Ward Crane(1890-1928)
- Actor
American actor of silent films. A native of Albany, New York, the son
of a railroad engineer, he began a career in government, serving as
confidential stenographer and then secretary to Governor William Sulzer
of New York. Sulzer's impeachment and removal from office left Crane
without a job, and he obtained a commission in the U.S. Navy. While
stationed at the Navy's San Diego, California submarine base, Crane met
a number of visiting movie personalities including Allan Dwan, who
suggested the handsome young officer try the movies. Following the war,
he did so, making his debut in 1919. He gained work as a leading man,
but more frequently played darker roles. An attack of pleurisy led him
to a rest cure in the resort of Saranac Lake, New York. Pneumonia
developed and he died three months later, aged 37.
