Thomas Meighan

Thomas Meighan (April 9, 1879 – July 8, 1936) was an American actor of silent films and early talkies. He played several leading-man roles opposite popular actresses of the day, including Mary Pickford and Gloria Swanson. At one point he earned $10,000 per week.

Early life Meighan was born to John and Mary Meighan in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His father was the president of Pittsburgh Facing Mills, and his family was well-off. After three years of study, Meighan decided he wished to pursue acting.

Despite his film career, Meighan remained devoted to the theatre during his life. when she was a stage actress on Broadway and he was appearing there. She was a younger sister of popular singer Blanche Ring and of vaudeville actress Julie Ring. Actor and director A. Edward Sutherland was a nephew of both Blanche Ring and Meighan. Sutherland's mother Julie was a sister of Blanche and Frances Ring.

Meighan and Ring became inseparable and soon married. They remained married until his death in 1936. Their marriage was considered happy and strong; one writer remarked "Thomas Meighan and Rin Tin Tin were the only Hollywood stars who had never seen a divorce court". The couple had no children.

In March 1923, Douglas Gerrard, in need of help bailing his friend Rudolph Valentino out of jail for bigamy, called a fellow Irishman named Dan O'Brien who happened to be with Meighan at the time. Meighan barely knew Valentino but put up a large chunk of the bail money, and with the help of June Mathis and George Melford, Valentino was freed.

Florida In the mid-1920s, Meighan became interested in Florida after talks with his realtor brother James E. Meighan. He bought property in Ocala, Florida in 1925. In 1927, he built a home in New Port Richey, Florida, where he was to spend his winters. He intended to shoot his film We're All Gamblers there; however, filming was moved to Miami.

The Meighans hoped to draw other celebrities to the area. On July 1, 1926, The Meighan Theatre opened with a screening of Meighan's movie The New Klondike. Meighan was not present but sent a congratulatory telegram.

Death In 1934, Meighan was diagnosed with cancer. The following year, he underwent surgery at Doctors Hospital in Manhattan. He succumbed to cancer at 9:10pm on July 8, 1936, at his home in Great Neck, New York. Many of his family were present.

Meighan was originally buried at Calvary Cemetery in Queens. After resting there for almost a year, his remains were moved to a family plot at Saint Mary Cemetery in Meighan's hometown of Pittsburgh.

Legacy Meighan was a large donor to various Catholic charities and the Federation for the Support of Jewish Philanthropic Societies. Many of his later films survive and have been released on DVD.

Selected filmography Year Title Role Notes 1914 Danny Donovan, the Gentleman Cracksman Dandy Donovan, the Gentleman Cracksman Short 1915 Kindling 'Honest' Heine Schultz The Fighting Hope Burton Temple Out of the Darkness Harvey Brooks Blackbirds Jack Doggins / Hon. Nevil Trask The Secret Sin Jack Herron Armstrong's Wife David Armstrong The Immigrant David Harding Temptation 1916 Pudd'nhead Wilson Chambers The Trail of the Lonesome Pine Jack Hale The Sowers Prince Paul Alexis The Clown Dick Ordway The Dupe Jimmy Regan Common Ground Judge David Evans The Storm Robert Fielding 1917 The Heir to the Hoorah Joe Lacy Directed by William C. deMille The Slave Market John Barton Sapho Jean Gaussin Sleeping Fires David Gray The Silent Partner Edward Royle Her Better Self Dr. Robert Keith The Mysterious Miss Terry Gordon True Arms and the Girl Wilfred Ferrers 1918 The Land of Promise Frank Taylor Madame Jealousy Valour Eve's Daughter John Norton M'Liss Charles Gray Missing Sir William Farrel Heart of the Wilds Sergeant Tom Gellatly In Pursuit of Polly Colby Mason Out of a Clear Sky Robert Lawrence The Forbidden City John Worden 1919 The Heart of Wetona John Hardin The Probation Wife Harrison Wade The Miracle Man Tom Burke The Thunderbolt Bruce Corbin Male and Female William Crichton - The Butler Peg o' My Heart Sir Gerald Adair 1920 Why Change Your Wife? Robert Gordon The Prince Chap William Peyton Civilian Clothes Capt. Sam McGinnis Conrad in Quest of His Youth Conrad Warrener 1921 Frontier of the Stars Buck Leslie The Easy Road Leonard Fayne The City of Silent Men Jim Montgomery White and Unmarried Billy Kane The Conquest of Canaan Joe Louden Cappy Ricks Matt Peasley A Prince There Was Charles Edward Martin 1922 The Bachelor Daddy Richard Chester Our Leading Citizen Daniel Bentley, lawyer If You Believe It, It's So Chick Harris Manslaughter Daniel J. O'Bannon The Man Who Saw Tomorrow Burke Hammond Back Home and Broke Tom Redding 1923 The Ne'er-Do-Well Kirk Anthony Homeward Bound Jim Bedford Hollywood Thomas Meighan Woman-Proof Tom Rockwood 1924 Pied Piper Malone Jack Malone Print held Gosfilmofond The Confidence Man Dan Corvan The Alaskan Alan Holt Tongues of Flame Henry Harrington 1925 Coming Through Tom Blackford Old Home Week Tom Clark The Man Who Found Himself Tom Macauley Irish Luck Tom Donahue / Lord Fitzhugh 1926 The New Klondike Tom Kelly Fascinating Youth Thomas Meighan Tin Gods Roger Drake The Canadian Frank Taylor 1927 Blind Alleys Captain Dan Kirby We're All Gamblers Lucky Sam McCarver The City Gone Wild John Phelan 1928 The Racket Captain James McQuigg The Mating Call Leslie Hatten 1929 The Argyle Case Alexander Kayton 1931 Young Sinners Tom McGuire Skyline Gordon A. McClellan 1932 Cheaters at Play Michael Lanyard Madison Square Garden Bill Carley 1934 Peck's Bad Boy Henry Peck