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John Bunny

John Bunny
John Bunny.jpg
Born (1863-09-21)September 21, 1863
New York City, New York, U.S.
Died April 26, 1915(1915-04-26) (aged 51)
New Rochelle, New York, U.S.
Occupation Actor
Years active 1909–1915
Spouse(s) Clara Scallan (1890-1915)
Relatives George Bunny (brother)

John Bunny (September 21, 1863 – April 26, 1915) was an American actor and was one of the first comic stars of the motion picture era. Between 1909 and his death in 1915 Bunny was one of the top stars of early silent film, as well as an early example of celebrity. At one time he was billed as "the man who makes more than the president". His face was insured for $100,000 and his unexpected death made headlines around the world. Though quickly forgotten, Bunny paved the way for future plump comedians such as Fatty Arbuckle and Jackie Gleason.

Born in New York City, Bunny was raised in Brooklyn where he attended high school and worked as a grocery clerk before joining a small minstrel show touring the East Coast. He went on to jobs as stage manager for various stock companies and performed in vaudeville before being drawn to the fledgling motion picture business. By 1909, Bunny was working at Vitagraph Studios where the happy-go-lucky, rotund man quickly became an international star of silent film comedies. At Vitagraph he starred in a series of over one hundred popular comedies with the comedian Flora Finch that were popularly called "Bunnyfinches".

The popularity of Bunny can be attributed to the succulent fun of the music hall and the circus, not the dry wit of sophisticated comedies. He was jolly, boisterous, and broad in his acting, and because of this style, he connected strongly with early nickelodeon audiences.

In a 1913 interview in Motion Picture Acting by Francis Agnew, he prophetically mused,

"I believe the time is coming when motion picture machines will be a part of the equipment of every school and college in the country, and many branches of learning now so objectionable to children will be made interesting by the use of motion pictures. My principal worry is the fact that I can’t hope to live long enough to do all the work that I’ve mapped out for myself. I have planned fifty years of activity in the motion picture business, which I fear I will not live to carry out entirely. I want to see Latin and Greek mythology taught in every school and college in the United States by the use of films. It can and will be done and will be one of the biggest gifts to mankind the world has ever known."


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