About Monroe Owsley
Lived 1900 – 1937 (aged 37). Monroe Owsley was an American actor and stage actor.
Monroe Righter Owsley (August 11, 1900 – June 7, 1937) was an American stage and film actor.
Early life The son of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Owsley, he was born in Atlanta, Georgia. His father was a manufacturing executive, and his mother was a concert singer. Owsley was educated at Loomis Institute in Windsor, Connecticut; Bristol High School in Bristol, Connecticut; and Philadelphia High School. He started taking acting classes when he was a teenager.
Before Owsley became an actor, he worked as a reporter and a drama critic for the Public Ledger newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Career Owsley gained acting experience with stock theater troupes His film debut was 1928's The First Kiss, starring Fay Wray. This was followed by the Philip Barry film Holiday in 1930, in the role played by Lew Ayres in the 1938 version. Soon after, he was cast opposite actresses such as Clara Bow, Claudette Colbert, Bette Davis, Barbara Stanwyck, Joan Crawford, Gloria Swanson, Mae West, and Kay Francis.
Death On June 7, 1937, Owsley died from a heart attack in Belmont, California. He was 36 years old.
Filmography Year Title Role Notes 1928 The First Kiss the Other Suitor Lost film Carry on, Sergeant! Leonard Sinclair 1930 Holiday Ned Seton Free Love Rush Begelow 1931 Ten Cents A Dance Eddie Miller Honor Among Lovers Philip Craig Indiscreet Jim Woodward This Modern Age Tony Gerard 1932 Unashamed Harry Swift Hat Check Girl Tod Reese Call Her Savage Lawrence Crosby 1933 The Keyhole Maurice Le Brun The Woman Who Dared Jack Goodwin, Newspaper Reporter Ex-Lady Nick Malvyn Brief Moment Harold Sigrift Twin Husbands Colton Drain 1934 Little Man, What Now? Kessler Wild Gold Walter Jordan Shock Bob Hayworth She Was a Lady Jerry Couzins Behold My Wife! Bob Prentice 1935 Rumba Hobart Fletcher Goin' to Town Fletcher Colton Remember Last Night? Billy Arliss 1936 Private Number Coakley Yellowstone Marty Ryan / Jenkins Mr. Cinderella Aloysius P. Merriweather Hideaway Girl Count de Montaigne 1937 The Hit Parade Teddy Leeds
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Important facts
People in Monroe Owsley's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Monroe Owsley's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Monroe Owsley?
American actor (1900-1937)
When was Monroe Owsley born?
Monroe Owsley was born on 11 August 1900 in Atlanta.
When did Monroe Owsley die?
Monroe Owsley died on 8 September 1937 in Belmont.
What was Monroe Owsley's occupation?
Monroe Owsley was an actor and stage actor.
What nationality was Monroe Owsley?
Monroe Owsley was American.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Monroe Owsley. https://biography.guide/monroe-owsley/
MLA: "Monroe Owsley." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/monroe-owsley/.
Chicago: "Monroe Owsley." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/monroe-owsley/.
Data last updated: 2026-09-22 · Spot an error? Report a correction.
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