William Courtleigh Jr.

William Courtleigh Jr. (March 8, 1892–March 13, 1918) was an American silent film actor whose career was cut short after he fell victim to the 1918 flu pandemic.

William Courtleigh Jr.
Photoplay Magazine, 1917
Born
William Thomas Courtleigh Jr.

(1892-03-08)March 8, 1892
Buffalo, New York, USA
DiedMarch 13, 1918(1918-03-13) (aged 26)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
OccupationActor

Early years

William Thomas Courtleigh Jr., born in Buffalo, New York, was the son of William Courtleigh,[1][2] a Canadian-born American stage and screen actor.

Career

Like his father, Courtleigh began in stock. His film career began the year before playing Rev. Mark Stebbing in the Vitagraph film The Better Man, based on the novel by Cyrus Townsend Brady. Courtleigh appeared in at least 14 films over his brief career and was probably best remembered for playing Neal Hardin in the 1915 serial Neal of the Navy with Lillian Lorraine. Courtleigh played opposite Ann Pennington in her first two films, Susie Snowflake and The Rainbow Princess, both released in 1916. His last film,Children of Destiny, another Brady story, was released in 1920 by Weber Productions.[3][4]

Death

Courtleigh died in Philadelphia on March 13, 1918, an early casualty of the worldwide flu pandemic. He had just turned twenty-six and was survived by his wife, father and three brothers. Two of his brothers later became actors. Stephen, who sometimes acted under the stage name William Courtleigh Jr., and Robert Courtleigh both had careers on stage and later in television. All three of his brothers were the product of his father's second marriage and considerably younger than he.[5][6][7]

Partial filmography

Sources
  1. William Thomas Courtleigh Jr. - US Draft Registration, Ancestry.com scan
  2. Death Notices-The New York Times March 15, 1918; pg. 13
  3. The Fort Wayne News and Sentinel 4 May 1918 pg. 4; Ancestry.com scan
  4. William Courtleigh Jr. – Internet Movie Database
  5. Death Notices-The New York Times March 15, 1918; pg. 13
  6. The Fort Wayne News and Sentinel 4 May 1918 pg. 4; Ancestry.com scan
  7. William Courtleigh 1920 US Census, Ancestry.com scan
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