Bertram Lytell (February 24, 1885 – September 28, 1954) was an American actor in theater and film during the

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized Sound recording and reproduction, recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) ...

era and early

talkies A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed before ...

. He starred in romantic, melodrama, and adventure films.

Background

Born in New York City, Lytell was the son of actor, author, and producer William H. Lytell and Blanche Mortimer. His mother was an actress before she married, and her father and grandfather were actors. Lytell left Upper Canada College at age 16 to become an actor. Lytell's acting debut came with the Columbia Stock Company in Newark, New Jersey, when he was 17 years old. He went on to appear with stock theater companies in Boston, Honolulu, Los Angeles, New Orleans, and Rochester, in addition to heading his own stock troupes in Albany, New York, and San Francisco. He appeared with Marie Dressler in her 1914 Broadway play, ''A MIX-UP''. He also performed in

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

in the 1920s with the one-act play '' The Valiant''.(18 May 1929)
Bert Lytell's Old Act A Hit As Motion Picture
''Vaudeville News'' In 1917, Lytell made his film debut starring as Michael Lanyard in ''

The Lone Wolf The Lone Wolf may refer to: * ''The Lone Wolf'', a 1914 novel by Louis Joseph Vance Louis Joseph Vance (September 19, 1879 – December 16, 1933) was an American novelist, screenwriter and film producer. He created the popular character M ...

''. He subsequently made four Lone Wolf sequels, ending with '' The Last of the Lone Wolf'' (1930). He also starred as Boston Blackie in ''

Boston Blackie's Little Pal ''Boston Blackie's Little Pal'' is a 1918 American silent drama film, directed by E. Mason Hopper. It stars Bert Lytell, Rhea Mitchell, and Rosemary Theby, and was released on August 26, 1918. Plot Boston Blackie is a notorious crook who has set ...

'' (1918) and ''

Blackie's Redemption ''Blackie's Redemption'', also known by its working title ''Powers That Pray'', is a 1919 American silent drama film directed by John Ince. It stars Bert Lytell, Alice Lake, and Henry Kolker, and was released on April 14, 1919. Plot Boston Bla ...

'' (1919). On old-time radio, Lytell had the title role in '' Alias Jimmy Valentine'' – a role he had played in the 1920 film of the same name, and was host of ''Bert Lytell Dramas'' and ''Stage Door Canteen''. His younger brother Wilfred Lytell (1891–1954) also became a stage and screen actor. Bert Lytell married the silent film actress

Claire Windsor Claire Windsor (born Clara Viola Cronk; April 14, 1892 – October 24, 1972) was an American film actress of the silent screen era. Early life Windsor was born Clara Viola Cronk (nicknamed "Ola") in 1892 in Marvin, Phillips County, Kansas to ...

in 1925; they divorced in 1927. Like many other silent screen stars, Lytell's career collapsed after the advent of talking pictures. He worked on NBC daytime shows in the early 1950s while he was Shepherd (President) of the actors club

The Lambs The Lambs, Inc. (also known as The Lambs Club) is a social club in New York City for actors, songwriters, and others involved in the theatre. It is America's oldest theatrical organization. "The Lambs" is a registered trademark of The Lambs, Inc ...

from 1947 to 1952. Lytell was named an Immortal Lamb. Lytell died in New York City, aged 69. His brother Wilfred died 18 days before. He has a star at 6417 Hollywood Avenue in the Motion Picture section of the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Selected filmography

* ''

'' (1917) – Michael Lanyard * '' Empty Pockets'' (1918) – Dr. Clinton Worthing * '' The Trail to Yesterday'' (1918) – Ned 'Dakota' Keegles * '' No Man's Land'' (1918, also co-wrote scenario) – Garrett Cope * ''

'' (1918) – Boston Blackie * '' Unexpected Places'' (1918) – Dick Holloway * '' Hitting the High Spots'' (1918, also co-wrote scenario) – Bob Durland * '' The Spender'' (1919) – Dick Bisbee * ''

Faith Faith, derived from Latin ''fides'' and Old French ''feid'', is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or In the context of religion, one can define faith as " belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". Religious people ofte ...

'' (1919) – George Farrelly * '' Blind Man's Eyes'' (1919) – Hugh Overton, aka Philip D. Eaton * ''

'' (1919) – Boston Blackie * '' The Lion's Den'' (1919) – Reverend Sam Webster * '' One-Thing-at-a-Time O'Day'' (1919) – Stradivarius O'Day * ''

Easy to Make Money ''Easy to Make Money'', originally titled ''It's Easy to Make Money'' is a 1919 American silent comedy film directed by Edwin Carewe. It stars Bert Lytell, Gertrude Selby, and Frank Currier Frank Currier (September 4, 1857 – April 22 ...

'' (1919) – James 'Jimmy' Frederick Slocum Jr. * ''

Lombardi, Ltd. Lombardi, Ltd. (also sometimes styled ''Lombardi Limited'' in publicity materials) is a surviving 1919 American silent feature comedy film. It was adapted by June Mathis from a 1917 play of the same name by Frederick and Fanny Hatton, and directe ...

