Evening star., 1933-05-15
ERNEST TORRENCE,
|. SCREEN STAR, DIES
Actor Also Won Fame in
Grand Opera and
as Pianist.

BY the Associated Press.
NEW YORK, May 15.-Ernest Tor
| renee, veteran screen actor, died today
at the age of 54.
| The noted portrayer Of character
i roles Succumbed at dawn at Lenox Hill
Hospital. He failed to rally after a re-
cent operation for gall bladder trouble
and for hours physicians had known
that death was inevitable.
| Weeping relatives were at the bed
side as death came to the tall man who
had gone from career of music and
the legitimate theater to win additional
fame in the films.
His wife, the former Ilse Reamer, was
with him at the end, as were his son,
Ernest. jr.; two brothers and other
kinfolk.
Terrence, who broke into the films
in "Tol' able David" went on to sue
cess In THE Covered Wagon" "Ruggles
OF Red Gap and host of more recent
pictures
| Was Concert Pianist.
| Audiences all over the world, IA
miliar with his feet inches and
22O pounds of screen ability, were not
generally aware that he once sang
grand opera, became famous as con-
cert pianist before he went on the
stage, and was musical comedy star
prior to his Hollywood debut.
He was born in Edinburgh, Scotland
the son of nonprofessionals and was
educated in private and public schools.
and at the Edinburgh Academy of
Music, the Conservatorium in Stutt-
gart. Germany, and the Royal Academy
of Music in London
About 35 years ago he launched his
professional career as a concert pianist,
winning critical acclaim in many Euro
pean capitals. He had a fine baritone
voice and in 1900 was awarded the
Royal Academy of Music Medal for
| operate work and the Westmoreland
Prize
! In 1901 he became leading baritone
OF the Savoy Opera Company and sang
WIDE range OF roles in many parts
| of the world
| The combination of a great singer
/ who could also act made his services
greatly in demand by light opera and
| musical comedy producers, and for
several years he was featured in Lon
don and on Broadway stages.
First Talkie Actor.
He claimed the honor of being the
! first talking picture actor, for 20 years
ago the late Thomas Edison announced
he had effected talking picture device
! and scenes were "shot" at East Orange.
N. j. with Terrence singing the prison
role in Faust"
While appearing on Broadway, Tor
renee made tremendous init" in The
! Night Boat" and then it was that mo-
| tion picture producers visualized him
, as screen personality.
He made his debut as the vilIainous
mountaineer in "Tolable David" a
role that gave the screen q new type
of convincing heavy"
So great was his success that he left
the legitimate stage and definitely
launched himself on a movie career
Stars in Many Pictures
Broken Chains" was his next pic
ture. and then followed his notable role
as the giant scout in The Covered
Wagon" Others of his early pictures
were The Hunchback of Notre Dame"
"Ruggles of Red Gap" North of So"
Peter Pan" THE Blind Goddess"
THE King of Kings" and "Mantrap."
In recent years he had played scores
Of diversified roles, sometimes sinister,
sometimes comic, but always con-
vincing.
His friends said he literally lived
each part. from the first shot until
the final closeout. After studio hours,
| they related, he went into seclusion, so
as not to lose the feel" of his char
acterizations
One of his hobbies was music and
| in Hollywood it was considered an
honor to be invited to a private re-
cital at his home.