Frank Reicher

Frank Reicher

Reicher as Ferrand in "The Pigeon" (circa 1912)
Born (1875-12-02)December 2, 1875
Munich, Germany
Died January 19, 1965(1965-01-19) (aged 89)
Inglewood, California, U.S.
Resting place Inglewood Park Cemetery
Occupation Stage and Film Actor, Director and Producer
Years active 1899–1951
Spouse(s) Ella Reicher

Frank Reicher (December 2, 1875 – January 19, 1965), was a German-born American stage and film actor, director and producer. He is best known for playing Captain Englehorn in the 1933 film King Kong.

Early life

Frank Reicher was born in Munich, Germany, the son of actor Emanuel Reicher [1] and Hedwig Kindermann,[2] a popular German prima donna who was a daughter of the famous baritone August Kindermann. Reicher's parents divorced in 1881 and his mother died two years later while at Trieste.[3][4] His sister, Hedwiga Reicher, would also become a Hollywood actor. Frank Reicher immigrated to the States in 1899 and became a naturalized American citizen some twelve years later.[1]

Career

Reicher made his Broadway debut the year he came to America playing Lord Tarquin in Harrison Fiske's production of Becky Sharp, a comedy by Langdon Mitchell based on William Makepeace Thackeray’s Vanity Fair.[5] His early career was spent in legitimate theater on and off Broadway. He was head of the Brooklyn Stock Company when Jacob P. Adler performed The Merchant of Venice in Yiddish while the rest of the cast remained in English. Reicher was for a number of years affiliated with the Little Theatre on West Forty-Fourth Street as an actor and manager and would remain active on Broadway as actor, director or producer well into the 1920s. On stage, Reicher starred in such plays as the first Broadway production of Georg Kaiser's From Morning to Midnight (as the cashier), and the original production of Percy MacKaye's The Scarecrow (in the title role).[6][7]

Frank Reicher is probably more familiar to modern audiences as a supporting character actor in films. He began his cinema career with an uncredited role in the 1915 film The Case for Becky and would go on work in over two hundred motion pictures. He is probably best remembered for playing Captain Englehorn in the movies King Kong and The Son of Kong and for such films as The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947) and Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye (1950). His last Hollywood role was in the very first theatrical Superman movie, Superman and the Mole Men, in 1951.[6][8]

Marriage

Frank Reicher married his wife Ella sometime around 1899 most likely in Germany prior to his coming to America. Ella, who was a native of Oldenburg, joined him there the following year. The couple remained together until her death in 1948.[9][10][11][12]

Death

Frank Reicher died at the age of 89 at a hospital in Inglewood, California. He was survived by his sister and a brother.[6] His interment was at Inglewood Park Cemetery.

Partial filmography

As actor

As director

References

  1. 1 2 US Passport Application August 4, 1922
  2. ↑ Who Was Who in the Theatre, 1912-1976: 1936
  3. ↑ L'art moderne 1904
  4. ↑ The Jewish Encyclopedia: Volume 10 edited by Isidore Singer, Cyrus Alder (1905)
  5. ↑ Famous actresses of the day in America By Lewis Clinton Strang 1902 pg. 120
  6. 1 2 3 The New York Times January 23, 1965
  7. ↑ IBDb.com Frank Reicher
  8. ↑ IMDb.com Frank Reicher
  9. ↑ California Death Index
  10. ↑ 1920 US Census Records
  11. ↑ The Los Angeles Times April 4, 1948
  12. ↑ US Passport Application (Ella Reicher) August 4, 1922
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