Ben Deeley (January 22, 1878 - September 23, 1924) born J. Bernard Deeley also credited as Ben Deely, was an American actor and composer.

Biography

Born in 1878, Deeley appeared in silent films, never having lived to the talkie era. He composed a popular ragtime song called ''The Kleptomaniac Rag'' in 1913. His best known performance in films is the strange powdered character Mr. Jones in

Maurice Tourneur Maurice Félix Thomas (; 2 February 1876 – 4 August 1961), known as Maurice Tourneur (), was a French film director and screenwriter. Life Born Maurice Félix Thomas in the Épinettes district (17th arrondissement of Paris), his father was a w ...

's ''

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

'' alongside

Lon Chaney Leonidas Frank "Lon" Chaney (April 1, 1883 – August 26, 1930) was an American actor and makeup artist. He is regarded as one of the most versatile and powerful actors of cinema, renowned for his characterizations of tortured, often gr ...

, Jack Holt, and

Wallace Beery Wallace Fitzgerald Beery (April 1, 1885 – April 15, 1949) was an American film and stage actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Bill in '' Min and Bill'' (1930) opposite Marie Dressler, as General Director Preysing in '' Grand Hotel'' (1 ...

. He was at one time married to Marie Wayne, who costarred with him in ''

The Patchwork Girl of Oz ''The Patchwork Girl of Oz'' is the seventh book in L. Frank Baum's Oz series. Characters include the Woozy, Ojo "the Unlucky", Unc Nunkie, Dr. Pipt, Scraps (the patchwork girl), and others. The novel was first published on July 1, 1913, ...

'' (1914), and to actress Barbara La Marr. Deeley died of

double pneumonia Pneumonia can be classified in several ways, most commonly by where it was acquired (hospital versus community), but may also by the area of lung affected or by the causative organism. There is also a combined clinical classification, which combi ...

Selected filmography

*''

'' (1914) *''

East Lynne ''East Lynne, or, The Earl's Daughter'' is an 1861 English sensation novel by Ellen Wood, writing as Mrs. Henry Wood. A Victorian-era bestseller, it is remembered chiefly for its elaborate and implausible plot centering on infidelity and dou ...

'' (1916) *(with

Theda Bara Theda Bara ( ; born Theodosia Burr Goodman; July 29, 1885 – April 7, 1955) was an American silent film and stage actress. Bara was one of the more popular actresses of the silent era and one of cinema's early sex symbols. Her femme fatal ...

) *'' In Pursuit of Polly'' (1918) (*with

Billie Burke Mary William Ethelbert Appleton "Billie" Burke (August 7, 1884 – May 14, 1970) was an American actress who was famous on Broadway and radio, and in silent and sound films. She is best known to modern audiences as Glinda the Good Witch of t ...

) *''

'' (1919) *'' Flames of the Flesh'' (1920) *''The Tattlers'' (1920) *'' The Iron Heart'' (1920) *''A Sister to Salome'' (1920) *''Would You Forgive?'' (1920) *'' Sowing the Wind'' (1921) *''

Kazan Kazan; , IPA: Help:IPA/Tatar, ɑzanis the largest city and capital city, capital of Tatarstan, Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Volga and the Kazanka (river), Kazanka Rivers, covering an area of , with a population of over 1. ...

'' (1921) *'' Molly O'' (1921) *'' Where's My Wandering Boy Tonight?'' (1922) *'' The Crossroads of New York'' (1922) * '' Lights Out'' (1923) *''

The Acquittal ''The Acquittal'' is a 1923 American silent mystery film based on the play of the same name by Rita Weiman. The film was directed by Clarence Brown, who would later start a long career at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The film stars Norman Kerry, Clair ...

'' (1923) * '' Passion's Pathway'' (1924) *'' Winner Take All'' (1924) *''

The Cyclone Rider ''The Cyclone Rider'' is a 1924 American silent adventure film directed by Tom Buckingham. Prints of the film survive in the Czech Film Archive. Cast * Reed Howes as Richard Armstrong * Alma Bennett as Doris Steele * William Bailey as Reyna ...

'' (1924) *'' Never the Twain Shall Meet'' (1925)

References

External links

*
Jane Novak and Ben Deeley in ''Kazan'' (1921)
(archived) {{DEFAULTSORT:Deeley, Ben 1878 births 1924 deaths Male actors from California American male silent film actors 20th-century American male actors American male film actors People from Folsom, California