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Harry Bannister

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Harry Bannister
Born(1889-09-29)September 29, 1889
Holland, Michigan, United States
DiedFebruary 26, 1961(1961-02-26) (aged 71)
New York City, United States
Years activeStage 1920–1954
Film 1921–1953
TV 1953–1956
Spouses
(m. 1926; div. 1932)
Leah Moskowitz Welt
(m. 1936)
Children2

Harry Bannister (September 29, 1889 – February 26, 1961) was an American stage, film and television actor, and theater producer and director.

Biography

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Born in Holland, Michigan, Bannister began acting in movies and on Broadway in the 1920s. He married the actress Ann Harding in 1926, and appeared with her in two films, Her Private Affair (1929) and The Girl of the Golden West (1930). The two of them also were prominent actors in Pittsburgh theatre, appearing in productions with the Sharp Company and later starting the Nixon Players.[1] They were divorced in 1932.

Bannister founded the American Music Hall Theatre Group in New York City. Its first production, a melodrama entitled The Drunkard, ran for 277 performances. He appeared regularly on Broadway in the 1950s, starring, opposite Celeste Holm, in Affairs of State and in Love Me Long with Shirley Booth.

On television Bannister played one of the fathers in the 1953 Russel Crouse TV series Life with Father.

He died in Manhattan, New York City, at the age of 71.

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
1921 The Porcelain Lamp Grayson Whitney
1929 Her Private Affair Judge Richard Kessler
1930 The Girl of the Golden West Jack Rance
1931 Suicide Fleet Commander
1931 Husband's Holiday Andrew Trask
1947 A Double Life Second Actor Uncredited
1953 Girl on the Run Clay Reeves

Sources

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  • The New York Times, February 27, 1961: "Harry Bannister Is Dead at 72"

References

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  1. ^ Conner, Lynne (2007). Pittsburgh In Stages: Two Hundred Years of Theater. University of Pittsburgh Press. pp. 105-106. ISBN 978-0-8229-4330-3. Retrieved 2011-06-06.
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