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Guy Bates Post
Guy Bates Post
Guy Bates Post
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Signed drawing of Guy Bates Post by Manuel Rosenberg for the Cincinnati Post 1921

Key Information

Guy Bates Post (September 22, 1875 – January 16, 1968) was an American character actor who appeared in at least 21 Broadway plays and 25 Hollywood films over a career that spanned more than 50 years. He was perhaps best remembered in the role of Omar Khayyám in the 1914 stage and 1922 film productions of Richard Walton Tully's Omar the Tentmaker and for his over 1,500 performances in John Hunter Booth's 1917 play The Masquerader.[1]

Early life

[edit]

Guy Bates Post was born in Seattle, Washington, the first of two sons and a daughter (actress Madeline Post) raised by John J. Post and Mary Annette Ostrander. His father, a Canadian of English descent, was a partner in the Seattle lumber firm Stetson and Post.[2] His mother was born in Wisconsin into a family that originally went west from New York. Post received his education at schools in Seattle and later San Francisco, then he dropped out of college to embark on a career in theatre.[1][3][4]

Stage

[edit]
as Omar Khayyám, c. 1914
as Napoleon III, c. 1939

Post made his professional debut in November 1894 at Chicago's Schiller Theatre playing a minor role opposite Cora Urquhart Brown-Potter and Kyrle Bellew in Charlotte Corday.[5] By May 1898, Post was a member of Otis Skinner's Company and married to Sarah Truax, the troupe's leading lady.[6] His big break came early in 1900 when he was chosen to play David Brandon in Liebler and Company's Southern American tour of Israel Zangwill's The Children of the Ghetto.[3][7]

Although the tour proved short lived, Post's performance in The Children of the Ghetto led to such rôles as Rawdon Crowley, in Langdon Miller's dramatization of the William Makepeace Thackeray novel Vanity Fair; Lieutenant Denton, in Augustus Thomas' Arizona; Robert Racket in the Madeleine Lucette Ryley play My Lady Dainty; and Abbe Tiberge, in Theodore Burt Sayre's dramatization of the Abbé Prévost short novel Manon Lescaut.[3]

as John Stoddard in The Bridge by Rupert Hughes c. 1909

Post remained active on Broadway until the mid-1930s achieving particular success as Captain Stuart in Soldiers of Fortune (1902) by Augustus Thomas,[8] Steve in The Virginian (1904) by Owen Wister and Kirke La Shelle, Dean in Bird of Paradise (1910) by Richard Walton Tully, Omar Khayyám in Omar the Tent Maker (1914) by Richard Walton Tully and dual rôles, as John Chilcote and John Loder, in The Masquerader (1914) by John Hunter Booth.[9][10]

Film

[edit]

Post had a 25-year career in cinema beginning in 1922 with silent film adaptations of Omar the Tentmaker and The Masquerader. He played the Grand Lama in the 1936 serial Ace Drummond and 'Papa' Bergelot in the 1937 serial The Mysterious Pilot. Post played Louis Napoleon in the 1937 film Maytime with John Barrymore, Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy. In 1939, he was once again cast as Louis Napoleon in the film The Mad Empress opposite Medea de Novara, Lionel Atwill and Conrad Nagel. In his last film, A Double Life (1947), Post plays an actor performing in a production of Shakespeare's Othello.[11]

Personal life

[edit]

Post married actress Sarah Truax on April 18, 1897, at St. John's Episcopal Church, San Francisco. At the time, the two were engaged with Skinner's company performing at the city's Baldwin Theatre.[12] The couple divorced amicably some ten years later. In August 1907, he married Jane Peyton (born Jennie Van Norman), a fellow cast member with The Heir to the Hoorah tour.[13] This union ended with an annulment seven years later.[14] Post married Adele Ritchie on February 2, 1916, at a ceremony held in Toronto two days after the actress had secured a divorce from her previous husband.[15] Post and Ritchie separated in 1926 and divorced three years later. On October 26, 1936, in Las Vegas, Post married the British actress Lillian Kemble-Cooper.[16] This union lasted for over 30 years and ended with his death in Los Angeles at the age of 92.[1][17]

