Vincent Coleman (February 16, 1900 – October 26, 1971) was an American stage and film actor of the

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 ...

era of the late 1910s and early 1920s.

Biography

Born in

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

, Coleman began his acting career while still a young boy; touring the United States with the Cecil Spooner stock theater company. Occasionally credited in the early years of his career as Willie B. Coleman, he made the transition to film in the 1912 Frank Montgomery drama short ''The Junior Officer'' at age twelve opposite film actors

Hobart Bosworth Hobart Van Zandt Bosworth (August 11, 1867 – December 30, 1943) was an American film actor, director, writer, and producer. Bosworth began his career in theater, eventually transitioning to the emerging film industry. Despite a battle with ...

and Camille Astor before returning to

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 Stre ...

at the age of sixteen to appear in the 1917 play ''Difference in Gods''.Internet Broadway Database
/ref> Coleman then returned to filmmaking to play a variety of juvenile roles for such film studios as

Fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

Goldwyn Pictures Corporation Goldwyn Pictures Corporation was an American motion picture production company that operated from 1916 to 1924 when it was merged with two other production companies to form the major studio, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was founded on November 19, ...

, First National and

Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. **Paramount Picture ...

opposite such actors as Corinne Griffith,

Mae Murray Mae Murray (born Marie Adrienne Koenig; May 10, 1885 – March 23, 1965) was an American actress, dancer, film producer, and screenwriter. Murray rose to fame during the silent film era and was known as "The Girl with the Bee-Stung Lips" and "Th ...

Constance Talmadge Constance Alice Talmadge (April 19, 1898 – November 23, 1973) was an American silent film star. She was the sister of actresses Norma and Natalie Talmadge. Early life Talmadge was born on April 19, 1898, in Brooklyn, New York, to poor p ...

and

Constance Binney Constance Binney (June 28, 1896 – November 15, 1989) was an American Stage (theatre), stage and film actress and dancer. Biography Born in New York City, Binney was educated at Westover School, a private college preparatory boarding scho ...

.Silent Ladies & Gents: ''Photoplay: Who's Who on the Screen'' (1920)
/ref> At the beginning of the 1920s,

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

film producers took notice of the handsome, fair, young actor and saw in Coleman a possible "All American" matinee idol to counter the "

Latin lover Latin Lover(s) may refer to: * Latin lover, a stereotypical stock character, part of the Hollywood star system * Latin Lover, Södra Latins skoltidning since 2008 Film, television and radio * ''Latin Lovers'' (1953 film), an American musical co ...

" types such as Ramón Novarro,

Antonio Moreno Antonio Garrido Monteagudo (September 26, 1887 – February 15, 1967), better known as Antonio Moreno or Tony Moreno, was a Spanish-born American actor and film director of the silent film era and through the 1950s. Early life and silent fil ...

and

Rudolf Valentino Rodolfo Pietro Filiberto Raffaello Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonguella (May 6, 1895 – August 23, 1926), known professionally as Rudolph Valentino and nicknamed The Latin Lover, was an Italian actor who starred in several well-known sile ...

that were becoming increasingly popular among the nation's theater-goers. In 1919 however, Coleman's further foray into moving pictures was a less than glamorous role in the anti-

syphilis Syphilis () is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium ''Treponema pallidum'' subspecies ''pallidum''. The signs and symptoms depend on the stage it presents: primary, secondary, latent syphilis, latent or tertiary. The prim ...

propaganda film ''Scarlet Trail'', which was inspired by the World War I era for-men-only medical pamphlet ''Don't Take a Chance''. Coleman was eventually groomed by the studios to become a leading man and had starring roles in the 1921

George Fawcett George Fawcett (August 25, 1860 – June 6, 1939) was an American stage and film actor of the silent era. Biography Born in Alexandria, Virginia, in 1860, Fawcett graduated from the University of Virginia. His initial inclination was to be a ...

directed remake of the 1914

Mary Pickford Gladys Louise Smith (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979), known professionally as Mary Pickford, was a Canadian-American film actress and producer. A Canadian pioneers in early Hollywood, pioneer in the American film industry with a Hollywood care ...

comedy film ''Such A Little Queen'' and ''The Magic Cup'', released the same year before returning to Broadway in July 1921 to star in the Sam H. Harris produced play ''

Nice People Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million Tallulah Bankhead Tallulah Brockman Bankhead (January 31, 1902 – December 12, 1968) was an American actress. Primarily an actress of the stage, Bankhead also appeared in several films including an award-winning performance in Alfred Hitchcock's ''Lifeboat (194 ...

. In 1923 Coleman appeared in the independently produced "epic" film ''Salome'' as Herod, opposite actress

Diana Allen Diana Allen (1898 – June 12, 1949) was a Swedish-American actress and Ziegfeld girl who starred in silent films such as 1921's '' Miss 139'',Wollstein, Henry JStrangers in Hollywood: the History of Scandinavian Actors in American Films from 1 ...

. The film proved to be a colossal financial disappointment however and Coleman's film career never recovered and the young actor became disillusioned with film. Coleman made only two more motion pictures (both released in 1923); ''Has The World Gone Mad!'' with

Hedda Hopper Elda Furry (May 2, 1885February 1, 1966), known professionally as Hedda Hopper, was an American gossip columnist and actress. At the height of her influence in the 1940s, more than 35 million people read her columns. A strong supporter of the Hous ...

and

Elinor Fair Elinor Virginia Martin (''née'' Crowe; December 21, 1903 – April 26, 1957), known professionally as Elinor Fair, was an American motion picture actress. Early years Elinor Virginia Crowe was born on December 21, 1903, in Richmond, Virginia, ...

and the comedy ''The Purple Highway'' starring

Monte Blue Gerard Montgomery Blue (January 11, 1887 – February 18, 1963) was an American film actor who began his career as a romantic lead in the silent era; and for decades after the advent of sound, he continued to perform as a supporting player ...

Madge Kennedy Madge Kennedy (April 19, 1891 – June 9, 1987) was a stage, film and television actress whose career began as a stage actress in 1912 and flourished in motion pictures during the silent film era. In 1921, journalist Heywood Broun described her ...

and

Pedro de Cordoba Pedro de Cordoba (September 28, 1881 – September 16, 1950) was an American actor. Biography De Cordoba was born in New York City to parents who were French and Cuban in origin. He was a classically trained theatre actor who confessed h ...

. After retiring from films at the age of twenty-two, Coleman concentrated further on his stage career. Coleman died in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

in 1971 at the age of seventy-one.

Complete filmography

References

External links

* *
Vincent Coleman at Silent Ladies & Gents
* Vincent Coleman a
AFI Catalog, Silent Films
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coleman, Vincent 1900 births 1970 deaths American male stage actors American male silent film actors Male actors from Louisiana 20th-century American male actors