Lew Cody

Lew Cody

Cody, c. 1924
Born Louis Joseph Côté
(1884-02-22)February 22, 1884
Waterville, Maine, U.S.
Died May 31, 1934(1934-05-31) (aged 50)
Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
Cause of death Heart attack
Resting place St. Peter's Cemetery
Nationality American
Alma mater McGill University
Occupation Actor
Spouse(s) Dorothy Dalton (m. 1910; div. 1911)
Dorothy Dalton (m. 1913; div. 1914)
Mabel Normand (m. 1926; d. 1930)

Lew Cody (February 22, 1884 – May 31, 1934) was an American stage and film actor whose career spanned the silent film and early sound film age. He gained notoriety in the late 1910s for playing "male vamps" in films such as Don't Change Your Husband.[1]

Early life and career

Cody was born Louis Joseph Côté to Joseph Côté and Elizabeth Côté, née Gifford. His father was French Canadian and his mother was a native of Maine. Cody and his younger brothers and sisters were born in Waterville, Maine.[2][3][4][5] The family later moved to Berlin, New Hampshire where Cody's father owned a drug store. In his youth, Cody worked at his father's drug store as a soda jerk. He later enrolled at McGill University in Montreal where he intended to study medicine but abandoned the idea of setting up in practice and joined a theatre stock company in North Carolina.[3]

He made his debut on the stage in New York in Pierre of the Plains.[4] Cody later moved to Los Angeles and began a film career with Thomas Ince.[3] Cody had at least 99 film credits during a twenty-year period between 1914 and 1934.

Personal life

Cody was married three times. His first two marriages were to actress Dorothy Dalton. They first married in 1910 and divorced in 1911. They remarried in 1913 and were divorced a second time in 1914.[6] Cody married Mabel Normand in 1926.[7] They remained married until Normand's death from tuberculosis in February 1930.[7][8]

Death

On May 31, 1934, Cody died of heart attack in his sleep at his home in Beverly Hills, California.[2] He is buried in St. Peter's Cemetery, Lewiston, Maine in the family plot.[5]

Partial filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1914 Harp of Tara Short
1915 The Mating 'Bullet Dick' Ames Credited as Lewis J. Cody
1918 Mickey Reggie Drake Credited as Lewis Cody
1918 For Husbands Only Rolin Van D'Arcy
1919 Don't Change Your Husband Schuyler Van Sutphen
1919 Our Better Selves Willard Standish
1919 The Life Line Philip Royston
1923 Souls for Sale Owen Scudder
1924 Three Women Edmund Lamont
1925 Man and Maid Sir Nicholas Thormonde
1925 The Sporting Venus Prince Carlos
1925 A Slave of Fashion Nicholas Wentworth
1925 Exchange of Wives John Rathburn
1925 His Secretary David Colman
1926 Monte Carlo Tony Townsend
1926 The Gay Deceiver Toto/Antoine di Tillois
1927 The Demi-Bride Philippe Levaux
1929 A Single Man Robin Worthington
1930 What a Widow! Victor
1931 Three Girls Lost William (Jack) Marriott
1931 Beyond Victory Lew Cavanaugh
1931 Stout Hearts and Willing Hands The Villain Short
1931 A Woman of Experience Captain Otto von Lichstein
1931 The Common Law Dick Carmedon
1931 Sporting Blood Tip Scanlon
1931 X Marks the Spot George Howe
1932 The Crusader Jimmie Dale
1933 By Appointment Only Dr. Michael Travers
1933 Sitting Pretty Jules Clark

References

  1. ↑ St. Johns, Adela Rogers (March 1919). "The Confessions of a Male Vampire". Photoplay. New York: Photoplay Publishing Co. Retrieved November 27, 2015.
  2. 1 2 Vazzana, Eugene Michael (2001). Silent Film Necrology. McFarland & Company Incorporated Pub. p. 96. ISBN 0-7864-1059-0.
  3. 1 2 3 Beale, George H. (June 1, 1934). "Lew Cody, Noted Star, Found Dead". San Jose News. p. 7. Retrieved April 21, 2014.
  4. 1 2 "Lew Cody Dies In His Sleep After Many Years Of Work On Stage and In Pictures". The Evening Independent. June 1, 1934. p. 3-A. Retrieved April 21, 2014.
  5. 1 2 Connor, Sam E. (July 16, 1934). "Lew Cody: Behind the Scenes With Late Hollywood Actor". Lewiston Evening Journal. p. A-12. Retrieved April 21, 2014. I love Maine, perhaps because I was born in Waterville, but I don't think that's it." (Quote by Lew Cody)
  6. ↑ Houseman, Victoria (1991). Made in Heaven: The Marriages and Children of Hollywood Stars. Bonus Books. p. 72. ISBN 0-929387-24-4.
  7. 1 2 "Lew Cody Dead In Film Capital". Spokane Daily Chronicle. June 1, 1934. p. 1. Retrieved April 21, 2014.
  8. ↑ Warwick White, Wendy (2007). Ford Sterling: The Life and Films. McFarland. p. 20. ISBN 0-7864-8220-6.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lew Cody.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 12/4/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.