Volume III: Biographies

ANKER, William * .

Actor (date?)

Thanhouser Career Synopsis: William Anker was an actor with Thanhouser at one time, according to a listing in the October 1916 edition of the Motion Picture News Studio Directory and the 1918 edition of the same publication.

Biographical Notes: Born in France circa 1860, William Anker was educated at the Lyceé Imperial in Rouen, France. Early in his career he was a professor of language. Around 1912 he went into films. By early 1916 he had been in films four years and had played character parts for Universal, Thanhouser, Reliance, Peerless, Solax, Eclair, Fox, Biograph, Gaumont, Equitable, Famous Players, Pathé, Raver, Edison, World (The Flash of an Emerald), Rolfe (The Tumult), and Kleine (Wild Oats, Green Cloak), an amazingly lengthy roster of companies for such a short period.

In 1916 and 1918 directories listed him as being 5'7" tall, with white hair and a white beard, and with gray-blue eyes. His address at the time was 337 West 58th Street, New York City.

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