Volume III: Biographies

SERRANO, Vincent *

Actor (1916-1917)

Thanhouser Career Synopsis: Vincent Serrano appeared in A Modern Monte Cristo, a Thanhouser film produced in 1916 and released in 1917.

Biographical Notes: Vincent Serrano was born in New York City on February 17, 1866 (some accounts say 1867 or 1869). His father, Juan Serrano, was a native of Colombia. His mother, Mary Jane Christie Serrano, was Irish and was well known as a poet and linguist. Vincent Serrano attended New York City College, graduating in 1887 with the intention of following a business career, for his family was quite well-to-do. For several years he was secretary of the Colombian Legation in Washington, D.C., a connection facilitated by his relationship as a cousin of Carlos Holquin, who was once president of Colombia.

In 1893 the stage beckoned, and at the age of 22 Vincent Serrano made his professional debut at Daly's Theatre in New York City in Pinero's The Cabinet Minister, which earned critical acclaim. His next success was in Dangerfield, which enjoyed a long run, followed by A Virginia Courtship, Catherine, and Arizona. In the last-named play he took the role of Lieutenant Denton in more than a thousand performances, beginning with its opening at the Herald Square Theatre in New York City in September 1900. Other productions among the dozens in which he appeared included The Little Brother of the Rich, On Parole, The Secret Orchard, The Lure, The Revolt, The Way of the World, A Japanese Nightingale, The Ruling Power, The Girl He Couldn't Leave Behind Him, The Scandal, The Seventh Daughter, The Movers, Our World, and Pay Day. "Mr. Serrano is much given to social life," according to the 1901 edition of The Players Blue Book, "and is a member of various clubs, among which are Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity, joined during his college days, the Players Club, the Lambs, and the New York Athletic Club. He is a man of handsome physique and is pleasant and jovial to meet." By 1915 he had been on the stage for 19 years, according to one account.

Serrano in Films: Vincent Serrano's career on the screen began with Famous Players in 1915, when he acted with Pauline Frederick in the January 1916 release of Lydia Gilmore. An advertisement in Motion Picture News, Section 2 (directory), October 21, 1916, noted that he had been placed with Thanhouser "within the past week" by Ouida Bergere, of the Players Engagement Department of the American Play Company (33 West 42nd Street, New York City). However, this news was tardy, for more than a month earlier, the September 9, 1916 issue of The Moving Picture World told readers he was with Thanhouser, having been recently hired.

For the New Rochelle studio Vincent Serrano appeared in the 1917 release of A Modern Monte Cristo. In an interview with columnist Bob Davis in 1930 Edwin Thanhouser recalled that it had been difficult to enlist well-known stage personalities to appear in films, and told of his experience years earlier recruiting Serrano: "Vincent Serrano accepted the leading role in a thriller entitled Buried Treasure [working title for A Modern Monte Cristo], in which there was an underwater scene which had to be taken several times before it was satisfactory. Serrano, dripping wet, climbed out of the tank shouting 'Good God, Thanhouser, is this a dignified proceeding for a leading man?'"

In 1920 Serrano appeared in Silk Husbands and Calico Wives, an Equity film released by First National. The actor was on the screen through the late 1920s, by which time he had appeared in a total of over a dozen films, including Eyes of Youth, The Beautiful Hour, The Deep Purple, and Convoy. His last Broadway stage appearance was in Rio Rita. In between his acting in front of the motion picture camera and the stage footlights, Serrano distinguished himself in other fields as well. He was once America's national amateur pool champion, and he was recognized as a skilled contract bridge player. Vincent Serrano died on January 10, 1935 in Flower Hospital, 450 East 64th Street, New York City, of complications following a heart attack. Services were held at the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Tarrytown, New York. At the time of his death his home address was 33 West 55th Street in the same city. He was survived by a sister, Mariquita (Mrs. Harold G. Willard), of New York City, three nephews, and a niece.

Thanhouser Filmography:

1917: A Modern Monte Cristo (2-7-1917)

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