William Stack (March 5, 1882 – January 15, 1949) was an American actor who began his acting career in Great Britain. Over the course of his career he appeared in over 50 films in the U.S. and the U.K, including such notable films as Mary of Scotland,

Captains Courageous ''Captains Courageous: A Story of the Grand Banks'' is an 1897 novel by Rudyard Kipling that follows the adventures of fifteen-year-old Harvey Cheyne Jr., the spoiled son of a railroad tycoon, after he is saved from drowning by a Portuguese f ...

, and

Gone with the Wind Gone with the Wind most often refers to: * ''Gone with the Wind'' (novel), a 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell * ''Gone with the Wind'' (film), the 1939 adaptation of the novel Gone with the Wind may also refer to: Music * ''Gone with the Wind'' ...

Life and career

Stack was born on March 5, 1882, in Baker, Oregon. He began his acting career on the stage in England, before entering the film industry with a starring role in the 1918 British silent film, ''The Girl from Downing Street''. He also starred in the 1922 British film, ''The Scourge'', which also stars Madge Stuart and J.R. Tozer. In 1930, Stack returned to the U.S., making his American film debut with a featured role in the melodrama, '' Sarah and Son'', starring Ruth Chatterton and

Fredric March Fredric March (born Ernest Frederick McIntyre Bickel; August 31, 1897 – April 14, 1975) was an American actor, regarded as one of Hollywood's most celebrated, versatile stars of the 1930s and 1940s.Obituary '' Variety'', April 16, 1975, ...

. He followed this with an appearance as Travis in '' Derelict'', directed by Rowland V. Lee, and starring

George Bancroft George Bancroft (October 3, 1800 – January 17, 1891) was an American historian, statesman and Democratic politician who was prominent in promoting secondary education both in his home state of Massachusetts and at the national and internati ...

Jessie Royce Landis Jessie Royce Landis (born Jessie Medbury, November 25, 1896 – February 2, 1972) was an American actress. Her name is also seen as Jesse Royce-Landis. She remains perhaps best-known for her mother roles in the Hitchcock films ''To Catch a Thief' ...

, and William "Stage" Boyd. He finished the year in the small role of Dr. Fowler in '' The Right to Love'', starring Ruth Chatterton and Paul Lukas. In 1931 he only appeared in a single film, the legal drama '' A Free Soul'', in a small role. The film stars Norma Shearer,

Leslie Howard Leslie Howard Steiner (3 April 18931 June 1943) was an English actor, director and producer.Obituary ''Variety'', 9 June 1943. He wrote many stories and articles for ''The New York Times'', ''The New Yorker'', and ''Vanity Fair'' and was one o ...

, Lionel Barrymore, and

Clark Gable William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901November 16, 1960) was an American film actor, often referred to as "The King of Hollywood". He had roles in more than 60 motion pictures in multiple genres during a career that lasted 37 years, three decades ...

. 1932 would see him in another small role, that of a doctor in ''

Payment Deferred ''Payment Deferred'' is a crime novel by C.S. Forester, first published in 1926. William Marble is a bank clerk living in south London with a wife, Annie, and two teenage children, Winifred ('Winnie') and John, desperately worried about money an ...

'', starring Charles Laughton and Maureen O'Sullivan. In '' Charlie Chan's Greatest Case'' (1933), starring

Warner Oland Warner Oland (born Johan Verner Ölund; October 3, 1879 – August 6, 1938) was a Swedish-American actor. His career included time on Broadway and numerous film appearances. He is most remembered for playing several Chinese and Chinese-American ...

in the title role, Stack had the minor part of Jack Eagan. Small roles followed in the 1934 films '' The Fountain'', starring

Ann Harding Ann Harding (born Dorothy Walton Gatley; August 7, 1902 – September 1, 1981) was an American theatre, motion picture, radio, and television actress. A regular player on Broadway and in regional theater in the 1920s, in the 1930s Harding was ...

, ''

Manhattan Melodrama ''Manhattan Melodrama'' is a 1934 American pre-Code crime film, produced by MGM, directed by W. S. Van Dyke, and starring Clark Gable, William Powell, and Myrna Loy. The movie also provided one of Mickey Rooney's earliest film roles. (Rooney ...

'', starring

William Powell William Horatio Powell (July 29, 1892 – March 5, 1984) was an American actor. A major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, he was paired with Myrna Loy in 14 films, including the '' Thin Man'' series based on the Nick and Nora Charles characters cr ...

