Calvin Louis Thomas (1885 – September 26, 1964) was an American stage, film and television actor, and a

theatre director A theatre director or stage director is a professional in the theatre field who oversees and orchestrates the mounting of a theatre production such as a play, opera, dance, drama, musical theatre performance, etc. by unifying various endeavors a ...

Biography

Born in

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...

, to Jesse and Virginia Thomas, he was the older brother of actor Frank M. Thomas. He began performing on Broadway in 1907 as Louis Thomas, making his debut as a bit player in ''Peer Gynt'' with

Richard Mansfield Richard Mansfield (24 May 1857 – 30 August 1907) was a German-born English actor-manager best known for his performances in Shakespeare plays, Gilbert and Sullivan operas, and the play ''Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1887 play), Dr. Jekyll and Mr ...

in the starring role.Staff
"Calvin L. Thomas, Actor, Dies at 79"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', September 27, 1964. Accessed July 2, 2011. Also in 1907 and again as Louis Thomas, he appeared as Servius in a production of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar at Broadway's

New Amsterdam Theatre The New Amsterdam Theatre is a Broadway theatre, Broadway theater at 214 West 42nd Street (Manhattan), 42nd Street, at the southern end of Times Square, in the Theater District, Manhattan, Theater District of Manhattan in New York City, New Yor ...

, with Robert Mantell as Marcus Brutus. He began performing as Calvin Thomas in 1912. Thomas made his film debut in 1915 in ''The Money Master'', but performed mostly on the Broadway stage, appearing in nearly 40 plays and musicals. He appeared as the Starkeeper in the original Broadway production of ''

Carousel A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (International English), or galloper (British English) is a type of amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders. The seats are tradit ...

'' and also had Broadway roles in '' Kiss and Tell'', '' Abe Lincoln in Illinois'', '' Show Girl'', and ''We, the People''. In 1927 he performed with Margaret Mosier in ''Junk'', and they soon married; she died in 1951. His last Broadway role was as Dr. Ormondy in the 1955 production of ''Pipe Dream''. Thomas also appeared in several television series, including ''

Hallmark Hall of Fame ''Hallmark Hall of Fame'', originally called ''Hallmark Television Playhouse'', is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City, Missouri, Kansas Citybased greeting card company. It is the longest-ru ...

'' and, in its first (1955–56) season, ''

The Honeymooners ''The Honeymooners'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired from 1955 to 1956, created by and starring Jackie Gleason, and based on a recurring comedy sketch of the same name that had been part of Gleason's variety show. It f ...

'' (in the episodes "'Twas the Night before Christmas," "Oh My Aching Back," and "The Safety Award."

Personal life

Thomas died in

Caldwell, New Jersey Caldwell is a borough located in northwestern Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, about west of New York City and north-west of Newark, the state's most populous city. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population ...

in 1964 at the age of 79. He was survived by his second wife, Delia, whom he married in 1954, and two sons by his first marriage.

References

External links

* * * 1885 births 1964 deaths American male stage actors American theatre directors People from Caldwell, New Jersey Tony Award winners {{theat-bio-stub