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| Oscar Larson |
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born:
25 January 1881 Stockholm, Sweden |
died:
30 May 1937 Los Angeles, California, United States of America (ruptured gastric ulcer, age 56) |
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Short Swedish-born actor and assistant director. His parents were August Larson and Carolina Mathilda (Rehnstrom) Larson, who married in 1875. They had seven children, three of whom (Oscar and brothers August and Reuben) survived to adulthood. Oscar immigrated from Sweden to the United States with his mother and brothers in 1893, his father having arrived a year earlier. The Larson family settled in Chicago, Illinois. Oscar was working as a laborer at the time of the 1900 Census. He married Sedalia, Missouri native Mattie Frances Rhoman Erwin (1884-1931) on 28 March 1904 in Salt Lake City, Utah. They had three children: Jeanette (later Jeanelle) Elizabeth (1905-1987), Melbourn(e) Oscar (1908-1974), and Douglas Alonzo (2 July-30 July 1910). In the 1910 Census, Oscar is still in Chicago with his wife and children, working as a painter, "out doors [sic]." Oscar's bio from the 1920 and 1921 Motion Picture Studio Directories: LARSON, Oscar M.; also asst. director; b. Stockholm, Sweden; educ. there and Chicago, Ill.; stage career, with Lincoln J. Carter and Lorin J. Howard Stk. Co., Chicago, Ill.; screen career, Universal ("Bedford's Hope"), Rolin-Pathe ("Kicking the Germ Out of Germany"), W. H. Clifford Co. ("Democracy"), Biograph ("The Battle of Truth"), Universal ("From Dawn to Dark"). Hght., 5, 7; wght., 160; light brown hair, dark blue eyes. Home ad., 406 Court st., Los Angeles, Calif.; Pico 680. Photoplayers' Weekly, 21 May 1915: "Director J. Farrell McDonald [sic] of the Biograph Company has just finished 'Wings of Fate' a smuggler's story . . . Oscar M. Karson [sic], who may be remembered as having played with Mary Leonard in Carmen, in the production of Jack London's famous novel John Barleycorn, and as handling the military situation for Mrs. Leslie Carter in the making of the wonderful picture 'The Heart of Maryland' has been given a very important part." In April 1915, while filming "The Wings of Fate" (which appears to have been released as "The Smuggler's Ward"), Oscar assisted Biograph actress Vola Smith (later Vola Vale) in the rescue of assistant director Dan Sullivan from a "whirling current near the dangerous rocks at White Point, San Pedro." Moving Picture World, 04 Dec 1915: "Oscar M. Larson who formerly did much of the work for Al Hale when he was making comedies for Kalem, is now assistant to J. Farrell Macdonald, one of the directors now working here. Larson is a busy man and a hustler and deserves the progress that has been afforded him. He can act too, b'gosh!" By June 1917, Oscar was at Rolin. Oscar Manuel Larson filled out his World War I draft registration card on 12 September 1918. 37 years old, he is living at "614 S. Mt. View, Huntington Pk., L.A., Calif." and is a U.S. citizen by way of his father's naturalization. He gives his occupation as "Actor & Ass't. Director" at "Rolin-Pathe Film Co." He is of medium height and build, with gray eyes and "lt. brown" hair. In the 1920 Census, Oscar, Mattie, Jeanette and Melbourne are still living at 614 So. Mountain View, with Oscar and Mattie both acting in motion pictures. A June 1919 Los Angeles Times article mentions the Rolin studio's raucous brass band, with Oscar on alto; the article mentions that he is "famous for his Kaiser makeups." Camera!, 1 May 1920: "Oscar M. Larsen [sic], for the past year with the Rolin Film Company, has joined the Historical Film Corporation of America as assistant purchasing agent." By September, Oscar is employed at the Vitagraph studio. In the 1930 Census, Oscar and Mattie are living at 1516 Lake St. in Glendale, California. Oscar is working as a "painter," "building trade." It appears they were living at 607 No. Fairmont in Burbank at the time of Mattie's death on 6 November 1931 at Los Angeles County General Hospital (cause: "Large pelvic abscess, cause undermined," with "postoperative shock"). Oscar M. Larson was working as a house painter (supposedly for 25 years) and living at 445 N. Providencia Ave. in Burbank, California at the time of his death, at Los Angeles County General Hospital at 3:15am on 30 May 1937; cause of death was listed as "Ruptured gastric ulcer with generalized peritonitis & bilateral subphrenic abscesses." He was buried at Inglewood Cemetery on 2 June 1937. |
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Real name: Oscar Manuel Larson Height: 5'7" |
Films listed on this page: complete Hal Roach filmography. |
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