, and

Myrna Loy Myrna Loy (born Myrna Adele Williams; August 2, 1905 – December 14, 1993) was an American film, television and stage actress. Trained as a dancer, Loy devoted herself fully to an acting career following a few minor roles in silent films. ...

, '' Wonder Bar'', starring

Al Jolson Al Jolson (born Eizer Yoelson; June 9, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was a Lithuanian-American Jewish singer, comedian, actor, and vaudevillian. He was one of the United States' most famous and highest-paid stars of the 1920s, and was self-billed ...

, and '' Chained'', starring Gable and

Joan Crawford Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur; March 23, ncertain year from 1904 to 1908was an American actress. She started her career as a dancer in traveling theatrical companies before debuting on Broadway theatre, Broadway. Crawford was si ...

. Before he appeared in the substantial role as

Warner Baxter Warner Leroy Baxter (March 29, 1889 – May 7, 1951) was an American film actor from the 1910s to the 1940s. Baxter is known for his role as the Cisco Kid in the 1928 film ''In Old Arizona'', for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor at ...

's captain in the war drama, '' Hell in the Heavens''. In 1935 he again had several small roles in such films as '' Rendezvous'', where he played a waiter, as a director in '' The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo'', and as Sir Phillip in '' The Perfect Gentleman''. Stack also played the Judge Advocate, another small role, in the classic 1935 version of ''

Mutiny on the Bounty The mutiny on the Royal Navy vessel occurred in the South Pacific Ocean on 28 April 1789. Disaffected crewmen, led by acting-Lieutenant Fletcher Christian, seized control of the ship from their captain, Lieutenant William Bligh, and set h ...

'', starring Charles Laughton and

. That year he also had prominent roles in several films. He played a mysterious professor, Henri Fresnel, the father of

Wendy Barrie Wendy Barrie (born Marguerite Wendy Jenkins; 18 April 1912 – 2 February 1978) was a British-American film and television actress. Early life Barrie was born in London to English parents. Her father, Francis Charles John Graigoe Jenkin KC ...

, in the murder mystery, ''

College Scandal ''College Scandal'' is a 1935 American comedy film directed by Elliott Nugent and written by Frank Partos, Charles Brackett and Marguerite Roberts. The film stars Arline Judge, Kent Taylor, Wendy Barrie, William Frawley, Benny Baker, William Ben ...

''. Stack also had a leading role in the historical drama, '' Becky Sharp'', which was notable because it was the first film shot entirely in the new three-strip

Technicolor Technicolor is a series of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes, the first version dating back to 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black and white films ...

process. Stack's final screen performance was as the Butler in the 1945 spy film, '' Confidential Agent'', starring Charles Boyer and Lauren Bacall. Stack died on January 15, 1949, at the age of 66, in Pasadena, California.

Filmography

(Per

AFI AFI may refer to: * ''Address-family identifier'', a 16 bit field of the Routing Information Protocol * Ashton Fletcher Irwin, an Australian drummer * AFI (band), an American rock band ** ''AFI'' (2004 album), a retrospective album by AFI rele ...

database) * '' Derelict'' (1930) as Party Guest Gossiper (uncredited) * '' The Right to Love'' (1930) as Dr. Fowler * '' Sarah and Son'' (1930) as Cyril Belloc * '' A Free Soul'' (1931) as Dick Roland (uncredited) * ''

'' (1932) as A Doctor * '' Charlie Chan's Greatest Case'' (1933) as James Eagan * '' The Fountain'' (1934) as Commandant * ''

'' (1934) as Judge (uncredited) * '' Hell in the Heavens'' (1934) as Capt. Andre De Laage * '' Wonder Bar'' (1934) as Businessman (uncredited) * ''

Tarzan and His Mate ''Tarzan and His Mate'' is a 1934 American pre-Code action adventure film based on the Tarzan character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Directed by Cedric Gibbons, it w ...

'' (1934) as Tom Pierce (uncredited) * '' Chained'' (1934) as James, Richard's Butler (uncredited) * ''

The Mystery of Mr. X ''The Mystery of Mr. X'' is a 1934 American pre-Code crime film starring Robert Montgomery as a jewel thief who gets mixed up in a series of murders in London. It is based on the 1933 novel ''X v. Rex'' by Philip MacDonald (under the pen name ...

