Harold Holland (May 12, 1885 – September 27, 1974) was a British theatre and silent film actor and playwright. He was born in Bloomsbury, London. [1] He played Dr. Rogers in the 1913 film Riches and Rogues, [1] and took the lead role of Dr. Thomas "Tom" Flynn in the 1914 comedy The Lucky Vest. [2] After having worked on Charlie Chaplin films including Shanghaied and The Bank in 1915, he was hired by the Morosco Photoplay Company in 1916 as it expanded. [3]
Before and after working in silent films, Holland had a theatre career in the United Kingdom. His West End roles include Bella Donna, One-Act Plays, and Treasure Island. [4] He also performed as the title character in the UK tour of Sherlock Holmes in 1919. [5] [6] As a playwright, he wrote the 1918 war play True Values, a propaganda piece encouraging women at home to work and invest in the war, [7] [8] and 1927 play The Big Drum, an early self-referential play set in a fictional theatre. [9] [10] [11] Other works written by Holland include BW [12] and Break the Sword. [13]
His later film career, in the United States, included work in the early silent Westerns, for which he was called "a silent star", [14] and noted roles in various films dealing with foreign ethnicity, including two roles as Irish policemen who prevent organized crime by Chinese gangs. [15] [16] [17]
He died in Los Angeles in 1974. [1]
Harold Holland (May 12, 1885 – September 27, 1974) was a British theatre and silent film actor and playwright. He was born in Bloomsbury, London. [1] He played Dr. Rogers in the 1913 film Riches and Rogues, [1] and took the lead role of Dr. Thomas "Tom" Flynn in the 1914 comedy The Lucky Vest. [2] After having worked on Charlie Chaplin films including Shanghaied and The Bank in 1915, he was hired by the Morosco Photoplay Company in 1916 as it expanded. [3]
Before and after working in silent films, Holland had a theatre career in the United Kingdom. His West End roles include Bella Donna, One-Act Plays, and Treasure Island. [4] He also performed as the title character in the UK tour of Sherlock Holmes in 1919. [5] [6] As a playwright, he wrote the 1918 war play True Values, a propaganda piece encouraging women at home to work and invest in the war, [7] [8] and 1927 play The Big Drum, an early self-referential play set in a fictional theatre. [9] [10] [11] Other works written by Holland include BW [12] and Break the Sword. [13]
His later film career, in the United States, included work in the early silent Westerns, for which he was called "a silent star", [14] and noted roles in various films dealing with foreign ethnicity, including two roles as Irish policemen who prevent organized crime by Chinese gangs. [15] [16] [17]
He died in Los Angeles in 1974. [1]