American leading man and character actor of the silent period. Born in Switzerland (though a number of popular reference works list Kokomo, Indiana), he immigrated with his family to the U.S. as a boy. After performing as an amateur actor, he made his professional stage debut at age 19, and worked for the next decade in the theatre. He landed a small role in a film produced by Selig Polyscope, and over the next few years rose from bit player to leading man. He directed and wrote a few of his ...[Read Story]