roles for such film studios as Fox,

Goldwyn Pictures Corporation Goldwyn Pictures Corporation was an American motion picture production company that operated from 1916 to 1924 when it was merged with two other production companies to form the major studio, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was founded on November 19, 1 ...

, First National and Paramount opposite such actors as

Corinne Griffith Corinne Griffith (née Griffin; November 21, 1894 – July 13, 1979) was an American film actress, producer, author and businesswoman. Dubbed "The Orchid Lady of the Screen," she was widely regarded as one of the most beautiful actresses of the ...

Mae Murray Mae Murray (born Marie Adrienne Koenig; May 10, 1885 – March 23, 1965) was an American actress, dancer, film producer, and screenwriter. Murray rose to fame during the silent film era and was known as "The Girl with the Bee-Stung Lips" and "Th ...

Constance Talmadge Constance Alice Talmadge (April 19, 1898 – November 23, 1973) was an American silent film star. She was the sister of actresses Norma and Natalie Talmadge. Early life Talmadge was born on April 19, 1898 in Brooklyn, New York, to poor par ...

and

Constance Binney Constance Binney (June 28, 1896 – November 15, 1989) was an American stage and film actress and dancer. Biography Born in New York City, Binney was educated at Westover School, a private college preparatory boarding school for girls in ...

.Silent Ladies & Gents: ''Photoplay: Who's Who on the Screen'' (1920)
/ref> At the beginning of the 1920s,

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...

film producers took notice of the handsome, fair, young actor and saw in Coleman a possible "All American" matinee idol to counter the "

Latin lover Latin lover is a stereotypical stock character, part of the Hollywood star system. It appeared for the first time in Hollywood in the 1920s and, for the most part, lost popularity during World War II. In time, the type evolved, developing var ...

" types such as

Ramón Novarro José Ramón Gil Samaniego (February 6, 1899 – October 30, 1968), known professionally as Ramon Novarro, was a Mexican-American actor. He began his career in silent films in 1917 and eventually became a leading man and one of the top box ...

Antonio Moreno Antonio Garrido Monteagudo (September 26, 1887 – February 15, 1967), better known as Antonio Moreno or Tony Moreno, was a Spanish-born American actor and film director of the silent film era and through the 1950s. Early life and silent f ...

and

Rudolf Valentino Rodolfo Pietro Filiberto Raffaello Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonguolla (May 6, 1895 – August 23, 1926), known professionally as Rudolph Valentino and nicknamed The Latin Lover, was an Italian actor based in the United States who starred ...

that were becoming increasingly popular among the nation's theater-goers. In 1919 however, Coleman's further foray into moving pictures was a less than glamorous role in the anti-

syphilis Syphilis () is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium ''Treponema pallidum'' subspecies ''pallidum''. The signs and symptoms of syphilis vary depending in which of the four stages it presents (primary, secondary, latent, and ...

propaganda film ''Scarlet Trail'', which was inspired by the World War I era for-men-only medical pamphlet ''Don't Take a Chance''. Coleman was eventually groomed by the studios to become a leading man and had starring roles in the 1921

George Fawcett George Fawcett (August 25, 1860 – June 6, 1939) was an American stage and film actor of the silent era. Biography Born in Alexandria, Virginia, in 1860, Fawcett graduated from the University of Virginia. His initial inclination was to ...

directed remake of the 1914 Mary Pickford comedy film ''Such A Little Queen'' and ''The Magic Cup'', released the same year before returning to Broadway in July 1921 to star in the

Sam H. Harris Sam Henry Harris (February 3, 1872 – July 3, 1941) was a Broadway producer and theater owner. Career Sam Harris was born on Manhattan's Lower East Side to poor Jewish parents. After a stint as a cough drop salesman and boxing manager, Harris' ...

produced play '' Nice People'' opposite renowned stage actress

Tallulah Bankhead Tallulah Brockman Bankhead (January 31, 1902 – December 12, 1968) was an American actress. Primarily an actress of the stage, Bankhead also appeared in several prominent films including an award-winning performance in Alfred Hitchcock's ''Lif ...

. In 1923 Coleman appeared in the independently produced "epic" film ''Salome'' as Herod, opposite actress Diana Allen. The film proved to be a colossal financial disappointment however and Coleman's film career never recovered and the young actor became disillusioned with film. Coleman made only two more motion pictures (both released in 1923); ''Has The World Gone Mad!'' with Hedda Hopper and

Elinor Fair Elinor Virginia Martin (''née'' Crowe; December 21, 1903 – April 26, 1957), known professionally as Elinor Fair, was an American motion picture actress. Early years Elinor Virginia Crowe was born on December 21, 1903, in Richmond, Virginia, ...

and the comedy ''The Purple Highway'' starring Monte Blue,

Madge Kennedy Madge Kennedy (April 19, 1891 – June 9, 1987) was a stage, film and TV actress whose career began as a stage actress in 1912 and flourished in motion pictures during the silent film era. In 1921, journalist Heywood Broun described her as "the ...

and Pedro de Cordoba. After retiring from films at the age of twenty-two, Coleman concentrated further on his stage career. Coleman died in Los Angeles, California in 1971 at the age of seventy-one.

Complete filmography

References

External links

* *
Vincent Coleman at Silent Ladies & Gents
* Vincent Coleman a
AFI Catalog, Silent Films
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coleman, Vincent 1900 births 1970 deaths American male stage actors American male silent film actors Male actors from Louisiana 20th-century American male actors