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Thurlow Bergen
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Thurlow Bergen in Monte Cristo
Bergen with Florence Roberts in The House of Bondage 1908.

Thurlow Weed Bergen (1875–1954) was an American actor of stage and silent film.

Bergen was born on January 14, 1875, East Saginaw, Michigan to Issarella (Ella) Winner and the lawyer George B. Bergen.[1][2] Bergen went to study law in Washington D.C., but at the age of 19 decided to become an actor instead.[3] As a kid he had written and composed Esther's Lullaby, which around the turn of the century was a well-known song. He played and sang it at the White House for President Cleveland, who gave him permission to dedicate the song to his daughter Esther.[4] Bergen moved to Newton, Massachusetts, where he married Clara Beatrice Farquhar in 1899, the daughter of the wealthy Boston financier Samuel Farquhar.[5][6] He started a successful touring company, and dabbled in composition and writing as well (he wrote many children's stories).[4] Up to 1914 he performed on stage only, but then made the switch to the movies, first starring in the Pathé movie The Stain.[4] By that time Farquhar and he had divorced, and in May 1914 Bergen married fellow Broadway performer Elsie Esmond née Sturkow.[7][8] They were the leading man and lady in most of the early Whartons Studio movies (shot in Ithaca, New York), including The Boundary Rider , The Kiss of Death, A Prince of India, The Fireman and the Girl and The Stolen Birthright (all still in 1914) and The Lottery Man of 1916.[9] After 1920, he returned to the stage and performed on Broadway as late as 1940,[3] when he appears in the census as a single theater actor living in an apartment in Manhattan, New York.[10] He died May 1, 1954.[3][5]

Selected filmography

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Thurlow Bergen

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Thurlow Bergen (October 1, 1875 – January 7, 1957) was an American actor known for his extensive career in Broadway theater and silent films during the early 20th century. He initially pursued law studies in Washington, D.C., before transitioning to acting, where he developed a successful touring company and established himself on the New York stage. Bergen's film work in the 1910s included appearances in productions such as The Little Gypsy (1915) and The Lottery Man (1919), showcasing his ability to handle dramatic and character roles in the emerging medium of cinema. Bergen continued his stage career into the 1930s, performing in Broadway productions including If Booth Had Missed (1932) as William H. Seward and other notable shows. His body of work bridged the legitimate theater tradition with the silent film era, contributing to both live performance and early Hollywood as a versatile supporting and character actor.

Early life

Birth and family background

Thurlow Weed Bergen was born on January 14, 1875, in East Saginaw, Michigan. He was the son of George B. Bergen, a lawyer, and Issarella (Ella) Winner. His father's legal profession provided a professional family background in the Midwest lumber town during its industrial peak.

Childhood talents and education

Thurlow Bergen showed early promise as a musical prodigy, composing both the music and lyrics for "Esther's Lullaby" as a teenager. The song became well-known at the time and was dedicated to Esther Cleveland, the infant daughter of President Grover Cleveland and First Lady Frances Cleveland, who was born in the White House in 1893. In 1894, at age 19, Bergen performed and sang the piece at the White House for President Grover Cleveland and his family, receiving permission from the First Lady for the dedication. Born in Saginaw, Michigan, the son of a successful lawyer, Bergen moved to Washington, D.C., around 1894 to begin studying law. However, he abandoned these legal studies to pursue a career in acting. This decision at age 19 marked his pivot from law to the stage, where his early songwriting talents had already gained notice.

Theatrical career

Early stage work and touring company

After abandoning his legal studies in Washington, D.C., Thurlow Bergen embarked on a professional acting career. Around 1900, he formed and operated his own successful touring theatrical company, which performed across various regions of the United States and provided him with extensive experience in regional theater. This touring company marked the primary focus of his early stage work, allowing him to take on diverse roles in stock companies and manage production aspects as well. His early theatrical endeavors also included his Broadway debut in a revival of Monte Cristo circa 1900. Later in his early career phase, he managed a permanent stock company known as the Thurlow Bergen Players in St. Paul, Minnesota, which presented productions such as The Builder of Bridges upon its local debut.

