William Stowell
Encyclopedia
William Stowell was an American
silent film
actor
who died in a railroad accident in the Belgian Congo
in 1919.
A handsome actor with matinee idol good looks, Stowell was signed into film in 1909 with IMP(forerunner of Universal
) and starred in the popular hit The Cowboy Millionaire
also starring Tom Mix
.
Between 1909 and his death in 1919 Stowell starred in 119 silent film
s, often playing in over 10 films a year.
In 1915
he starred in The Great Question
alongside actors such as Harold Lockwood
with American Studios.
In 1916
he starred in The Love Hermit
portraying Jack Hillman alongside Charlotte Burton
and Harry von Meter
working with director Jack Prescott
.
In 1916 Stowell began appearing in a series of Universal features that paired him with Lon Chaney
and Dorothy Phillips
. Stowell's early death brought the series of adventures to a close.
In 1918
he co-starred with Dorothy Phillips and Erich Von Stroheim
in The Heart of Humanity
. Stowell played the hero while Von Stroheim was the villain. Phillips the damsel in distress.
In 1919 Universal sent Stowell to the Belgian Congo
to scout for filming locations. While en route to Elizabethville
Stowell was riding in the caboose car of his train. An out of control locomotive engine from another train slammed into Stowell's car killing him instantly.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
who died in a railroad accident in the Belgian Congo
Belgian Congo
The Belgian Congo was the formal title of present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo between King Leopold II's formal relinquishment of his personal control over the state to Belgium on 15 November 1908, and Congolese independence on 30 June 1960.-Congo Free State, 1884–1908:Until the latter...
in 1919.
A handsome actor with matinee idol good looks, Stowell was signed into film in 1909 with IMP(forerunner of Universal
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
) and starred in the popular hit The Cowboy Millionaire
The Cowboy Millionaire
The Cowboy Millionaire is a 1909 American silent short western directed by Francis Boggs and Otis Turner. The film stars Tom Mix, Mac Barnes and William Garwood. It was the debut film of actor William Garwood.-Cast:* Tom Mix* Mac Barnes* William Garwood...
also starring Tom Mix
Tom Mix
Thomas Edwin "Tom" Mix was an American film actor and the star of many early Western movies. He made a reported 336 films between 1910 and 1935, all but nine of which were silent features...
.
Between 1909 and his death in 1919 Stowell starred in 119 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...
s, often playing in over 10 films a year.
In 1915
1915 in film
The year 1915 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 8 : D.W Griffith's The Birth of a Nation premieres at Clune's Auditorium Los Angeles and breaks box office and film length records, running at a total length of 3 hrs 10 minutes.* June 18 : The Motion Picture Directors...
he starred in The Great Question
The Great Question
The Great Question is a 1915 American silent short romantic drama film written and directed by Thomas Ricketts. The film stars Harold Lockwood, May Allison, Harry von Meter, William Stowell, Eugenie Forde, and Charles Bartlett....
alongside actors such as Harold Lockwood
Harold Lockwood
Harold A. Lockwood was an American silent film actor and one of the most popular matinee idols of the early film period during the 1910s.-Career:...
with American Studios.
In 1916
1916 in film
The year 1916 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 17 - release of A Daughter of the Gods, the first US production with a million dollar budget, with the first nude scene by a major star....
he starred in The Love Hermit
The Love Hermit
The Love Hermit is a 1916 American silent drama film directed by Jack Prescott. The film stars William Russell and Charlotte Burton.-Cast:* William Russell as Tom Weston* Charlotte Burton as Marie Bolton* Harry von Meter as James Bolton...
portraying Jack Hillman alongside Charlotte Burton
Charlotte Burton
Charlotte Burton was an American silent film actress.-Career:Born in San Francisco, Burton was signed by the American Company in 1912 where she worked for several years. She joined Essanay Studio which she sued in 1919 for $25,000 for breach of contract...
and Harry von Meter
Harry von Meter
Harry von Meter was an American silent film actor. He was signed by the Thanhouser Company based in New York City in 1912, moving to American Film Studios a year or two later, and starred in about 200 films until 1929. He is perhaps most famous for starring in The Hunchback of Notre Dame as Mons...
working with director Jack Prescott
Jack Prescott
Jack Prescott was an early American silent film actor and director.Prescott starred in 19 films as an actor, between the end of 1914 and 1918, working with actors such as Charlotte Burton in films such as The Thoroughbred...
