John Merton(bornMyrtland F. LaVarre;February 18, 1901 – September 19, 1959) was an American film actor.[1][2]He appeared in more than 250 films between 1927 and 1959, mostly as a villain. He was the brother of filmmakerAndré de la VarreandWilliam LaVarre,the grandfather of actressDiane Delano,and the great uncle of academicHollis Robbins.[3]
John Merton | |
|---|---|
 Merton inZorro's Fighting Legion,1939 | |
| Born | Myrtland F. LaVarre February 18, 1901 Seattle, Washington,United States |
| Died | September 19, 1959(aged 58) Los Angeles, California,United States |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1927–1959 |
| Spouse | Esther (divorced) |
| Children | 6 |
Biography
editBorn and raised in Seattle with three other brothers,Franklin,Claude, andWilliam LaVarre,[4]he enlisted in the U.S. Navy during World War I.[5]
He joined theNew York Theatre Guildin 1919 and appeared in a variety of shows, including playing the robot Marius inR.U.R.(1922).[6]He made his film debut as a police officer inRunning Wild(1927) filmed in Long Island'sAstoria Studios.He travelled to Hollywood in 1932 and began a long career of small parts in major films and villain roles inB-moviesandfilm serials.He metCecil B. DeMillewho cast him as a Roman guard inCleopatra(1934) that led to him appearing in all of DeMille's films up to and includingThe Ten Commandments(1956). It was DeMille who suggested he change his name to a more masculine John Merton.[7]
Merton's wife, Esther, sued him for divorce in 1940. They had six children.[8]
Selected filmography
edit- Knockout Reilly(1927)
- Beyond the Law(1934)
- Undersea Kingdom(1936)
- The Vigilantes Are Coming(1936)
- Law of the Range(1936)
- Border Caballero(1936)
- Lightnin' Bill Carson(1936)
- The Crooked Trail(1936)
- The Three Mesquiteers(1936)
- The Gun Ranger(1936)
- The Lion's Den(1936)
- Wildcat Trooper(1936)
- Headline Crasher(1936)
- Robin Hood, Jr.(1936)
- Wild Horse Round-Up(1936)
- Slaves in Bondage(1937)
- Gunsmoke Ranch(1937)
- The Law Commands(1937)
- Range Defenders(1937)
- Arizona Gunfighter(1937)
- Valley of Terror(1937)
- Roaring Six Guns(1937)
- Galloping Dynamite(1937)
- The Lone Ranger(1938)
- Dick Tracy Returns(1938)
- Gang Bullets(1938)
- Songs and Saddles(1938)
- Phantom Ranger(1938)
- Where the Buffalo Roam(1938)
- Female Fugitive(1938)
- Two Gun Justice(1938)
- Zorro's Fighting Legion(1939, serial)
- The Great Commandment(1939)
- Two Gun Troubador(1939)
- Drums of Fu Manchu(1940)
- Billy the Kid Outlawed(1940)
- Billy the Kid in Texas(1940)
- Covered Wagon Days(1940)
- Frontier Crusader(1940)
- The Trail Blazers(1940)
- Lone Star Raiders(1940)
- White Eagle(1941)
- Radar Patrol vs. Spy King(1942)
- Prairie Pals(1942)
- Boot Hill Bandits(1942)
- Sheriff of Sage Valley(1942)
- The Mysterious Rider(1942)
- Billy the Kid's Smoking Guns(1942)
- Devil Riders(1943)
- The Law Rides Again(1943)
- Fugitive of the Plains(1943)
- Black Market Rustlers(1943)
- Land of Hunted Men(1943)
- Cowboy Commandos(1943)
- Zorro's Black Whip(1944)
- Ghost Guns(1944)
- Fuzzy Settles Down(1944)
- Valley of Vengeance(1944)
- Rustlers' Hideout(1944)
- Brenda Starr, Reporter(1945)
- The Cherokee Flash(1945)
- Flame of the West(1945)
- Hop Harrigan(1946)
- Son of the Guardsman(1946)
- Galloping Thunder(1946)
- The Gay Cavalier(1946)
- Brick Bradford(1947, Serial)
- Raiders of the South(1947)
- Adventures of Sir Galahad(1949)
- The Blazing Trail(1949)
- Haunted Trails(1949)
- A Snitch in Time(1950)
- The Bandit Queen(1950)
- Gold Raiders(1951)
- Up in Daisy's Penthouse(1953)
- The Ten Commandments(1956)
- Omar Khayyam(1956)
References
edit- ^Magers, Donna."John Merton".www.westernclippings.com.RetrievedDecember 22,2017.
- ^"John Merton".Movies & TV Dept.The New York Times.2014. Archived fromthe originalon December 13, 2014.RetrievedDecember 6,2014.
- ^"Humanities in the Age of AI".Perspectives.College of Humanities, University of Utah.RetrievedNovember 15,2023.
- ^"LaVarre (William) papers".oac.cdlib.org.
- ^"John Merton".
- ^Čapek, Karel(1923)...Translated bySelver, Paul.Garden City, New York:Doubleday, Page & Company.p. v – viaWikisource.
- ^p. 206 Mayer, GeoffEncyclopedia of American Film SerialsMcFarland, 9 Feb 2017
- ^"Wife Sues Actor".The Salt Lake Telegram.Utah, Salt Lake City. United Press. October 23, 1940. p. 16.RetrievedDecember 21,2017– viaNewspapers.com.