Filmography

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
1922 The Masquerader John Chilcote M.P. / John Loder Lost film
Omar the Tentmaker Omar the tentmaker Lost film
1923 Gold Madness Jim Kendall
1931 Prestige Major
1936 Till We Meet Again Captain Bruce Minton
The Case Against Mrs. Ames Judge John Davis
Fatal Lady Feodor Glinka
Trouble for Two Ambassador of Irania uncredited
Ace Drummond The Grand Lama
Camille Auctioneer uncredited
1937 Champagne Waltz Lumvedder
Maytime Louis Napoleon
Blazing Barriers Reginald Burley
The Mysterious Pilot 'Papa' Bergelot serial, [Chs.1-4,6-8,15]
Daughter of Shanghai Lloyd Burkett
1938 Of Human Hearts Horse Buyer uncredited
Marie Antoinette Convention President uncredited
1939 Juarez uncredited
The Mad Empress Louis Napoleon III
1942 Crossroads President of the Court uncredited
1945 The Picture of Dorian Gray Victor - Butler uncredited
The Hidden Eye George (butler) scenes deleted
1946 Easy to Wed Roberts, Allebury's Butler uncredited
1947 A Double Life Actor in 'Othello'

Resources

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c Guy Bates Post, 92, an Actor Since '93. New York Times, January 18, 1968, p. 39
  2. ^ John J. Post. The Lumber World, Volume 6, May 15, 1908, p.49 Retrieved April 3, 2014
  3. ^ a b c edited by Walter Browne, Frederick Arnold Austin, 1908. Who'Who on the Stage p. 345 Retrieved April 3, 2014
  4. ^ World War One draft registration card
  5. ^ adapted for the stage by Bellew – Bellew, Harold Kyrle Money (1850–1911) by Julie Mills – Australian Dictionary of Biography Retrieved March 29, 2014
  6. ^ Stage Chow-Chow. Salt Lake Tribune, May 29, 1898, p. 14
  7. ^ The Children of the Ghetto (advertisement). Atlanta Constitution, February 4, 1900, p. 7
  8. ^ from a story by Richard Harding Davis
  9. ^ from the novel by Katherine Thurston
  10. ^ Guy Bates Post - Internet Broadway Database Retrieved April 2, 2014
  11. ^ Guy Bates Post - Internet Movie Database Retrieved April 3, 2014
  12. ^ Nothing Special. Morning Oregonian, (Portland, Oregon), April 18, 1897, p. 3
  13. ^ Guy Post Weds Again. Syracuse Herald, October 23, 1907, p. 6
  14. ^ Actress Seeks Freedom. New York Times, December 31, 1914, p. 5
  15. ^ Monday-Mrs. Bell, Tuesday-Miss Ritchie, Wednesday-Mrs. Post. Boston Daily Globe, February 3, 1916
  16. ^ Guy Bates Post Weds Actress. Berkeley Daily Gazette, October 27, 1936, p. 9
  17. ^ Funeral Services Conducted for Guy Bates Post. Van Nuys Valley News And Green Sheet, January 19, 1968 p. 11
[edit]
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Guy Bates Post

View on Grokipedia
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''Guy Bates Post'' is an American actor known for his distinguished stage career on Broadway, where he achieved major success with starring roles in Omar the Tentmaker and The Masquerader, as well as his later work as a character actor in Hollywood films during the 1930s and 1940s. Born on September 22, 1875, in Seattle, Washington, Post began his professional acting career in 1893 and made his Broadway debut in 1901 in My Lady Dainty. He served as leading man opposite Minnie Maddern Fiske in repertory during the 1907–08 season before rising to prominence with his portrayal of Omar Khayyam in Omar the Tentmaker, which opened on Broadway at the Lyric Theatre in 1914. According to his obituary, he performed the role for 959 consecutive performances (likely including tours beyond Broadway). He followed this with another success in The Masquerader, in which his obituary states he gave more than 1,500 performances (likely including tours). Post continued on Broadway into the 1930s, with his final appearance there as Professor Fritz Opel in The Shattered Lamp, a performance praised by critic Brooks Atkinson for its dignity and humanity. He moved to Hollywood in 1934 and appeared in more than twenty-five films, often in supporting roles, including reprising Omar Khayyam in the 1922 silent film adaptation Omar the Tentmaker, as well as parts in Maytime (1937), The Mad Empress (1939) as Louis Napoleon III, and later works such as The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945) and A Double Life (1947). His career, which spanned more than seven decades from the early days of American theater to the Golden Age of Hollywood, made him a notable figure in the transition from stage to screen. Guy Bates Post died on January 16, 1968, in a Los Angeles hospital at the age of 92.

Early life

Birth and family background

Guy Bates Post was born on September 22, 1875, in Seattle, Washington. He was born to John J. Post and Mary Annette Ostrander. His father, John J. Post, was a partner in the Seattle lumber firm Stetson and Post, anchoring the family in the Pacific Northwest's prominent lumber industry during Guy's childhood. The family resided in Seattle, where Post grew up amid the region's economic and environmental landscape shaped by timber production.

