Sam De Grasse
Samuel Alfred De Grasse was a Canadian actor. He was the uncle of cinematographer Robert De Grasse.
Biography
Samuel Alfred De Grasse was born in Bathurst, New Brunswick to Lange De Grasse and Helene, both of French-Canadian descent. He trained to be a dentist, and married Annie McDonnell in 1904. Their daughter, Clementine Bell, was born in 1906. Annie died in 1909 while giving birth to another daughter, Olive, who also died. In 1910, Samuel was practicing dentistry and he and his daughter Clementine were living in Providence, Rhode Island along with his older sister, Mrs. Clementine Fauchy, and her 14-year-old son, Jerome Fauchy.
He married British actress Ada Fuller Golden and became a step-father to her three children. His own elder brother, Joe, went into the fledgling movie business and Sam decided to also give it a try. He traveled to New York City and, in 1912, he appeared in his first motion picture. At first he played standard secondary characters such as Dr. Robert Armstrong in Blind Husbands, but when fellow Canadian Mary Pickford set up her own studio with her husband Douglas Fairbanks, he joined them. He portrayed the villainous Prince John in Douglas Fairbanks' 1922 Robin Hood. Afterward, he began to specialize in crafty or slimy villainous roles, such as Senator Charles Summer in The Birth of a Nation, the mill owner Arthur Jenkins in Intolerance, John Carver in The Courtship of Miles Standish, Colonel Lestron in The Eagle of the Sea, a pirate lieutenant in The Black Pirate, a Pharisee in The King of Kings and King James in The Man Who Laughs. Mary Pickford named him as one of her favorite stars.
In the 1960s, Jackie Coogan claimed Jean Harlow had lived in De Grasse's apartment for two years and was married to him when she was 16. At the time both de Grasse and Harlow were deceased. The claim was untrue -- Harlow was married to Charles McGrew when she was 16. However, she did appear as an extra in the film Honor Bound, in which De Grasse played "Blood Keller".
Death
De Grasse lived on the west coast until his death at age 78 in Hollywood from a heart attack during his sleep. He is interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.
Selected filmography
The Birth of a Nation – Sen. Charles Sumner A Man and His Mate – ChooA Child of God – Jim MacPhersonMartyrs of the Alamo – Silent SmithCross Currents – Silas RandolphThe Price of Power – James GarwoodAcquitted – Ira WolcottThe Good Bad-Man – The Wolf / Bud FrazerAn Innocent Magdalene – Forbes StewartThe Half-Breed – Sheriff DunnIntolerance – Arthur JenkinsDiane of the Follies – Phillips ChristyThe Children of the Feud – Dr. Richard CavanaghJim Bludso – Ben MerrillHer Official Fathers – Ethan DexterAn Old-Fashioned Young Man – Harold T. KingMadame Bo-Peep – Jose AlvarezWild and Woolly – Steve Shelby – Indian AgentThe Empty Gun – JimAnything Once – Herbert WendlingThe Winged Mystery – Mortimer EddingtonThe Scarlet Car – Ernest PeabodySix-Shooter Andy – Tom SladeBrace Up – National JimThe Guilt of Silence – Gambler JoeThe Mortgaged Wife – MeyerSmashing Through – Earl FosterWinner Takes All – Mark ThorneA Woman's Fool – Minor RoleA Law Unto Herself – Kurt Von KlassnerThe Narrow Path – Malcolm DionThe Hope Chest – Ballantyne, Sr.Sis Hopkins – VibertThe Silk-Lined Burglar – Boston BlackieThe Exquisite Thief – Shaver MichaelHeart o' the Hills – Steve HoneycuttBlind Husbands – The Husband, Dr. Robert ArmstrongUncharted Channels – Nicholas SchonnnMoon Madness – AdrienThe Devil's Pass Key – Warren GoodwrightThe Skywayman – Dr. Wayne LeveridgeThe Little Grey Mouse – John CumberlandUnseen Forces – Captain StanleyThe Broken Gate – 'Hod' BrooksThe Cheater Reformed – Thomas EdinburghCourage – Stephan BlackmooreA Wife's Awakening – George OtisRobin Hood – Prince JohnForsaking All Others – Dr. MasonSlippy McGee – Father De RanceCircus Days – LordThe Spoilers – Judge StillmanA Prince of a King – Duke RobertoThe Dancer of the Nile – PasheriIn the Palace of the King – King Philip IITiger Rose – Dr. CusickThe Courtship of Miles Standish – John CarverPainted People – Henry ParrishPagan Passions – Frank LangleyA Self-Made Failure – Cyrus CruikshankThe Virgin – Ricardo RuizOn the Threshold – Daniel MastersThe Mansion of Aching Hearts – Martin CraigOne Year to Live – Dr. Lucien La PierreSun-Up – Sheriff WeeksHeir-Loons Sally, Irene and Mary – Officer O'DareMike – BrushThe Black Pirate – Pirate LieutenantHer Second Chance – BeacheyBroken Hearts of Hollywood – Defense AttorneyThe Eagle of the Sea – Col. LestronLove's Blindness – Benjamin LevyWhen a Man Loves – Comte Guillot de MorfontaineKing of Kings – PhariseeCaptain Salvation – Peter CampbellThe Fighting Eagle – TalleyrandThe Country Doctor – Ira HardingThe Wreck of the Hesperus – Capt. David SlocumThe Man Who Laughs – King James IIHonor Bound – Blood KellerThe Racket – District Attorney WelchOur Dancing Daughters – Freddie's FatherDog Law – Minor Role The Farmer's Daughter – Silks and Saddles – William MorrisseyThe Last Performance – District AttorneyWall Street – John WillardCaptain of the Guard – Bazin