Minor Watson

{{Short description|American actor (1889–1965)}}

{{Use American English|date=January 2022}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2022}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Minor Watson

| image = Minor Watson in The Jackie Robinson Story (1950).jpg

| caption = Watson in The Jackie Robinson Story (1950)

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1889|12|22|mf=yes}}

| birth_place = Marianna, Arkansas, U.S.

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1965|07|28|1889|12|22|mf=yes}}

| death_place = Alton, Illinois, U.S.

| resting_place = Alton Cemetery, Alton, Illinois

| nationality = American

| occupation = Actor

| years_active = 1912–1959

| spouse = Elinor Hewitt
({{abbr|m.|married}} 1919)

}}

Minor Watson (December 22, 1889 – July 28, 1965) was a prominent character actor. He appeared in 111 movies made between 1913 and 1956. His credits included Boys Town (1938), Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942), Kings Row (1942), Guadalcanal Diary (1943), Bewitched (1945), The Virginian (1946), and The Jackie Robinson Story (1950)

Early years

Watson was the son of Mrs. Alice Rodgers.{{cite news|title=Alton Furnishes Two Young Men to Stage|newspaper=Alton Evening Telegraph |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4963273/alton_evening_telegraph/|agency=Alton Evening Telegraph|date=June 3, 1911|location=Illinois, Alton|page=8|via = Newspapers.com|accessdate = April 15, 2016}} {{Open access}} He attended St. John's Northwestern Military Academy in Delafield, Wisconsin,{{cite news|title=(untitled brief)|newspaper=Alton Evening Telegraph |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4963327/alton_evening_telegraph/|agency=Alton Evening Telegraph|date=January 6, 1908|location=Illinois, Alton|page=3|via = Newspapers.com|accessdate = April 15, 2016}} {{Open access}} and Shurtleff College in Alton, Illinois. He said that, as a member of Sigma Phi at Shurtleff, he was encouraged to pursue a career in drama.{{cite news|title=Stratton White Named President Of Sigma Society|newspaper=Alton Evening Telegraph |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4963823/alton_evening_telegraph/|agency=Alton Evening Telegraph|date=March 31, 1927|location=Illinois, Alton|page=3|via = Newspapers.com|accessdate = April 15, 2016}} {{Open access}}

Film

Watson began his film career with Essanay Studios in 1913.{{cite news|title=Minor Watson in Motion Pictures|newspaper=Alton Evening Telegraph |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4963407/alton_evening_telegraph/|agency=Alton Evening Telegraph|date=July 3, 1913|location=Illinois, Alton|page=1|via = Newspapers.com|accessdate = April 15, 2016}} {{Open access}} He was described as "the new recruit that plays lover parts."{{cite news|title=Converts His Role of Simulated Heroism into Daring Reality|newspaper=The Ogden Standard |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4963501/the_ogden_standard/|agency=The Ogden Standard|date=July 12, 1913|location=Utah, Standard|page=2|via = Newspapers.com|accessdate = April 15, 2016}} {{Open access}}

In his forty-three-year movie career, Watson appeared in 115 features and short films.imdb.com, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0914808/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_4_nm_4_q_Minor%2520Watson

Stage

Watson made seventeen appearances on Broadway in his career, including new plays by George M. Cohan, Robert E, Sherwood, S. N. Behrman, and Howard Lindsay & Russell Crouse. He acted with theatre luminaries such as Ruth Chatterton, Lynn Fontanne and Alfred Lunt, Helen Westley, Walter Abel, Mady Christians, Josephine Hull, Rex Ingram, Ina Claire, Osgood Perkins, and Tom Powers. Fellow actors in his Broadway shows also maintained Hollywood careers: Ralph Bellamy, Humphrey Bogart, Walter Connolly, Melvyn Douglas, Van Heflin, Ruth Hussey, Alan Mowbray, Mildred Natwick, Sidney Toler, and Henry Travers.Internet Broadway Database, https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/minor-watson-64232

Watson's Broadway credits include State of the Union, End of Summer, Tapestry in Gray, A Divine Drudge, Reunion in Vienna, Friendship, This Thing Called Love, These Modern Women, Howdy King, Mismates, The Magnolia Lady, and Why Men Leave Home.{{cite web|title=Minor Watson|url=http://www.playbill.com/searchpage/search?q=Minor+Watson&sort=Relevance&shows=on&qasset=00000150-ac83-d16d-a550-ecbfc7300000|website=Playbill|accessdate=17 April 2016}}

Personal life

Watson married Elinor Hewitt December 7, 1919, in Boston, Massachusetts.{{cite news|title=Miss Hewitt to Be Married Next Sunday in Boston|newspaper=Alton Evening Telegraph |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4963610/alton_evening_telegraph/|agency=Alton Evening Telegraph|date=December 2, 1919|location=Illinois, Alton|page=3|via = Newspapers.com|accessdate = April 15, 2016}} {{Open access}}

Death

Watson is buried in Alton Cemetery in Alton, Illinois.

Partial filmography

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References

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