Frederick Bryant Esmelton, known as Fred Esmelton (born Frederick Batty Green Bryant; June 22, 1872 – October 23, 1933)Silent Film Necrology, p.159 2nd Edition c.2001 by Eugene Michael Vazzana was an Australian-born American film actor, as well as a stage actor and director. He appeared in 30 films, usually in supporting roles,"Motor Touring is Theme of Picture," Salt Lake City Tribune, August 29, 1925, p. 15. between the years 1916 and 1931. He was born in Melbourne, Victoria and died in Los Angeles, California.
Career
According to census documents, he was born in Victoria, Australia, the son of Robert Chapple Bryant. On his 1922 American naturalization documents, Esmelton's birth name was listed as Frederick Batty Green Bryant, and when he established residence in the United States, he sometimes used the name Frederick Esmelton Bryant."Preacher-Actor Sued for Divorce." Oakland Tribune, June 29, 1913, p. 17. Sometime in the mid-1920s, he legally changed his name to Frederick Bryant Esmelton."U.S. Naturalization Index," accessed on Ancestry.com. https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/1629/images/30849_120471-01613?treeid=&personid=&hintid=&usePUB=true&usePUBJs=true&_ga=2.150764917.235971299.1605145297-353193658.1446614057&pId=7888125. While best known as a silent film actor, he also performed in numerous stage plays, especially on the west coast. For example, beginning in 1903, he led a troupe in Portland, Oregon, where he portrayed a number of roles for several years."Is Stage Director and Able Actor." Portland Oregonian, November 19, 1903, p. 6. But Esmelton was not just a stage actor: he was a frequent director of stage plays."Special Announcement," Lawrence (Kansas) Daily World, December 26, 1901, p. 2. In fact, when he worked for the Bijou Stock Company, one New Haven, Connecticut theater critic said he was "one of the ablest stage directors ever known in the field of stock work.""Bijou Opens Monday," New Haven Morning Journal and Courier, September 11, 1907, p. 5. And Esmelton also served as the manager of an acting troupe based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.Jackson D. Haag, "The Stage and Its People." Pittsburgh Post, March 12, 1905, Section 3, p. 2. Among the up-and-coming film stars who got their start working for him in Pittsburgh was Richard Dix."Hollywood Experiences Took Dix's Cockiness." Los Angeles Evening Post-Record, March 20, 1934, p. 2. Esmelton frequently returned to his native Australia to perform in stage plays, some of which he produced."Amusements," Sydney (Australia) Morning Herald, February 24, 1920, p. 2. And during the first World War, he was in a theater company sponsored by the Knights of Columbus that volunteered to go and entertain the troops in France."Matters of Interest to Photodrama Fans," Philadelphia Evening Public Ledger, May 24, 1919, p. 15. While he was seldom cast in a starring role during his silent film career, he became known as a versatile supporting actor, for which he was often praised by critics.Penelope Perrill, "Publicity Chat," Dayton Daily (OH) News, October 26, 1928, p. 44.
Esmelton was married several times. One of his wives was silent film actress Jewel Power (real name: Louise Power), with whom he had acted when both were in the Baker Stock Company in Portland, Oregon."Portland Girl Returns in Prominent Role," Portland (Oregon) Daily Journal, May 22, 1910, Section 4, p. 3. After they divorced, he married Shakespearean actress Mary Hall, whose career he had managed while they worked in Pittsburgh."Hollywood Experiences Took Dix's Cockiness." Los Angeles Evening Post-Record, March 20, 1934, p. 2.
In addition to his acting career, in 1925, Esmelton was among the eight actors who founded the Masquers, a club where actors and directors could gather and fraternize. It remained in operation for more than six decades. He helped to arrange its early events and was the club's first manager."Masquers Plan Annual Revel," Los Angeles Evening Express, September 23, 1925, p. 16. In his later years, in semi-retirement, Esmelton owned and operated a successful catering business in Hollywood, whose clients included some of the film studios where he had worked."Coincidence." Detroit Free Press, March 8, 1931, part 4, p. 2. He died in Los Angeles in October 1933, at the age of 61.
Partial filmography The Law of Compensation (1917) Come Out of the Kitchen (1919) The Avalanche (1919) The Misleading Widow (1919) Dulcy (1923) Can a Woman Love Twice? (1923) Boston Blackie (1923) Conductor 1492 (1924) Lady of the Night (1925) Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman (1925) Red Hot Tires (1925) California Straight Ahead (1925) Smooth as Satin (1925) Kid Boots (1926) The Winning of Barbara Worth (1926) The Chinese Parrot (1927) The Shield of Honor (1927) The Gay Defender (1927) Lonesome (1928) The Michigan Kid (1928) Romance of a Rogue (1928) The Baby Cyclone (1928) Born to Love (1931)
References
External links