Erville Alderson

A character actor whose film career spanned from Hollywood's Silent Era until the 1950s. Born in Kansas City, Missouri, on September 11, 1882, Erville would start his film career in 1918 at the age of 36 in _Her Man (1918)_ (qv). Film pioneer 'D.W. Griffith' (qv) utilized Erville in many of his films, including 1924's _America (1924)_ (qv) and _Isn't Life Wonderful (1924)_ (qv). In 1926, Erville was in _Sally of the Sawdust (1925)_ (qv), and for the first time, worked behind as well as in front of the camera, as the movie's Assistant Director. By the time talkies became the norm, Erville found his age and white hair earned him many "old codger" roles as everything from a sheriff to a blank clerk, although a lot of his roles fell into the the "uncredited" bit category. Despite this, he did manage to make his mark in several credited roles, with one of the best being his portrayal of Nate Tompkins in 1941's _Sergeant York (1941)_ (qv). His last film role would be uncredited in 1957's _The Spirit of St. Louis (1957)_ (qv), and on August 4, 1957, he would pass away at the age of 74 in Glendale, California.::Keith Burnage webmaster@sgt-york.com