Volume III: Biographies

COOMBS, Jack *

Actor (cameo appearance) (1911)

Thanhouser Career Synopsis: Jack Coombs, a baseball player, appeared in a Thanhouser film in 1911.

Biographical Notes: Jack Coombs, who was born John Wesley Coombs in LeGrand, Iowa in 1883, was a member of the Philadelphia Athletics, baseball world's champions. In baseball, his nickname was "Colby Jack." He appeared in The Baseball Bug, a Thanhouser film released on November 24, 1911. Also appearing from the same team were Big Chief Bender, Rube Oldring, and Cy Morgan.

At the age of two, he moved with his family to Maine, where he graduated from Colby College, and where he still lived at the time of his 1911 Thanhouser screen appearance. In baseball he had many accomplishments, including a memorable contest with Boston in which he pitched a 24-inning game. Jack Coombs found screen acting to his liking, and he later appeared in films with other companies. He died on April 15, 1957 in Palestine, Texas.

Thanhouser Filmography:

1911: The Baseball Bug (11-24-1911)

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