Franklin Ritchie (June 26, 1865 – January 26, 1918) was an American actor of the silent film era. Following his film career with the American Film company, he became an automobile dealer.[1][2][3]

Franklin Ritchie
Born(1865-06-26)June 26, 1865
Ritchie, Pennsylvania, US
DiedJanuary 26, 1918(1918-01-26) (aged 52)
OccupationActor
Years active1913-1917

Biography

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Born as George Frank Ritchie on June 26, 1865 in Ritchie, Clinton County, Pennsylvania,[4] Franklin Edward Ritchie appeared in fifty-one films between 1913 and 1917.

Ritchie died at the age of fifty-two on Friday, January 25, 1918 when a car he was driving skidded off of a mountain road and fell down an embankment near Los Angeles, California after the edge of the road collapsed. A passenger riding in the car of his friend, William Hamilton, Ritchie was reported to have died instantly while Hamilton was left "injured painfully but not seriously."[5][6][7]

Selected filmography

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Ritchie (left) in The Inner Struggle (1916)

References

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  1. ^ "Funeral of Franklin Ritchie." Oxnard, California: Oxnard Courier, February 1, 1918, p. 1 (subscription required).
  2. ^ "Ritchie Is Dead." Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Plain Dealer, February 2, 1918, p. 6 (subscription required).
  3. ^ "Reclamation." Davenport, Iowa: The Daily Times, October 14, 1916, p. 8 (subscription required).
  4. ^ "Ritchie Killed in Accident Friday." Santa Barbara, California: The Santa Barbara Daily News, January 26, 1918, p. 7 (subscription required).
  5. ^ "Former Actor Wreck Victim" and "Inter Movie Man Here." Los Angeles, California: Evening Express, January 26, 1918, p. 11 (subscription required).
  6. ^ "Ritchie Killed in Accident Friday," The Santa Barbara Daily News, January 26, 1918, p. 7.
  7. ^ "Many Friends at Funeral of Franklin Ritchie." Santa Barbara, California: The Santa Barbara Daily News, January 28, 1918, p. 7 (subscription required).
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