- Vincent Coleman
Infobox actor
name = FULLPAGENAME
imagesize = 150px
birthdate = birth date|1900|2|16|mf=y
birthplace =Louisiana ,U.S.
deathdate = death date and age|1971|10|26|1900|2|16|mf=y
deathplace =Los Angeles, California U.S.
othername = Willie B. Coleman
yearsactive = 1912–1923Vincent Coleman (
February 16 ,1900 –October 26 ,1971 ) was an American stage and filmactor of thesilent film era of the late 1910s and early 1920s.Born in
Louisiana , Vincent Coleman began his acting career while still a young boy; touring the United States with theCecil 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 1912Frank Montgomery drama short "The Junior Officer" at age twelve opposite film actorsHobart Bosworth andCamille Astor before returning to Broadway at the age of sixteen to appear in the 1917 play "Difference in Gods". Coleman then returned to filmmaking to play a variety of juvenile roles for such film studios as Fox,Goldwyn Pictures Corporation ,First National and Paramount opposite such actors asCorinne Griffith ,Mae Murray ,Constance Talmadge andNed Sparks .At the beginning of the 1920s, 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" types such as
Ramón Novarro ,Antonio Moreno andRudolf Valentino that were becoming increasingly popular amongst 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 propaganda film "Scarlet Trail", which was inspired by theWorld 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 1921George Fawcett directed remake of the 1914Mary Pickford comedy film "Such A Little Queen" and "The Magic Cup", released the same year before returning to Broadway in July of 1921 to star in theSam H. Harris produced play "Nice People" opposite renowned stage actressTallulah Bankhead .In 1923 Coleman appeared in the independently produced "epic" film "Salome" as Herod, opposite actress Diana Allen. The film proved to be a colossal financial disappointmet however and Coleman's film career never recovered and the young actor became disillusioned with film. Coleman would make only two more motion pictures (both released in 1923); "Has The World Gone Mad!" with
Hedda Hopper andElinor Fair and the comedy "The Purple Highway" starringMonte Blue ,Madge Kennedy andPedro de Cordoba .After retiring from films at the age of twenty-two, Vincent Coleman would concentrate further on his stage career—appearing alongside such notable actors as Beau Brummel and
Arnold Daly .Vincent Coleman died in
Los Angeles, California in 1971 at the age of seventy.Filmography
* "The Purple Highway" (1923)
* "Has the World Gone Mad!" (1923)
* "Salome" (1923)
* "Divorce Coupons" (1922)
* "Fascination" (1922)
* "Such a Little Queen" (1921)
* "The Magic Cup" (1921)
* "Princess Jones" (1921)
* "Good References" (1920)
* "Partners of the Night" (1920)
* "For the Freedom of Ireland" (1920)
* "Should a Husband Forgive?" (1919)
* "Scarlet Trail" (1919)
* "The Law of Nature" (1919)
* "The Prodigal Wife" (1918)
* "The Scarlet Trail" (1918)
* "The Junior Officer" (1912)External links/References
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* [http://silentladies.com/BColeman.html Vincent Coleman at Silent Ladies & Gents]
* [http://movies.msn.com/celebs/celeb.aspx?c=125749 Vincent Coleman filmography at MSN Movies]
* Vincent Coleman at [http://www.afi.com/members/catalog/SearchResult.aspx?s=1&TBL=PN&Type=CA&ID=151334 AFI Catalog, Silent Films]
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