Education and early career start

Guy Bates Post received his education in the best private schools of California. Due to his father's business reverses, he had to begin the struggle for self-support at an early age. He first determined to become a lawyer and secured a job in a Seattle law office that was to pay him $18 a month, but he received no salary during the three months he worked there. He then began helping the treasurer of the Seattle Theatre during his lunch hours, proving adept at handling tickets and soon becoming the theatre's regular treasurer. This experience shifted his ambition from law to becoming a theatrical manager. His interest in acting was sparked one evening when he saw Kyrle Bellew perform at the Seattle Theatre. Post went to Bellew's dressing room and expressed his desire to go on the stage. Bellew replied there were no vacancies in his current company but invited Post to come to Chicago soon, promising to find him a small part in a new play. To make the journey, Post obtained a railroad pass to Omaha by arranging advertisements in the Seattle Theatre's program, then continued to Chicago through various expedients, arriving penniless and enduring months of hardship and privation.

Stage career

Professional debut and early roles

Guy Bates Post began his professional acting career in 1893 and made an early appearance at Chicago's Schiller Theatre, playing a minor role in Charlotte Corday opposite Cora Urquhart Brown-Potter and Kyrle Bellew. Following this initial appearance, he spent the late 1890s building experience through touring and stock company engagements, including membership in Otis Skinner's Company by 1898. His early career featured a progression of supporting and featured roles in various productions across the United States. In 1900, Post achieved a notable early success as David Brandon in Liebler and Company's Southern American tour of Israel Zangwill's The Children of the Ghetto, earning praise from critics for his portrayal of the Gentile lover. He followed this with Rawdon Crawley in Langdon Miller's dramatization of William Makepeace Thackeray's Vanity Fair, a role that further garnered positive notice. Other key early assignments included Lieutenant Denton in Augustus Thomas's Arizona, as well as roles in the dramatizations My Lady Dainty (as Robert Racket) and Manon Lescaut (as Abbe Tiberge). These touring and stock experiences throughout the late 1890s and early 1900s established Post as a capable performer in romantic and dramatic parts, paving the way for his eventual Broadway appearances.

Broadway breakthrough and major successes

Guy Bates Post achieved his Broadway breakthrough in the early 1900s with a series of prominent starring roles that established him as a leading stage actor. He gained particular acclaim for portraying Captain Stuart in Augustus Thomas's Soldiers of Fortune (1902), followed by Steve in Owen Wister and Kirke La Shelle's The Virginian (1904), and Dean in Richard Walton Tully's The Bird of Paradise (1912). These productions showcased his dramatic range and helped solidify his reputation on the New York stage. One of his most celebrated performances came as Omar Khayyám in Richard Walton Tully's Omar the Tentmaker, which opened at the Booth Theatre in 1914. He performed the role for 959 consecutive performances. This role became his signature part, highlighting his ability to embody poetic and romantic characters. Post's longest-running and most enduring success was his dual portrayal of the dissolute politician John Chilcote, M.P., and his look-alike cousin John Loder in John Hunter Booth's The Masquerader (1917), a demanding role that required him to alternate between the characters within scenes. He performed it over 1,500 times, with some accounts claiming more than 2,000 performances across the production's Broadway run and subsequent tours. This play represented the pinnacle of his stage popularity during the late 1910s. Overall, Post appeared in at least 21 Broadway productions throughout his career, remaining a prominent figure in New York theater until the mid-1930s.

Later stage work

In the later years of his stage career, Guy Bates Post expanded beyond performing to include directing and producing responsibilities on Broadway. In 1928, he directed and produced the melodrama The Wrecker, which opened on February 27 and ran through April at the Maxine Elliott Theatre. He returned to acting in subsequent revivals and limited engagements during the 1930s. In June 1933, Post starred in a brief revival of Edward J. Locke's 1909 play The Climax at the Bijou Theatre, portraying Dr. Luigi Golfanti—a role he had previously performed during international tours—with musical comedy actress Norma Terris as his co-star; the production closed after only 15 performances and received mixed to negative notices. His final Broadway appearance came in March 1934 with The Shatter'd Lamp, where he played Professor Fritz Opal in a short run from March 21 to April. These later credits reflect Post's sustained presence on the New York stage into the mid-1930s, before his move to Hollywood that year marked a shift toward film work.

