Frank Keenan was a stage and screen actor and stage director and manager during the silent film

Silent film

A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...

 era. He was among the first stage actors to star in Hollywood, and he pursued work in film features a number of years.

Early life

Born in Dubuque, Iowa

Dubuque, Iowa

Dubuque is a city in and the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. In 2010 its population was 57,637, making it the ninth-largest city in the state and the county's population was 93,653....

, Keenan acquired his education both there and at Boston College

Boston College

Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...

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Career

In New York, he became a star, a celebrated Shakespearean actor who later specialized in King Lear. He was a noted Broadway matinee idol, his name appearing at the top of showbills. He acted in such hits as The Capitol, A Poor Relative and The Girl of the Golden West

La fanciulla del West

La fanciulla del West is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Guelfo Civinini and Carlo Zangarini, based on the play The Girl of the Golden West by the American author David Belasco. Its highly-publicised premiere occurred in New York City in 1910...

. He played the title role in Macbeth

Macbeth

The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...

 opposite Nance O'Neil. At one point he briefly operated his own theater, the Berkeley Lyceum in New York, which brought him recognition as both actor and director.

Keenan made his screen debut under the direction of Reginald Barker in The Coward. His career lasted into his late 60s, and he was a leader in the Actors Equity Association. His last stage appearance, at 68, was as a Southern colonel in Black Velvet.

Family

Keenan was married for many years to Katherine Agnes Long, who often acted with him. The Keenans had two daughters, Frances (b.1886) and Hilda (b.1891), both of whom were successful on stage and in films. His wife Katherine died in 1924. In the same year in Honolulu he married a young music teacher, Margaret White from Los Angeles, but divorced from her in 1927. Frank Keenan remarried at the age of 70 in 1928 with a 41 year old actress, Leah May from Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...

. By daughter Hilda he was the grandfather of actor Keenan Wynn

Keenan Wynn

Keenan Wynn was an American character actor. His bristling mustache and expressive face were his stock in trade, and though he rarely had a lead role, he got prominent billing in most of his film and TV parts....

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Actor

• The Gilded Butterfly (1926)
• When the Door Opened (1925)
• East Lynne (1925)
• My Lady's Lips (1925)
• The Dixie Handicap
  The Dixie Handicap
  The Dixie Handicap is a 1924 drama film directed by Reginald Barker. The film stars Claire Windsor, Lloyd Hughes and Otis Harlan. It is written by Waldemar Young.-Cast:* Claire Windsor - The Daughter* Frank Keenan - The Racehorse Owner...
  
   (1924)
• Women Who Give (1924)
• Scars of Jealousy (1923)
• Brass (1923)
• Hearts Aflame (1923)
• Lorna Doone
  Lorna Doone (1922 film)
  Lorna Doone is a 1922 film version of Richard Doddridge Blackmore's novel of the same name.Directed by French director Maurice Tourneur in the United States, the film starred Madge Bellamy and John Bowers. In 2001, a digital restoration of the film was financed by Georgia cinephile Jesse Sharp,...
  
   (1922)
• Dollar for Dollar (1920)
• Smoldering Embers (1920)
• Brothers Divided (1919)
• The False Code (1919)
• The World Aflame (1919)
• The Master Man (1919)
• Gates of Brass (1919)
• The Silver Girl (1919)
• Todd of the Times (1919)
• The Midnight Stage (1919)
• The Bells (1918)
• More Trouble (1918)
• Ruler of the Road (1918)
• Loaded Dice (1918)
• Public Defender (1917)
• The Crab (1917)
• The Bride of Hate (1917)
• The Sin Ye Do (1916)
• Jim Grimsby's Boy (1916)
• The Thoroughbred (1916)
• Honor Thy Name (1916)
• The Phantom (1916)
• The Stepping Stone
  The Stepping Stone
  The Stepping Stone is a 1916 silent drama film, directed by Reginald Barker and Thomas H. Ince. It is a lost film.-Plot:Mary Beresford is the wife of unambitious law clerk Al Beresford. Thanks to Mary 's tenacity and carefully calculated social-climbing, Al is promoted to the position of personal...
  
   (1916)
• The Despoiler (1915)
• The Long Chance (1915)
• The Coward
  The Coward (1915 film)
  The Coward is a 1915 film produced by Thomas H. Ince. Set during the Civil War, the film stars Frank Keenan as a Virginia colonel and Charles Ray as his weak-willed son. The son is forced, at gunpoint, by his father to enlist in the Confederate army. He is terrified by the war and deserts during...
  
   (1915)
• Desert Thieves (1914)
• Love vs Duty (1914)
• The Bells of Asti (1914)
• The Hunchback
• The Fisherman; Or, Men Must Work and Women Must Weep (1909)
• Judge Not That Ye Be Not Judged (1909)

Director

• Dollar for Dollar (1920)
• Smoldering Embers (1920)
• Brothers Divided (1919)
• The Silver Girl (1919)

Stageplays

• Sherlock Holmes
  Sherlock Holmes
  Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
  
  (1928)
• Peter Weston (1923)
• Hon. John Grigsby (1902)
• At the Threshold (1905)
• Strolling Players (1905)
• The System of Dr. Tarr (1905)
• The Lady Bookie (1905)
• The Lady Across the Hall (1905)
• A Passion in the Suburb (1905)
• The Cardinal's Edict (1905)
• A Woman's Pity (1905)
• The Warrens of Virginia (1907)

Death

Keenan died of pneumonia in his Hollywood mansion, and is buried next to his wife at Hollywood Forever Cemetery

Hollywood Forever Cemetery

Hollywood Forever Cemetery, originally called Hollywood Memorial Park Cemetery, is one of the oldest cemeteries in Los Angeles, California. It is located at 6000 Santa Monica Boulevard in the Hollywood...

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External links