'' (1934) as Travers Gordon (uncredited) * '' What Every Woman Knows'' (1934) as Tenterden - Sybil's Brother (uncredited) * '' I've Been Around'' (1935) as Doctor * '' The Winning Ticket'' (1935) as Jeffries (uncredited) * '' Rendezvous'' (1935) as Headwaiter (uncredited) * '' Becky Sharp'' (1935) as Pitt Crawley * ''

'' (1935) as Dr. Henri Fresnel * '' The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo'' (1935) as Director (uncredited) * '' The Perfect Gentleman'' (1935) as Sir Percy Phillips (uncredited) * ''

'' (1935) as Judge Advocate (uncredited) * ''

Dressed to Thrill ''Dressed to Thrill'' is a 1935 American musical film directed by Harry Lachman and written by Samson Raphaelson. The film stars Tutta Rolf, Clive Brook, Robert Barrat, Nydia Westman and Dina Smirnova. The film was released on August 16, 1935, by ...

'' (1935) as Canadian Colonel (uncredited) * ''

Magnificent Obsession ''Magnificent Obsession'' is a 1929 novel by American author Lloyd C. Douglas. It was one of four of his books that were eventually made into blockbuster motion pictures, the other three being '' The Robe'', '' White Banners'' and ''The Big Fisher ...

'' (1935) as Doctor (uncredited) * '' The Last of the Mohicans'' (1936) as General Montcalm * '' Mary of Scotland'' (1936) as Ruthven * '' Stowaway'' (1936) as Alfred Kruikshank * '' Pennies From Heaven'' (1936) as Clarence B. Carmichael * '' Rose-Marie'' (1936) as Gordon (uncredited) * '' The Gorgeous Hussy'' (1936) * ''

His Brother's Wife ''His Brother's Wife'' is a 1936 American romantic drama film directed by W. S. Van Dyke and starring Barbara Stanwyck and Robert Taylor. Written by Leon Gordon and John Meehan, based on a story by George Auerbach, the film is about a scienti ...

'' (1936) as Winters * '' Souls at Sea'' (1937) as Judge (uncredited) * ''

'' (1937) as Elliott (uncredited) * '' Criminal Lawyer'' (1937) as District Attorney Hopkins * '' Parnell'' (1937) as Conservative Member (uncredited) * ''

The Soldier and the Lady ''The Soldier and the Lady'' is the 1937 American adventure film version of the oft-produced 1876 Jules Verne novel, '' Michel Strogoff''. Produced by Pandro S. Berman, he hired as his associate producer, Joseph Ermolieff. Ermolieff had produc ...

'' (1937) as Grand Duke * '' The Emperor's Candlesticks'' (1937) as Czar (voice, uncredited) * '' Personal Property'' (1937) as Bobby at Crystal's House (uncredited) * '' A Christmas Carol'' (1938) as Man Discussing Scrooge's Funeral (uncredited) * ''

Four Men and a Prayer ''Four Men and a Prayer'' is a 1938 American adventure film directed by John Ford and starring Loretta Young, Richard Greene and George Sanders. Plot After Loring Leigh (C. Aubrey Smith), a British Army Officer, is cashiered in India followin ...

'' (1938) as Prosecuting Pttorney * '' Man-Proof'' (1938) as Minister * ''

Booloo ''Booloo'' is a 1938 American adventure film directed by Clyde E. Elliott. It stars Colin Tapley as a British soldier who attempts to prove the existence of a legendary tiger. Premise Captain Robert Rogers, a British Army officer, publishes a ...

'' (1938) as Col. Stanley Jaye * '' Of Human Hearts'' (1938) as Uniform Salesman (uncredited) * ''

The Shopworn Angel ''The Shopworn Angel'' is a 1938 American drama film directed by H. C. Potter and starring James Stewart, Margaret Sullavan, and Walter Pidgeon. The MGM release featured the second screen pairing of Margaret Sullavan and James Stewart followi ...

'' (1938) as Minister (uncredited) * '' The Lady in Question'' (1940) as Mr. Marinier (uncredited) * '' The Earl of Chicago'' (1940) as Coroner (uncredited) * ''

Victory The term victory (from Latin ''victoria'') originally applied to warfare, and denotes success achieved in personal combat, after military operations in general or, by extension, in any competition. Success in a military campaign constitutes ...

'' (1940) * '' Among the Living'' (1941) as Minister * ''

So Ends Our Night ''So Ends Our Night'' is a 1941 drama directed by John Cromwell (director), John Cromwell and starring Fredric March, Margaret Sullavan and Glenn Ford. The screenplay was adapted by Talbot Jennings from the novel ''Flotsam (novel), Flotsam'' by G ...

'' (1941) as Professor Meyer * '' Confidential Agent'' (1945) as The Butler (uncredited) * '' The Picture of Dorian Gray'' (1945) as Mr. Erskine (uncredited)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stack, William 1882 births 1949 deaths American actors