William Herbert "Bert" Woodruff (April 29, 1856 – June 14, 1934) was an American actor of the
silent era
A silent film is a film without synchronized 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) or key lines of dialogue may, wh ...
.
Woodruff was born in
Peoria, Illinois
Peoria ( ) is a city in Peoria County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. Located on the Illinois River, the city had a population of 113,150 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Ill ...
, and was the son of Mrs. Hannah Woodruff. He performed on stage before he began acting on film, debuting in 1876 as part of the Woodruff and West song-and-dance act. His performances included blackface comedy and Irish specialties. In 1882, he became part of the Adelphi Theater stock company in Peoria, where he worked for seven years.
In 1898, Woodruff moved into management, opening a vaudeville theater in Peoria and managing it until 1904. From there he went to Redondo Beach, California, where he opened the city's first theater for films. He appeared in more than 60 films between 1916 and 1931. He remains perhaps best-known for playing the grandfather in the 1928
Harold Lloyd
Harold Clayton Lloyd Sr. (April 20, 1893 – March 8, 1971) was an American actor, comedian, and stunt performer who appeared in many Silent film, silent comedy films.Obituary ''Variety'', March 10, 1971, page 55.
One of the most influent ...
comedy ''
Speedy
Speedy refers to something or someone moving at high speed.
Speedy may refer to:
People
* Speedy (nickname), a list of people
* Speedy Long (1928–2006), American lawyer and politician
* Speedy Mashilo (born 1965), South African politician
* ...
''.
Woodruff died of
nephritis
Nephritis is inflammation of the kidneys and may involve the glomeruli, tubules, or interstitial tissue surrounding the glomeruli and tubules. It is one of several different types of nephropathy.
Types
* Glomerulonephritis is inflammation ...
in Hollywood, California, aged 78.
Selected filmography
* ''
Jim Bludso
''Jim Bludso'' is a 1917 American drama film directed by Tod Browning. It was Browning's first feature film as a director.
Contemporary sources are variable on the matter of whether the direction was a joint effort between Browning and the fi ...
The Delicious Little Devil
''The Delicious Little Devil'' is a 1919 American silent film, silent comedy-drama film starring Mae Murray and Rudolph Valentino. A 35 mm print of the film is housed at the EYE Film Instituut Nederland,Bill Henry'' (1919)
* '' The Jailbird'' (1920)
* '' For Those We Love'' (1921)
* ''
The Grim Comedian
''The Grim Comedian'' is a 1921 American silent drama film directed by Frank Lloyd and starring Phoebe Hunt, Jack Holt, and Gloria Hope.
Plot
As described in a film magazine, an automobile passenger tells an old man a tale, while speeding acr ...
The Vanishing American
''The Vanishing American'' is a 1925 American silent Western film produced by Famous Players–Lasky and distributed through Paramount Pictures. The film was directed by George B. Seitz and starred Richard Dix and Lois Wilson, recently pa ...
The Barrier
The Barrier is a lava dam retaining the Garibaldi Lake system in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. It is over thick and about long where it impounds the lake.
The area below and adjacent to The Barrier is considered hazardous due to th ...
The Life of Riley
''The Life of Riley'' is an American radio situation comedy series of the 1940s that was adapted into a 1949 feature film, as well as two different television series, and a comic book.
Radio series
The radio program initially aired on the B ...
Speedy
Speedy refers to something or someone moving at high speed.
Speedy may refer to:
People
* Speedy (nickname), a list of people
* Speedy Long (1928–2006), American lawyer and politician
* Speedy Mashilo (born 1965), South African politician
* ...
The Shopworn Angel
''The Shopworn Angel'' is a 1938 American drama film directed by H. C. Potter and starring Margaret Sullavan, James Stewart and Walter Pidgeon. The MGM release featured the second screen pairing of Margaret Sullavan and James Stewart followi ...
Laughing Sinners
''Laughing Sinners'' is a 1931 American pre-Code Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer feature film starring Joan Crawford and Clark Gable in a story about a cafe entertainer who experiences spiritual redemption. The dialogue by Martin Flavin was based upon the ...