Minor Watson


Minor Watson was a prominent character actor. He appeared in 111 movies made between 1913 and 1956. His credits included Boys Town, Yankee Doodle Dandy, Kings Row, Guadalcanal Diary, Bewitched, The Virginian, and ''The Jackie Robinson Story''

Early years

Watson was the son of Mrs. Alice Rodgers. He attended St. John's Northwestern Military Academy in Delafield, Wisconsin, and Shurtleff College in Alton, Illinois. He said that, as a member of Sigma Phi at Shurtleff, he was encouraged to pursue a career in drama.

Film

Watson began his film career with Essanay Studios in 1913. He was described as "the new recruit that plays lover parts."
In his forty-three-year movie career, Watson appeared in 115 features and short films.

Stage

Watson made seventeen appearances on Broadway in his career, including new plays by George M. Cohan, Robert E, Sherwood, S. N. Behrman, and Howard Lindsay & Russell Crouse. He acted with theatre luminaries such as Ruth Chatterton, Lynn Fontanne and Alfred Lunt, Helen Westley, Walter Abel, Mady Christians, Josephine Hull, Rex Ingram, Ina Claire, Osgood Perkins, and Tom Powers. Fellow actors in his Broadway shows also maintained Hollywood careers: Ralph Bellamy, Humphrey Bogart, Walter Connolly, Melvyn Douglas, Van Heflin, Ruth Hussey, Alan Mowbray, Mildred Natwick, Sidney Toler, and Henry Travers.
Watson's Broadway credits include State of the Union, End of Summer, Tapestry in Gray, A Divine Drudge, Reunion in Vienna, Friendship, This Thing Called Love, These Modern Women, Howdy King, Mismates, The Magnolia Lady, and Why Men Leave Home.

Personal life

Watson married Elinor Hewitt December 7, 1919, in Boston, Massachusetts.

Death

Watson is buried in Alton Cemetery in Alton, Illinois.

Partial filmography