Anderson Lawler

From Wikipedia the free encycloped Anderson Lawler May 5 1902 April 6 1959 was an American film and stage actor and producer who had a career lasting from the 1920s through the 1950s He began on Broadway before moving to featured and supporting roles in Hollywood over a tenyear career at the very beginning of the talking picture era After the end of his acting career Lawler would move to the production end of the film industry as well as becoming a producer of legitimate theater in the late 1940s and 1950s Life and career Lawler was born Sidney Lawler on May 5 1902 in Russellville Alabama to Earnest H and Dona C Lawler Prior to 1927 Lawler would move to New York City and change his professional name to Anderson In 1927 he would have a featured role in the Broadway production Her First Affaire which premiered at the Nora Bayes Theatre in August 1927 In 1929 he would move to Los Angeles where he would begin his career in the film industry His first role would be in 1929s River of Romance While in Hollywood he appeared in almost thirty films during this time mostly in supporting roles before moving behind the scenes in 1939 Aside from his professional career he was also popular with many Hollywood luminaries such as William Haines George Cukor Gary Cooper and Katharine Hepburn Lawler was a homosexual although he was frequently linked with women In 1935 he accompanied Kay Francis on a trip to Europe ostensibly sent by the studios to keep her out of trouble At one point Walter Winchell started a rumor that the two were engaged He produced the 1946 film Somewhere in the Night which was directed by Joseph L Mankiewicz and starred John Hodiak Nancy Guild and Lloyd Nolan Lee Strasberg adapted the screenplay and was an assistant director on the project Shortly after this both Lawler and Strasberg were transferred to the New York office of Twentieth CenturyFox Lawler and Strasberg had a close friendship Lawler becoming the Godfather of Strasbergs daughter Susan Strasberg In New York Lawler worked in Foxs talent department but he also began a second career as a producer of legitimate theater At least one of those plays Oh Men Oh Women would be turned into a film by Fox in 1957 On April 6 1959 Lawler would die suddenly and unexpectedly from a heart attack