William Collier Jr. facts for kids

Quick facts for kids William Collier Jr.
Collier in 1926
Born	Charles F. Gall Jr. (1902-02-12)February 12, 1902 New York City, U.S.
Died	February 5, 1987(1987-02-05) (aged 84) San Francisco, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	Actor: 1916–1935 producer: 1946–1956
Spouse(s)	Marie Stevens (1934–1981) (her death)
Children	1

William Collier Jr. (born Charles F. Gall Jr.; February 12, 1902 – February 5, 1987) was an American stage performer, producer, and a film actor who in the silent and sound eras was cast in no fewer than 89 motion pictures.

Biography

William Collier (nicknamed "Buster") was born in New York City. When his parents divorced, his mother, the actress Paula Marr, remarried the actor William Collier Sr. who adopted Charles (the two did share a resemblance) and gave the boy the new name William Collier Jr. Collier's acting experience in childhood, having first appeared on stage at age seven, helped him get his first movie role at age 14 in The Bugle Call (1916).

In 1910 his parents were appearing in Denver and Collier was hospitalized with scarlet fever, which was followed by typhoid, but he eventually recovered by the end of the summer and was able to join his parents who were appearing at Elitch Theatre. He appeared in his father's show, The Patriot, as Kid Sugar.

He later became a popular leading man in the 1920s and successfully made the transition from silent into sound film. Nevertheless, he retired from acting in 1935, and in 1937 traveled to England to work as a movie producer. He returned to the United States in the late 1940s and began producing drama series for television. In February 1960, in recognition of his contributions to the entertainment industry, Collier received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Collier & Catherine Calvert in The Heart of Maryland (1921)

Collier died in San Francisco on February 5, 1987, just a week before his 85th birthday.

Selected filmography as an actor