.
In 1916 Stowell began appearing in a series of Universal features that paired him with Lon Chaney
Lon Chaney, Sr.
Lon Chaney , nicknamed "The Man of a Thousand Faces," was an American actor during the age of silent films. He was one of the most versatile and powerful actors of early cinema...
and Dorothy Phillips
Dorothy Phillips
Dorothy Phillips was an American stage and film actress.-Career:Born Dorothy Gwendolyn Strible in Baltimore, Maryland, Phillips began her career as a stage actress. She made her film debut in 1911, and appeared in over 150 films during her career...
. Stowell's early death brought the series of adventures to a close.
In 1918
1918 in film
The year 1918 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*Following litigation for anti-trust activities, the US Supreme Court orders the Motion Picture Patents Company to disband....
he co-starred with Dorothy Phillips and Erich Von Stroheim
Erich von Stroheim
Erich von Stroheim was an Austrian-born film star of the silent era, subsequently noted as an auteur for his directorial work.-Background:...
in The Heart of Humanity
The Heart of Humanity
-External links:* at IMDb* at AllMovie**...
. Stowell played the hero while Von Stroheim was the villain. Phillips the damsel in distress.
In 1919 Universal sent Stowell to the Belgian Congo
Belgian Congo
The Belgian Congo was the formal title of present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo between King Leopold II's formal relinquishment of his personal control over the state to Belgium on 15 November 1908, and Congolese independence on 30 June 1960.-Congo Free State, 1884–1908:Until the latter...
to scout for filming locations. While en route to Elizabethville
Lubumbashi
Lubumbashi is the second largest city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, second only to the nation's capital Kinshasa, and the hub of the southeastern part of the country. The copper-mining city serves as the capital of the relatively prosperous Katanga Province, lying near the Zambian border...
Stowell was riding in the caboose car of his train. An out of control locomotive engine from another train slammed into Stowell's car killing him instantly.
Selected filmography
- The Talk of the TownThe Talk of the Town (1918 film)The Talk of the Town is a 1918 silent comedy film directed by Allen Holubar and starring Lon Chaney, Sr.-Cast:* Dorothy Phillips - Genevra French* George Fawcett - Major French* Clarissa Selwynne - Aunt Harriet* Zasu Pitts...
(19181918 in filmThe year 1918 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*Following litigation for anti-trust activities, the US Supreme Court orders the Motion Picture Patents Company to disband....
) - Broadway LoveBroadway LoveBroadway Love is a 1918 silent romance film directed by Ida May Park and starring Lon Chaney, Sr. A print of the film survives in the film archive of George Eastman House.-Plot:...
(1918) - The Grand PassionThe Grand PassionThe Grand Passion is a 1918 silent Western film directed by Ida May Park and starring Lon Chaney, Sr.-Cast:* Dorothy Phillips - Viola Argos* Jack Mulhall - Jack Ripley* Lon Chaney, Sr. - Paul Argos* William Stowell - Dick Evans...
(1918) - TriumphTriumph (1917 film)Triumph is a 1917 silent drama film directed by Joe De Grasse and starring Lon Chaney Only three of the five reels survive.-Cast:* Dorothy Phillips - Nell Baxter* Lon Chaney - Paul Neihoff* William Stowell - Dudley Weyman...
(19171917 in filmThe year 1917 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*Foundation of Universum Film AG , as a propaganda film company, in Berlin.*Technicolor System 1, a two-color process, is introduced...
) - Pay Me!Pay Me!Pay Me! is a 1917 silent drama film directed by Joe De Grasse and starring Lon Chaney, Sr.-Cast:* Lon Chaney, Sr. - Joe Lawson* J. Edwin Brown - Martin * William Clifford - Hal Curtis* Evelyn Selbie - Hilda Hendricks...
(1917) - The RescueThe Rescue (1917 film)The Rescue is a 1917 silent drama film directed by Ida May Park and starring Lon Chaney, Sr.-Cast:* Dorothy Phillips - Anne Wetherall* William Stowell - Kent Wetherall* Lon Chaney, Sr. - Thomas Holland* Gretchen Lederer - Nell Jerrold...
(1917) - Fires of RebellionFires of RebellionFires of Rebellion is a 1917 silent drama film directed by Ida May Park and starring Lon Chaney, Sr. -Cast:* Dorothy Phillips - Madge Garvey* William Stowell - John Blake* Lon Chaney, Sr. - Russell Hanlon* Belle Bennett - Helen Mallory...
