Heinie Conklin

Years active1915–1959SpouseIrene BlakeChildren3

Heinie Conklin (born Charles John Conklin; July 16, 1880 – July 30, 1959) was an American actor and comedian whose career began in the silent film era.

Early years

Conklin was born Charles John Conklin on July 16, 1880, in San Francisco, California. He attended San Francisco's public schools.^[1]

Career

In vaudeville, Conklin headlined shows on the Keith and Orpheum circuits.^[2] He was billed as Charles Conklin until 1927. He began working in films in 1915 after 17 years on stage and in vaudeville.^[1]

One of the original Keystone Cops,^[3] Conklin wore makeup of heavy eyebrow lining and a thin, upside-down, painted-on variation of Kaiser Wilhelm's mustache.

In areas where anti-German sentiments still ran high during the post-World War I era, Conklin was billed as Charlie Lynn. One of Conklin's first talking pictures was All Quiet on the Western Front as a hospital patient. For the rest of his career in talking pictures, he had small roles in 2-reelers which starred The Three Stooges, Andy Clyde, Hugh Herbert and Harry Langdon. Conklin's last billed movie was Abbott and Costello meet the Keystone Kops.

Conklin's period at Keystone was contemporary with that of Chester Conklin, a more popular Keystone comedian who occasionally played lead roles in Keystone short films. The two Conklins were not related.^[3]

Personal life and death

Conklin married Irene Blake. They had one daughter and two sons. He died in Hollywood, California, on July 30, 1959.^[1]

Partial filmography

References

External links