Billie Ritchie
| Billie Ritchie | |
|---|---|
 Billie Ritchie | |
| Born |
William Hill.[1] September 14, 1878 Glasgow, Scotland |
| Died |
July 6, 1921 Los Angeles, California |
Cause of death | Cancer |
| Nationality | Scottish |
| Spouse(s) | Winifred Monroe |
| Children |
Wyn Ritchie Evans (12/23/1900-4/11/2003) |
Billie Ritchie (September 14, 1878 – July 6, 1921) was a Scottish comedian who first gained transatlantic fame as a performer for British music hall producer Fred Karno—this, a full decade before Stan Laurel and Charlie Chaplin took a similar career path. Ritchie is best recalled today for the silent comedy shorts he made between 1914 and 1920 for director/producer Henry Lehrman's L-KO Kompany and Fox Film Sunshine Comedy unit. Variations on Ritchie's "tramp" and "drunk" personae - which Ritchie had developed before and during his Karno years- were introduced to film audiences by Charlie Chaplin in such shorts as the Lehrman-directed Kid Auto Races at Venice (February 7, 1914) and Mabel's Strange Predicament (February 9, 1914). Ritchie, who - due to a series of on-set injuries, spent his final years relatively inactive- succumbed to stomach cancer in the summer of 1921.[2] Winifred Monroe Ritchie, the comedian's widow, and one-time stage partner, wound up in the employ of Charlie Chaplin.[3] Wyn Ritchie, their daughter, was also a performer, and, in private life, the wife (of 55 years) of songwriter Ray Evans.
Notes
External links
- Billie Ritchie imdb profile
- Find-a-Grave
- Winifred Monroe Ritchie imdb credits
- Wyn Ritchie Broadway Credits
- The Ray and Wyn Ritchie Evans Foundation Official Website
- Wyn Ritchie Evans Papers- University of Pennsylvania
Further reading
Accounts on work and life
- Massa, Steve (April 30, 2013). Lame Brains and Lunatics: The Good, The Bad, And The Forgotten of Silent Comedy (pp. 55-68). BearManor Media. ISBN 978-1593932688.