'' (1919) – Tito Lambardi * '' The Right of Way'' (1920) – Charley Steele * '' Alias Jimmy Valentine'' (1920) – Lee Randall / Jimmy Valentine * '' The Price of Redemption'' (1920) – Leigh Dering * '' The Misleading Lady'' (1920) – Jack Craigen * '' A Message from Mars'' (1921) – Horace Parker * '' The Man Who'' (1921) – Bedford Mills * '' A Trip to Paradise'' (1921) – 'Curley' Flynn * '' Alias Ladyfingers'' (1921) – Robert Ashe – Ladyfingers * ''A Trip to Paradise'' (1921, an adaptation of ''

Liliom ''Liliom'' is a 1909 play by the Hungarian playwright Ferenc Molnár. It was well known in its own right during the early to mid-20th century, but is best known today as the basis for the Rodgers and Hammerstein 1945 musical ''Carousel''. P ...

'') * '' The Idle Rich'' (1921) – Samuel Weatherbee * '' The Right That Failed'' (1922) – Johnny Duffey * '' A Trip to Paramountown'' (1922, Documentary short) – Himself * '' The Face Between'' (1922) – Tommy Carteret Sr. * '' Sherlock Brown'' (1922) – William Brown * '' To Have and to Hold'' (1922) – Captain Ralph Percy * '' Kick In'' (1922) – Chick Hewes * ''

Rupert of Hentzau ''Rupert of Hentzau'' is a sequel by Anthony Hope to ''The Prisoner of Zenda'', written in 1895 but not published in book form until 1898. The novel was serialized in '' The Pall Mall Magazine'' and '' McClure's Magazine'' from December 1897 t ...

'' (1923) – King of Ruritania / Rudolph Rassendyll * ''

The Meanest Man in the World Not to be confused with the 1920 George M. Cohan play or The Meanest Man in the World (1923 film) ''The Meanest Man in the World'' is a 1943 American comedy film directed by Sidney Lanfield, starring Jack Benny and Priscilla Lane, based upon ...

'' (1923) – Richard Clark * '' The Eternal City'' (1923) – David Rossi * ''

A Son of the Sahara ''A Son of the Sahara'' is a 1924 American silent drama film produced and directed by Edwin Carewe and co-directed with René Plaissetty. It stars Claire Windsor and Bert Lytell. First National handled the distribution of the film. Plot As de ...

'' (1924) – Raoul Le Breton * '' Sandra'' (1924) – David Waring * '' Born Rich'' (1924) – Jimmy Fairfax * '' The Boomerang'' (1925) – Dr. Sumner * ''

Steele of the Royal Mounted ''Steele of the Royal Mounted'' is a 1925 American silent Western film directed by David Smith and starring Bert Lytell, Stuart Holmes and Charlotte Merriam. It is based on a novel by James Oliver Curwood about the Royal Canadian Mounted Polic ...

'' (1925) – Philip Steele * '' Eve's Lover'' (1925) – Baron Geraldo Maddox * '' Never the Twain Shall Meet'' (1925) – Dan Pritchard * '' The Sporting Life'' (1925) – Lord Woodstock * '' The Ship of Souls'' (1925) – Langley Barnes * ''

Lady Windermere's Fan ''Lady Windermere's Fan, A Play About a Good Woman'' is a four-act comedy by Oscar Wilde, first performed on Saturday, 20 February 1892, at the St James's Theatre in London. The story concerns Lady Windermere, who suspects that her husband is ...

'' (1925) – Lord Windermere * '' The Gilded Butterfly'' (1926) – Brian Anestry * '' The Lone Wolf Returns'' (1926) – Michael Lanyard / The Lone Wolf * '' That Model from Paris'' (1926) – Robert Richmond * '' Obey The Law'' (1926) – Phil Schuyler * '' The First Night'' (1927) – Dr. Richard Bard * ''Alias the Lone Wolf'' (1927) – Michael Lanyard / The Lone Wolf * '' Women's Wares'' (1927) – Robert Crane * '' On Trial'' (1928) – Robert Strickland * ''

The Lone Wolf's Daughter ''The Lone Wolf's Daughter'' is a surviving 1919 American silent era crime/drama/thriller motion picture starring Bertram Grassby, Louise Glaum, and Thomas Holding. Directed by William P.S. Earle and produced by J. Parker Read, Jr., the scree ...

'' (1929) – Michael Lanyard / The Lone Wolf * ''The Last of the Lone Wolf'' (1930) – Michael Lanyard * ''

Brothers A brother is a man or boy who shares one or more parents with another; a male sibling. The female counterpart is a sister. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to non-familia ...

'' (1930) – Bob Naughton / Eddie Connolly * '' The Stolen Jools'' (1931) – Joe Strickland * ''

Stage Door Canteen The Stage Door Canteen was an entertainment venue for American and Allied servicemen that operated in the Broadway theatre district of New York City throughout World War II. Founded by the American Theatre Wing (ATW) in 1942, the entertainers we ...

'' (1943) – Canteen Master of Ceremonies

References

External links

* * *
Bert Lytell
at Virtual History {{DEFAULTSORT:Lytell, Bert 1885 births 1954 deaths American male film actors American male silent film actors 20th-century American male actors Male actors from New York City The Lambs presidents Vaudeville performers Presidents of the Actors' Equity Association