Minor Watson

Minor Watson
Minor Watson (left) and Jackie Robinson in The Jackie Robinson Story
Born	December 22, 1889 Marianna, Arkansas, United States
Died	July 28, 1965 (aged 75) Alton, Illinois, United States
Nationality	American
Occupation	Film, television, stage actor
Years active	1922–1959
Spouse(s)	Elinor Hewitt (?-?)

Minor Watson (December 22, 1889 – July 28, 1965) was a prominent character actor. He appeared in 111 movies made between 1913 and 1956. His credits included Boys Town (1938), Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942), Kings Row (1942), Guadalcanal Diary (1943), Bewitched (1945), The Virginian (1946), and The Jackie Robinson Story (1950)

Early years

Watson was the son of Mrs. Alice Rodgers.^[1] He attended St. John's Northwestern Military Academy in Delafield, Wisconsin,^[2] and Shurtleff College in Alton, Illinois. At Shurtleff, he was a member of Sigma Phi, in which he said he was encouraged to pursue a career in drama.^[3]

Film

Watson began his film career with Essanay Studios in 1913.^[4] He was described as "the new recruit that plays lover parts."^[5]

Stage

Watson's Broadway credits include State of the Union, End of Summer, Tapestry in Gray, A Divine Drudge, Reunion in Vienna, Friendship, This Thing Called Love, These Modern Women, Howdy King, Mismates, The Magnolia Lady, and Why Men Leave Home.^[6]

Personal life

Watson married Elinor Hewitt December 7, 1919, in Boston, Massachusetts.^[7]

Death

Watson is buried in Alton Cemetery in Alton, Illinois.

Partial filmography

• 24 Hours (1931)
• Our Betters (1933)
• Babbitt (1934)
• Charlie Chan in Paris (1935)
• The Woman I Love (1937)
• Dead End (1937)
• That Certain Woman (1937)
• Fast Company (1938)
• Boys Town (1938)
• Stablemates (1938)
• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1939)
• The Angels Wash Their Faces (1939)
• Television Spy (1939)
• Abe Lincoln in Illinois (1940)
• Rangers of Fortune (1940)
• Western Union (1941)
• Moon Over Miami (1941)
• They Died with Their Boots On (1941)
• Birth of the Blues (1941)
• To the Shores of Tripoli (1942)
• Woman of the Year (1942)
• Kings Row (1942)
• Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)
• The Big Shot (1942)
• Gentleman Jim (1942)
• Princess O'Rourke (1943)
• Guadalcanal Diary (1943)
• Action in the North Atlantic (1943) (uncredited)
• The Falcon Out West (1944)
• God Is My Co-Pilot (1945)
• Bewitched (1945)
• The Virginian (1946)
• Courage of Lassie (1946)
• A Southern Yankee (1948)
• Beyond the Forest (1949)
• The File on Thelma Jordon (1950)
• The Jackie Robinson Story (1950)
• Mister 880 (1950)
• Bright Victory (1951)
• As Young as You Feel (1951)
• The Star (1952)
• Roar of the Crowd (1953)
• Trapeze (1956)
• The Ambassador's Daughter (1956)

References

1. "Alton Furnishes Two Young Men to Stage". Illinois, Alton. Alton Evening Telegraph. June 3, 1911. p. 8. Retrieved April 15, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "(untitled brief)". Illinois, Alton. Alton Evening Telegraph. January 6, 1908. p. 3. Retrieved April 15, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Stratton White Named President Of Sigma Society". Illinois, Alton. Alton Evening Telegraph. March 31, 1927. p. 3. Retrieved April 15, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Minor Watson in Motion Pictures". Illinois, Alton. Alton Evening Telegraph. July 3, 1913. p. 1. Retrieved April 15, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Converts His Role of Simulated Heroism into Daring Reality". Utah, Standard. The Ogden Standard. July 12, 1913. p. 2. Retrieved April 15, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Minor Watson". Playbill. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
7. "Miss Hewitt to Be Married Next Sunday in Boston". Illinois, Alton. Alton Evening Telegraph. December 2, 1919. p. 3. Retrieved April 15, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.

External links

• Minor Watson at the Internet Movie Database
• Minor Watson at the Internet Broadway Database
• Minor Watson at AllMovie
• Minor Watson at Find a Grave