(1917) - A Doll's HouseA Doll's House (1917 film)A Doll's House is a 1917 silent drama film directed by Joe De Grasse and starring Lon Chaney, Sr.-Cast:* Dorothy Phillips - Nora Helmer* William Stowell - Torvald Helmer* Lon Chaney, Sr. - Nils Krogstad* Sydney Deane - Dr. Rank...
(1917) - The FlashlightThe FlashlightThe Flashlight is a 1917 silent drama film directed by Ida May Park and starring Lon Chaney, Sr.-Cast:* Dorothy Phillips - Delice Brixton* William Stowell - Jack Lane* Lon Chaney, Sr. - Henry Norton and Porter Brixton* Alfred Allen - John Peterson...
(1917)
- The Girl in the Checkered CoatThe Girl in the Checkered CoatThe Girl in the Checkered Coat is a 1917 silent drama film directed by Joe De Grasse and starring Lon Chaney, Sr.-Cast:* Dorothy Phillips - Mary Graham 'Flash' Fan* William Stowell - David Norman* Lon Chaney, Sr. - Hector Maitland...
(1917) - Hell Morgan's GirlHell Morgan's GirlHell Morgan's Girl is a 1917 silent drama film directed by Joe De Grasse and starring Lon Chaney, Sr.-Cast:* Dorothy Phillips - Lola* William Stowell - Roger Curwell* Lon Chaney, Sr. - Sleter Noble* Lillian Rosine - Olga...
(1917) - The Piper's PriceThe Piper's PriceThe Piper's Price is a 1917 silent drama film directed by Joe De Grasse and starring Lon Chaney, Sr.-Cast:* Dorothy Phillips - Amy Hadley* Maude George - Jessica Hadley * Lon Chaney, Sr. - Billy Kilmartin...
(1917) - The Love HermitThe Love HermitThe Love Hermit is a 1916 American silent drama film directed by Jack Prescott. The film stars William Russell and Charlotte Burton.-Cast:* William Russell as Tom Weston* Charlotte Burton as Marie Bolton* Harry von Meter as James Bolton...
(19161916 in filmThe year 1916 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 17 - release of A Daughter of the Gods, the first US production with a million dollar budget, with the first nude scene by a major star....
) - The Other Side of the DoorThe Other Side of the DoorThe Other Side of the Door is a 1916 American silent romantic drama directed by Tom Ricketts. Based on the novel of the same name by Lucia Chamberlain, the film stars Harold Lockwood and May Allison.-Plot:...
(1916) - The Buzzard's ShadowThe Buzzard's ShadowThe Buzzard's Shadow is a 1915 American silent military drama film directed by Thomas Ricketts starring Harold Lockwood and May Allison. The film was shot in San Diego at the San Diego Military Reservation.-Cast:*Harold Lockwood .... Sergeant Barnes...
(19151915 in filmThe year 1915 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 8 : D.W Griffith's The Birth of a Nation premieres at Clune's Auditorium Los Angeles and breaks box office and film length records, running at a total length of 3 hrs 10 minutes.* June 18 : The Motion Picture Directors...
) - The Great QuestionThe Great QuestionThe Great Question is a 1915 American silent short romantic drama film written and directed by Thomas Ricketts. The film stars Harold Lockwood, May Allison, Harry von Meter, William Stowell, Eugenie Forde, and Charles Bartlett....
(1915) - Brown of HarvardBrown of HarvardBrown of Harvard is the title of three silent films all based on the 1906 Broadway play of the same name by Rida Johnson Young. The 1926 version is notable for featuring John Wayne's screen debut.*Brown of Harvard...
(19111911 in filmThe year 1911 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*March 23: D.W Griffith shows the first major close-up shot on film with the successful release of The Lonedale Operator proving his ever growing mastery of how to utilise film....
) - The Cowboy MillionaireThe Cowboy MillionaireThe Cowboy Millionaire is a 1909 American silent short western directed by Francis Boggs and Otis Turner. The film stars Tom Mix, Mac Barnes and William Garwood. It was the debut film of actor William Garwood.-Cast:* Tom Mix* Mac Barnes* William Garwood...
(19091909 in filmThe year 1909 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*Matsunosuke Onoe, who would become the first superstar of Japanese cinema, appears in his first film, Goban Tadanobu.*James Joyce opens the Volta, the first cinema in Dublin....
)