William Burr McIntosh (August 21, 1862 – April 28, 1942) was an American lecturer, photographer, film studio owner,

silent film 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, w ...

actor, author, publisher of ''The'' ''Burr McIntosh Monthly'',Burr McIntosh
A Timeline of His Life and Review of the Burr McIntosh Monthly. reporter and a pioneer in the early film and radio business.

Life and career

He was born in Wellsville, Ohio, the son of William A. McIntosh (died 1921) and his wife Minerva ''née'' Bottenberg (died 1883). His father was the president of a public company, New York and Cleveland Gas Coal Company, and a member of the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club. The club's activities were blamed (but the members were not held legally responsible) for the failure of the South Fork Dam, which caused the Johnstown Flood in 1889 that resulted in the loss of over 2,200 lives in

Johnstown, Pennsylvania Johnstown is the largest city in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 18,411 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located east of Pittsburgh, it is the principal city of the Metropolitan statistical area ...

. His sister

Nancy McIntosh Nancy Isobel McIntosh (25 October 1866 – February 20, 1954) was an American-born singer and actress who performed mostly on the London stage. Her father was a member of the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club, which had been blamed in connec ...

, an operatic

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...

, was the protege, adopted daughter and heiress to the estate of W. S. Gilbert of

Gilbert and Sullivan Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the dramatist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and the composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900) and to the works they jointly created. The two men collaborated on fourteen com ...

. McIntosh graduated from

Lafayette College Lafayette College is a private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Easton, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter and other citizens in Easton, the college first held classes in 18 ...

in 1884, where he was an athlete and became a member of the

Sigma Chi Sigma Chi () International Fraternity is one of the largest North American social Fraternities and sororities, fraternities. The fraternity has 244 active undergraduate chapters and 152 alumni chapters across the United States and Canada and has ...

fraternity. He began as a stage actor and then moved into silent films. His most enduring role was Squire Bartlett, who banished the character played by Lillian Gish from his home and into the cold Maine winter in D.W. Griffith's classic film, ''

Way Down East ''Way Down East'' is a 1920 American silent film, silent melodrama film directed by D. W. Griffith and starring Lillian Gish. It is one of four film adaptations of the 19th century play of the same name by Charlotte Blair Parker, Lottie Blair ...

'' (1920). Miss Gish described McIntosh as a gentle giant, "always apologizing for having to treat me so cruelly". He appeared in 53 films between 1914 and 1934. He died in Hollywood on April 28, 1942, aged 79, from a heart attack.

''The Burr McIntosh Monthly''

''The Burr McIntosh Monthly'' was a monthly magazine started by Burr McIntosh which lasted from 1903–1910. It consisted mainly of photographs of famous people and landscapes, and was bound by string so as to encourage framing of the photographs.Burr McIntosh
-- A Timeline of His Life and Review of the Burr McIntosh Monthly. It was published and edited by Burr McIntosh, with Clark Hobart as art director.

Selected filmography

* '' The New Adventures of J. Rufus Wallingford'' (1915) * ''

'' (1920) * '' The Exciters'' (1923) * '' On the Banks of the Wabash'' (1923) * '' Restless Wives'' (1924) * '' Virtuous Liars'' (1924) * '' The Spitfire'' (1924) * '' The Average Woman'' (1924) * '' Lend Me Your Husband'' (1924) * '' Camille of the Barbary Coast'' (1925) * '' Enemies of Youth'' (1925) * '' The Green Archer'' (1925) * '' The Wilderness Woman'' (1926) * '' The Buckaroo Kid'' (1926) * '' Lightning Reporter'' (1926) * '' The Golden Stallion'' (1927) * '' See You in Jail'' (1927) * '' Fire and Steel'' (1927) * '' Breakfast at Sunrise'' (1927) * '' A Hero for a Night'' (1927) * ''

Hazardous Valley ''Hazardous Valley'' is a 1927 American silent drama film directed by Alan James Alan James (March 23, 1890 – December 30, 1952) was an American film director and screenwriter. He directed more than 70 films between 1916 and 1943. He ...

'' (1927) * '' Once and Forever'' (1927) * '' Framed'' (1927) * '' Taxi! Taxi!'' (1927) * '' The Fourflusher'' (1928) * '' Sailors' Wives'' (1928) * '' The Grip of the Yukon'' (1928) * '' Lilac Time'' (1928) * '' The Adorable Cheat'' (1928) * '' Fancy Baggage'' (1929) * '' Skinner Steps Out'' (1929) * '' The Rogue Song'' (1930) * '' A Private Scandal'' (1931) * '' Command Performance'' (1931) * '' The Richest Girl in the World'' (1934)

References

External links

* * *
The Burr McIntosh Photograph Collection at the New York Historical SocietyThe Burr McIntosh monthly
various digitized editions. From google books. {{DEFAULTSORT:McIntosh, Burr 1862 births 1942 deaths 19th-century American male actors American male stage actors American magazine publishers (people) American male silent film actors 20th-century American male actors People from Wellsville, Ohio Male actors from Ohio Writers from Ohio Lafayette College alumni American photographers