Frank Alexander

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Frank Alexander (May 25, 1879, Olympia, Washington - September 8, 1937) was a morbidly obese (350 pound) silent film comedian, best known for playing villains in the films of Larry Semon, who are often the father of Semon's love interest.

He is best known to contemporary audiences for portraying a villanous interpretation of Uncle Henry, eventually proclaimed "Prince of Whales" upon reaching the Emerald City in Semon's Wizard of Oz.

Richard M. Roberts's article in Classic Images listed the top ten ingredients of a Larry Semon film, which began with these four:

1. Larry Semon
2. A heroine (usually Larry's current girlfriend or wife)
3. A fat guy (usually Oliver Hardy to play the villain)
4. A really fat guy (usually Frank Alexander, to play Larry's current girlfriend's father)

He was proclaimed at the time as one of the three fattest actors ever to appear on the screen, with Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle as one of the others.

[edit] External links

• Frank Alexander at the Internet Movie Database
• Frank Alexander at Allmovie
• Frank Alexander at Find A Grave