Charles Compton

Born on August 10, 1886 in Mount Vernon, New York, Charles Compton was educated at the Riverview Military Academy. Later he studied singing at the Boston Conservatory and in Paris under D’Aubigny. As a youth in Mount Vernon, New York he aspired to be a magician, and whenever the opportunity presented itself, he watched notable practitioners of the craft. Compton pursued a stage career, where during the 1910-1920 decade he played mostly juvenile leads in such productions as The Queen of the Moulin Rouge, The Merry Widow, Rose Maid, Rejuvenation of Aunt Mary, Oh Boy, Three’s a Crowd, The Talker, and So Much for So Much. He was also known as a comedian.

Thanhouser may have furnished his first screen opportunity, albeit a minor one, although one biography placed his start at Lubin. For Thanhouser he appeared in several films in 1910, including the part of John Reed in Jane Eyre (May 6, 1910). Later, he went to Lubin, Pathé, and, by 1916, Universal, although he did appear in a 1915 Thanhouser film. His employment with Thanhouser was intermittent.