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produced under
Universal's Nestor logo or "brand". Later, after several years of performing before the camera, Dowlan became interested in directing as well, often serving as both actor and director in the same production. The first in a series of films in which he performed those dual roles was the
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Dowlan's wife
Leonora had stopped working as a screenwriter even before William quit directing films. The couple did, though, continue to live in Los Angeles and work together in an entirely new business, that of merchandising women's apparel. By 1930 Dowlan, Ainsworth, and Leonora's 35-year-old
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In 1912 Dowlan refocused his acting career, turning from the stage to the rapidly expanding entertainment medium of motion pictures. That year he relocated to
California and began performing in lead roles as a contract player with the new
241:. Following the completion of that film in the summer of 1916, he continued to direct for other studios for several more years, until he retired from the film industry in the early 1920s.
616:, California Death Index, 1940-1997, November 6, 1947; Department of Public Health Services, Sacramento, California. FamilySearch. Retrieved October 23, 2018. Dowlan's full name and the
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and overwritten with "O" (owner) in each entry for
William, Leonora, and Harriet. Those corrections by the census taker indicate that all three family members were co-owners of the
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Almost immediately after finishing his education took up work on the stage, and with the exception of the time when he managed and starred in his own road company, he played in
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In the cited federal census of 1900, Dowlan identifies his then-current occupation as "Soldier", although later, in the census of 1930, he lists himself as a non-veteran.
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Dowlan married
Leonora Ainsworth in 1906 and lived in Minnesota before relocating to California in 1912. He died in 1947 at age 65 and was buried next to his wife in
152:". Young William grew up in St. Paul, where he received his formal education at Christian Brothers School and where he also developed an early interest in acting and
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With regard to the
Dowlans' place of employment in 1930, on the noted census page the code letter "W" (for worker or employee) was struck through by the
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215:, which was released in March 1916. The screenplay for that film, like most of Dowlan's productions in this period, was written by his wife
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254:. All three members of the family were working then as co-owners or "sales managers" of a shop specializing in "Dresses, underwear and
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daughter
Harriet from her previous marriage (long ago adopted by Dowlan) were living in a rented residence at 326 North Palm Drive in
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and productions...In this period he played in many of the principal theatres from coast to coast, appearing in
Chicago, Philadelphia,
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675:, Dowlan family, "Beverly Hills City", Los Angeles County, California, April 1930. FamilySearch. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
600:, digital copy of original enumeration pages including Dowlan family, St. Paul, Ramsey County, Minnesota, June 8, 1900.
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110:(September 21, 1882 – November 6, 1947) was an American stage performer and a film actor and director during the
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604:, archives of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
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704:, Dowlan family, St. Paul, Ramsey County, Minnesota, April 23, 1910. FamilySearch. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
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William
Christopher Dowlan was born 1882 in St. Paul, Minnesota, the eldest son of five children of Mary E. (
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Collins) and
William Dowlan, who was a native of Canada and in 1900 was working as a "clerk &
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describes his stage experience in a short "authorized" biography of Dowlan published in 1916:
156:. After serving briefly as a soldier in 1900, Dowlan began his decade-long stage career. The
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114:. Most of his directorial projects were done in collaboration with his wife, screenwriter
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Silent Mystery and Detective Movies: A Comprehensive Filmography
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stock in Los Angeles, and at Dallas, Texas, and in other cities.
223:, both Dowlan and Ainsworth left Universal. He then joined the
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651:, San Francisco, California. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
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702:"The Thirteenth Census of the United States: 1910"
673:"The Fifteenth Census of the United States: 1930"
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639:, biography of Dowlan in "Studio Directory",
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647:), New York N.Y., October 21, 1916, p. 161.
620:of his mother are confirmed in this record.
598:"Twelfth Census of the United States: 1900"
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637:"William C. Dowlan, Director, American"
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779:Male actors from Saint Paul, Minnesota
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193:Universal Film Manufacturing Company
120:Universal Film Manufacturing Company
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794:20th-century American male actors
195:, which had just merged with the
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714:Wlaschin, Ken (April 28, 2009).
310:The Tragedy of Whispering Creek
774:American silent film directors
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799:Film directors from Minnesota
177:; Omaha, Portland, Ore.; the
614:"William Christopher Dowlan"
219:. Soon after the release of
350:The Lion, the Lamb, the Man
138:Early life and stage career
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16:American actor (1882–1947)
764:American male film actors
730:– via Google Books.
570:The Chorus Girl's Romance
268:Forest Lawn Memorial Park
101:(m. 1906–1939; her death)
61:November 6, 1947 (age 65)
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467:The Devil and Idle Hands
334:The Hopes of Blind Alley
692:shop where they worked.
551:(1919 American release)
510:Youth's Endearing Charm
262:Personal life and death
230:Youth's Endearing Charm
374:The Sin of Olga Brandt
286:The Menace to Carlotta
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485:Across the Footlights
461:Her Mysterious Escort
446:An Idyll of the Hills
414:Where the Forest Ends
225:American Film Company
209:Her Mysterious Escort
130:at its facilities in
128:American Film Company
585:References and notes
390:The Measure of a Man
272:Glendale, California
252:"Beverly Hills City"
641:Motion Picture News
398:The Threads of Fate
382:The Star of the Sea
302:The End of the Feud
278:Partial filmography
197:Nestor Film Company
162:Motion Picture News
50:St. Paul, Minnesota
491:Lavinia Comes Home
454:Under the Crescent
358:A Night of Thrills
326:The Forbidden Room
318:The Unlawful Trade
46:September 21, 1882
745:William C. Dowlan
422:Outside the Gates
235:Mary Miles Minter
217:Leonora Ainsworth
116:Leonora Ainsworth
108:William C. Dowlan
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233:, starring
124:Los Angeles
65:Los Angeles
758:Categories
690:womenswear
686:enumerator
366:Her Escape
227:to direct
154:stagecraft
112:silent era
342:Richelieu
90:1901–1920
256:hosiery
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579:(1920)
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201:shorts
150:driver
95:Spouse
206:short
171:stock
77:Actor
749:IMDb
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542:Loot
237:and
186:Film
58:Died
52:, US
43:Born
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