Edward Roseman (May 14, 1875 – September 16, 1957), sometimes identified as Edward F. Roseman, was an American

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), l ...

, who worked primarily 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.

Biography

The son of a pharmacist, Roseman was born in Terre Haute, Indiana, christened Ernest Frederick Roseman. His father died of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in w ...

when he was seven years old so Edward and his two siblings, Jenny May and Henry, were raised in Terre Haute by his mother, Mary Lucinda. As a young adult, Roseman worked on a railroad before succumbing to the lure of

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 compositio ...

and traveling theater stock companies, including the Margaret Bird Stock Company and those founded by playwrights Lincoln J. Carter and

Wright Lorimer Wright Lorimer (March 10, 1874December 22, 1911) was the stage name of Walter Myron Smith, an American stage actor and playwright who was also known as Walter M. S. Lowell. He was author of a famous religious play ''The Shepherd King'' (1904) and s ...

. Between 1913 and 1921, Roseman was a popular actor in silent films, appearing in about 50 motion pictures during that span. Following his success in the title role of the 1920 Fox Studios horror serial, '' Fantômas,'' Roseman usually was featured in a heavy role as a

villain A villain (also known as a "black hat" or "bad guy"; the feminine form is villainess) is a stock character, whether based on a historical narrative or one of literary fiction. ''Random House Unabridged Dictionary'' defines such a character a ...

. Cast in a part which required him to play multiple personalities, '' Movie Weekly'' magazine referred to Roseman as "The Master of Makeup." He was described as "The Man of a Thousand Faces" several years before

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

earned that moniker. Altogether, Roseman appeared in more than 60 silent films. '' The House of Secrets'', released in 1929, was one of his only "

talkies A sound film is a motion picture with synchronization, 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 decad ...

." He also appeared on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

in the late twenties. Throughout his film career, Roseman resided in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

. Most if not all of the movies he made were created on the east coast. As film studios relocated to

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

, Roseman retired and moved, with his wife Sophia and son David, to Syracuse, New York. He died on 16 September 1957, at age 82, after a year's

illness A disease is a particular abnormal condition that negatively affects the structure or function of all or part of an organism, and that is not immediately due to any external injury. Diseases are often known to be medical conditions that ...

, and is buried at Morningside Cemetery in

Syracuse Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States * Syracuse, New York ** East Syracuse, New York ** North Syracuse, New York * Syracuse, Indiana *Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, M ...

Partial filmography

* '' All for a Girl'' (1915) as Briggs *'' The Pride of the Clan'' (1917) *'' The Tiger Woman'' (1917) *''

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 the u ...

'' (1917) *''

The Secret of Eve ''The Secret of Eve'' is a lost 1917 silent film drama directed by Perry N. Vekroff and starring Olga Petrova. It was produced by Popular Plays and Players and distributed through Metro Pictures. Cast *Olga Petrova - Eve, in the Garden of Eden/ ...

'' (1917) * '' The Red Woman'' (1917) *'' The Blue Streak'' (1917) *'' The Slave'' (1917) *'' The Wasp'' (1918) *'' Oh, Johnny!'' (1918) * '' The Embarrassment of Riches'' (1918) *'' Calibre 38'' (1919) *'' High Pockets'' (1919) *''

Speedy Meade ''Speedy Meade'' is a 1919 American silent Western film directed by Ira M. Lowry and starring Louis Bennison, Katherine MacDonald, Neil Moran, Claire Adams, and Norman Jefferies. The film was released by Goldwyn Pictures on March 23, 1919. P ...

'' (1919) * '' A Scream in the Night'' (1919) *'' The Face at Your Window'' (1920) *'' Fantômas'' (1920) *''

Anne of Little Smoky ''Anne of Little Smoky'' is a 1921 American silent romantic drama film directed by Edward Connor and starring Winifred Westover, Dolores Cassinelli, Joe King, Frank Hagney, and Ralph Faulkner. The film was released by Playgoers Pictures on Nov ...

'' (1921) *'' Tangled Trails'' (1921) * '' The Broken Violin'' (1923) *'' The Devil's Partner'' (1923) *''

On the Banks of the Wabash "On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away" was among the best-selling songs of the 19th century, earning over $100,000 from sheet-music revenues. Written and composed by American songwriter Paul Dresser, it was published by the Tin Pan Alley fi ...

'' (1923) * ''

Greater Than Marriage ''Greater Than Marriage'' is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by Victor Halperin and starring Marjorie Daw, Lou Tellegen Lou Tellegen (born Isidor Louis Bernard Edmon van Dommelen;"Lou Tellegen, Idol of Stage and Silent Screen, S ...

'' (1924) * '' Who's Cheating?'' (1924) * '' Fear-Bound'' (1925) * '' The Police Patrol'' (1925) * ''

The Wives of the Prophet ''The Wives of the Prophet'' is a 1926 American silent drama film directed by James A. Fitzgerald and starring Orville Caldwell, Alice Lake, and Violet Mersereau. Plot As described in a film magazine review, a religious sect in the Tennessee m ...

'' (1926) *'' Running Wild'' (1927) *'' The Crimson Flash'' (1927) *'' The Masked Menace'' (1927) *'' Mark of the Frog'' (1928) *'' The House of Secrets'' (1929)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Roseman, Edward 1875 births 1957 deaths American male film actors American male silent film actors Vaudeville performers Male actors from Indiana 20th-century American male actors