Broadway performances

Thurlow Bergen maintained a consistent presence on Broadway for nearly four decades, appearing in 14 productions between 1900 and 1938, most often in supporting or character roles. His Broadway debut occurred in the 1900 revival of Monte Cristo, where he played Albert de Morcerf. He quickly became active in the early 1910s, with notable performances including Joe Worden in The Watcher (1910) and a role in the 1910 revival of Diplomacy. He continued his Broadway career in the 1910s with roles such as Bob Barrington in Ourselves (1913) and remained active on stage alongside his silent film work, later appearing as Keith Oliphant in Pietro (1920), Hasphenor in The Virgin of Bethulia (1925), Major Paschke in Taps (1925), and Mr. Justice Bond in The Silent Witness (1931). In the 1930s, he portrayed William H. Seward in If Booth Had Missed (1932) and appeared in One Third of a Nation (1938), where he also received credit for contributing special sketches. These credits reflect his versatility across dramas, revivals, and original plays throughout his extended stage career.

Later stage appearances

After his silent film career in the 1910s, Thurlow Bergen continued performing in Broadway productions through the 1930s. In 1925, he appeared in three productions: Man or Devil as a peddler, Taps as Major Paschke, and The Virgin of Bethulia as Hasphenor. He then performed in The Silent Witness (1931) as Mr. Justice Bond and If Booth Had Missed (1932) as William H. Seward. His latest documented Broadway appearance was in One Third of a Nation (1938), where he contributed as a performer in special sketches in this Federal Theatre Project production that addressed urban housing issues. The 1940 United States Census listed Bergen as a single theater actor residing in an apartment in Manhattan, indicating he remained active in the profession into that decade. No further specific stage credits from the 1940s are documented in major theatrical databases.

Film career

Entry into silent films and key roles

Thurlow Bergen made his transition from stage to silent films in 1914, debuting in the Pathé production The Stain, directed by Frank Powell, which is noted as the debut film of Theda Bara. He soon joined the Whartons Studio in Ithaca, New York, where he worked from 1914 to 1916, frequently appearing opposite his wife Elsie Esmond in leading man roles. During this period, Bergen starred in several key features at the studio, including The Boundary Rider (1914), The Kiss of Death (1914), The Running Fight (1915), The Little Gypsy (1915), The City (1916), and The Lottery Man (1916), the latter featuring a young Oliver Hardy in the cast. He continued appearing in silent films through the late 1910s and into 1920, with additional notable credits such as Lure of Ambition (1919). Bergen appeared in 12 silent features between 1914 and 1920, establishing himself as a reliable leading man in early American cinema. His only known sound film appearance came later in the Vitaphone short The Royal Four-Flusher (1930). His prior theatrical background aided his smooth entry into motion pictures during the medium's formative years.

Personal life

Marriages

Thurlow Bergen's first marriage was to Clara Beatrice Farquhar, the daughter of Boston financier Samuel Farquhar, in 1899 in Newton, Massachusetts. This marriage later ended in divorce. On April 11, 1914, Bergen married actress Elsie Esmond (née Sturkow) in Hoboken, New Jersey, with whom he frequently co-starred in stage productions and silent films. The wedding was reported in contemporary trade publications including Variety. The couple began their married life together while working on film projects, including a sojourn in Ithaca, New York. There are no documented children from either marriage.

Creative pursuits outside acting

Beyond his performing career, Thurlow Bergen was credited in studio biographies with pursuits as a writer and composer. These promotional materials described him as the author of many children's stories and as a playwright, though specific titles or published works in these areas remain undocumented in available records. The biographies also identified him as a composer, in addition to his early creation of the song "Esther's Lullaby," but no further musical compositions are detailed. These extracurricular activities were presented as complementing his versatility, alongside other noted talents such as singing.

Death

Final years and passing

Thurlow Bergen's final years remain poorly documented, with few reliable sources providing details beyond his professional activities through 1940. His last recorded stage appearance occurred in October 1940, in the play Color-Blind, as noted in contemporary New York Times coverage. The 1940 United States Census recorded him as a single theater actor residing in an apartment in Manhattan, New York, offering the most recent confirmed indication of his location. Bergen died on May 1, 1954, at the age of 79. No specific cause of death, obituary notices, or funeral details appear in accessible records, and the precise place of death is not stated, though it is presumed to have occurred in the New York area given his documented residence there in 1940. As an actor whose career spanned late 19th-century touring companies, Broadway, and early silent films, Bergen is regarded as a respected but now relatively obscure figure of the early 20th-century American stage and screen. The scarcity of information on his post-1940 life reflects the limited preservation of records for performers of his era who transitioned away from major spotlight roles.
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