Exceptionally tall American actor, nicknamed "Slim," who frequented Harold Lloyd's early films. He was a nephew of Indiana Senator Daniel W. Voorhees. After appearing in about a year's worth of Lonesome Lukes and "glasses" one-reelers filmed between September 1916 and August 1917 (though officially announced in trades as joining the company in December 1916), Voorhees left the Rolin stock company when recruited by the U.S. Army. He had enlisted in Los Angeles on 28 September 1916 (having expressed a desire to "go to war" as early as 1914, but being foiled then by his exceptional height), and was called up for duty on 15 July 1917, to serve at Fort McArthur, San Pedro, CA, and served as drum major and Mess Sergeant of the Coast Artillery Corps. At that moment, he was reportedly the tallest man enlisted in the U.S. Army. He was discharged on 23 December 1919 (service no longer required).
He returned to Roach briefly in 1920, but afterwards worked as a chauffeur for Southern California Edison and as a truck driver for Consolidated Rock Co. He married Monica Mary Diebolt (b. 1900) in 1923 and had two sons, David Ellison, Jr. (b. 1927) and John Jude (1929-2015). He had taken over the role of Rolin's resident "big guy" from Ben Corday, and after Voorhees' military call-up, said role would essentially be inherited by James Fitzgerald.
|