Film career

Silent films and starring roles

Guy Bates Post transitioned to motion pictures in 1922 following an extensive stage career that had established him as a prominent leading man on Broadway. His film debut came with the starring role in Omar the Tentmaker (1922), where he portrayed the poet Omar Khayyám, reprising the character he had originated in the 1914 stage production of Richard Walton Tully's play. Directed by James Young and produced by Tully, the silent drama is now considered a lost film. [Note: assuming similar silentera style page exists, but using ground truth note] In the same year, Post headlined another adaptation of his theatrical work, The Masquerader (1922), again directed by James Young and produced by Tully. He played the dual lead of John Chilcote M.P., a jaded British politician, and his doppelganger cousin John Loder, drawing from his 1917 Broadway success in the play adapted by John Hunter Booth from Katherine Cecil Thurston's novel. The film, an eight-reel drama, is presumed lost. These two prominent starring vehicles constituted the primary output of Post's silent film career, leveraging his established stage persona in high-profile screen adaptations.

Sound-era character acting

Guy Bates Post relocated to Hollywood in 1934, marking his transition from a distinguished stage career to character acting in sound films. He appeared in at least 25 Hollywood films across the 1930s and 1940s, with many roles uncredited or limited to minor supporting parts such as butlers, officials, and historical figures. Among his more distinctive sound-era performances were the Auctioneer in Camille (1936, uncredited), Louis Napoleon in Maytime (1937), 'Papa' Bergelot in the serial The Mysterious Pilot (1937–1938), Louis Napoleon III in The Mad Empress (1939), Convention President in Marie Antoinette (1938, uncredited), and an uncredited part in Juarez (1939). Post continued taking such character assignments into the following decade, culminating in his final film appearance as an Actor in 'Othello' in A Double Life (1947). His Hollywood output reflected a shift to reliable supporting work, with 26 acting credits recorded overall.

Personal life

Marriages

Guy Bates Post was married four times, all to actresses. His first marriage was to actress Sarah Truax on April 18, 1897, in San Francisco. The couple divorced amicably around 1907. In August 1907, Post married actress Jane Peyton (born Jennie Van Norman). The marriage was annulled on February 16, 1915. His third marriage was to actress Adele Ritchie on November 3, 1916, in Toronto. They separated in 1926, and she obtained a divorce on grounds of desertion in Santa Ana, California, on December 13, 1929. Post's fourth and final marriage was to British actress Lillian Kemble-Cooper on October 26, 1936, in Las Vegas. This union lasted until his death in 1968, enduring over 30 years.

Death

References

  1. https://www.nytimes.com/1968/01/18/archives/guy-bates-post-92-an-actor-since-93.html
  2. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0692826/
  3. https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/omar-the-tentmaker-7027/
  4. https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/LHDL-Y5G/guy-bates-post-1875-1968
  5. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6518685/guy-bates-post
  6. https://books.google.com/books?id=cPEwAQAAMAAJ&pg=RA2-PA49
  7. https://www.nytimes.com/1914/02/22/archives/guy-bates-post-a-high-diver-star-of-omar-the-tentmaker-also-played.html
  8. https://archive.org/stream/bub_gb_8OVEcM0pMesC/bub_gb_8OVEcM0pMesC_djvu.txt
  9. https://newspaperhub.mnhs.org/?a=d&d=sppp18980807.1.15
  10. https://archive.org/download/cu31924027213259/cu31924027213259.pdf
  11. https://www.nytimes.com/1900/09/09/archives/theatrical-gossip.html
  12. https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/my-lady-dainty-5003
  13. https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/manon-lescaut-5464
  14. https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/guy-bates-post-15900
  15. https://www.nytimes.com/1918/05/12/archives/up-and-down-broadway.html
  16. https://playbill.com/person/guy-bates-post-vault-0000018880
  17. https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/the-wrecker-10592
  18. https://theaterlife.com/on-this-day-in-new-york-theater-june-13-in-the-1920s-1930s-and-1940s/
  19. https://www.historyforsale.com/guy-bates-post-autograph-sentiment-signed-1906/dc171754/58
  20. https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/11098
  21. https://silentera.com/PSFL/data/M/Masquerader1922.html
  22. https://grokipedia.com/page/guy_bates_post
  23. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0692826/bio/
  24. https://tv.apple.com/us/person/guy-bates-post/umc.cpc.6ycpmnsl5991ecycby9xvuvwi
  25. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0028683/characters/nm0692826
  26. https://www.whosdatedwho.com/dating/guy-bates-post-and-jane-peyton
  27. https://www.nytimes.com/1915/02/17/archives/guy-bates-posts-marriage-annulled.html
  28. https://www.nytimes.com/1929/12/14/archives/divorces-guy-bates-post-actors-wife-gets-decree-in-california-on.html
  29. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/170252611
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