Donald Gallaher
Encyclopedia
Donald Gallaher was an American
actor.
Gallaher was born in Quincy, Illinois
. After moving to New York City
as a child with his mother, he began acting in productions such as A Royal Family.
He also appeared in the 1903 silent film The Great Train Robbery
. In 1923, he co-starred with Louis Wolheim
and Una Merkel
in the two-reeler Love's Old Sweet Song filmed in Lee De Forest
's Phonofilm
sound-on-film process.
Later in life, he produced Broadway
plays and directed films, including Temple Tower (1930), June First (1931), and The Hot Spot (1931). In 1949, using the name Don Gallagher, he served as narrator of the ABC Television Players
, a short-lived dramatic anthology series broadcast from Chicago.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor.
Gallaher was born in Quincy, Illinois
Quincy, Illinois
Quincy, known as Illinois' "Gem City," is a river city along the Mississippi River and the county seat of Adams County. As of the 2010 census the city held a population of 40,633. The city anchors its own micropolitan area and is the economic and regional hub of West-central Illinois, catering a...
. After moving to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
as a child with his mother, he began acting in productions such as A Royal Family.
He also appeared in the 1903 silent film The Great Train Robbery
The Great Train Robbery (1903 film)
The Great Train Robbery is a 1903 American action Western film by Edwin S. Porter. Twelve minutes long, it is considered a milestone in film making, expanding on Porter's previous work Life of an American Fireman. The film used a number of innovative techniques including cross cutting, double...
. In 1923, he co-starred with Louis Wolheim
Louis Wolheim
Louis Wolheim was an American character actor.His trademark broken nose was the result of an injury sustained while playing football for Cornell University. Despite his rugged visage, Wolheim was intelligent and cultivated, speaking French, German, Spanish, and Yiddish. He was also a mathematics...
and Una Merkel
Una Merkel
Una Merkel was an American Tony Award-winning stage and film actress.-Life and career:Una Merkel was born in Covington, Kentucky, and grew up in Philadelphia and New York City. She bore a resemblance to actress Lillian Gish and began her career as a stand-in for Gish, most notably in the 1928...
in the two-reeler Love's Old Sweet Song filmed in Lee De Forest
Lee De Forest
Lee De Forest was an American inventor with over 180 patents to his credit. De Forest invented the Audion, a vacuum tube that takes relatively weak electrical signals and amplifies them. De Forest is one of the fathers of the "electronic age", as the Audion helped to usher in the widespread use...
's Phonofilm
Phonofilm
In 1919, Lee De Forest, inventor of the audion tube, filed his first patent on a sound-on-film process, DeForest Phonofilm, which recorded sound directly onto film as parallel lines. These parallel lines photographically recorded electrical waveforms from a microphone, which were translated back...
sound-on-film process.
Later in life, he produced Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
plays and directed films, including Temple Tower (1930), June First (1931), and The Hot Spot (1931). In 1949, using the name Don Gallagher, he served as narrator of the ABC Television Players
ABC Television Players
ABC Television Players was an early live television program which ran on the ABC network from January through October 1949.The program was originally called ABC Television Players, then ABC Tele-Players, then finally ABC Penthouse Players....
, a short-lived dramatic anthology series broadcast from Chicago.