Volume III: Biographies

SANTLEY, Fred *

Actor (1910)

Thanhouser Career Synopsis: Fred Santley was an actor with Thanhouser in 1910.

Biographical Notes: Fred Santley was born on November 20, 1888 (as Frederic Mansfield, the son of Laurene Mansfield; later he became the stepson of stage actor Eugene Santley) in Salt Lake City, Utah. From an early age he pursued a career in vaudeville and stage productions. When only five he played the role of Sissy Denver in The Silver King. Later, Santley was seen in Quo Vadis, at the age of 12 with Maude Adams in Quality Street (and again in its revival nine years later), in Price of Honor, and, for three years in the role of Chub, the smart boy, under Henry Savage in The County Chairman. Other productions in which Fred Santley appeared over a long span of years included The Galley Slaves, Jesters, L'Aiglon, The Little Minister, Peter Pan, Jumping Jupiter, Kosher Kitty Kelly, The Sea of Ice, Billy the Kid, The Queen of the Moulin Rouge, When Dreams Come True, The Wife Hunters, Little Miss Fixit, The Gay Hussars, Poor Little Rich Girl, and in George M. Cohan's musical revues, including The Royal Vagabond and Two Little Girls in Blue. In the late 1920s Fred Santley was a leading personality at Earl Carroll's Theatre. His brother, Joseph Santley (January 10, 1889-August 8, 1971), was sometimes seen on the stage with him and was also in films.

His motion picture activities may have begun with Kalem, where he played comic roles from about 1907 to 1912. In 1910 he was seen in Daddy's Double, a Thanhouser film. It is believed that Santley was hired on a project basis for one or more films in New Rochelle but was not a member of the Thanhouser stock company. Like many actors, he was seen on the stage and in films over a long period of time. In 1912 Santley was before the footlights in Chicago in A Modern Eve. He remained in motion pictures until his death in Hollywood, California on May 14, 1953.

Thanhouser Filmography:

1910: Daddy's Double (4-5-1910)

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