Phillips Holmes
Phillips Holmes | |
---|---|
![]() Holmes in 1933 | |
Born |
Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S. | July 22, 1907
Died |
August 12, 1942 35) Ontario, Canada | (aged
Cause of death | mid-air collision |
Resting place | Gate of Heaven Cemetery |
Alma mater |
Trinity College, Cambridge University of Grenoble Princeton University |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1918-1938 |
Phillips Holmes (July 22, 1907 – August 12, 1942) was an American film actor who appeared in 44 films between 1928 and 1938.
Early life, education and career
Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the son of Edna Phillips and stage star Taylor Holmes, Holmes enjoyed a privileged childhood and received his education at Trinity College, Cambridge, the University of Grenoble and a year at Princeton University where he was spotted in the undergraduate crowd during the filming of Frank Tuttle's Varsity in 1928 and offered a screen test.[1] In the early 1930s he became a popular leading man, playing leads in a few important productions, notably in Josef von Sternberg's An American Tragedy (1931).
At Paramount, he starred in melodrama and comedy. In 1933 his contract with Paramount ran out and he moved to MGM for one year. As the decade progressed, Holmes' career declined, and he appeared in a few box-office failures, including Sam Goldwyn's poorly received Nana (1934).[2] His last American movie was General Spanky (1936). In 1938 he appeared in two UK movies. Housemaster was his last film. Then he returned to acting on stage in the United States.
Scandal
In 1933, Holmes was driving with actor Mae Clarke when he crashed into a parked car.[3] Clarke, who suffered a broken jaw and facial cuts, sued Holmes for US$21,500 (equivalent to $406,455 in 2017), claiming that he had been driving while drunk.[3] Clarke dropped the suit when Holmes agreed to pay her medical expenses.[3]
Military service and death
At the start of World War II, he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force. He was killed in a mid-air collision in northwest Ontario, Canada.[4][5]
Legacy
Holmes has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Filmography
- Her Market Value (1925) (uncredited)
- Varsity (1928)
- His Private Life (1928)
- The Wild Party (1929)
- Stairs of Sand (1929)
- Pointed Heels (1929)
- The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1929)
- The Devil's Holiday (1930)
- Her Man (1930)
- Only the Brave (1930)
- Man to Man (1930)
- The Dancers (1930)
- Grumpy (1930)
- The Criminal Code (1931)
- Stolen Heaven (1931)
- An American Tragedy (1931)
- Confessions of a Co-Ed (1931)
- Two Kinds of Women (1932)
- Broken Lullaby (1932)
- Night Court (1932)
- 70,000 Witnesses (1932)
- Men Must Fight (1933)
- Looking Forward (1933)
- Dinner at Eight (1933)
- The Secret of Madame Blanche (1933)
- Beauty for Sale (1933)
- Penthouse (1933)
- Storm at Daybreak (1933)
- The Big Brain (1933)
- Stage Mother (1933)
- Nana (1934)
- Private Scandal (1934)
- Caravan (1934)
- Great Expectations (1934)
- Million Dollar Ransom (1934)
- The Divine Spark (1935)
- Ten Minute Alibi (1935)
- The House of a Thousand Candles (1936)
- Chatterbox (1936)
- General Spanky (1936)
- The Dominant Sex (1937)
- Housemaster (1938)
See also
References
- ↑ "Phillips Holmes '30 – Going Hollywood and After" (PDF format). Princeton University Library Chronicle, Volume 31, Autumn 1969.
- ↑ "Phillips Holmes". Speakeasy. 2014-10-31. Retrieved 2018-01-02.
- 1 2 3 Mank, Gregory William (2005-05-17). Women in Horror Films, 1930s. McFarland. ISBN 9780786423347.
- ↑ Buller, Richard P. (2005). A Beautiful Fairy Tale: The Life of Actress Lois Moran. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN 9780879103125.
- ↑ Database (undated). "Phillips Holmes". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
External links
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