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Fredrick Kerr Born: October 11, 1858 Died: May 3, 1933 (at the age of 74)

Born Frederick Grinham Kerr on October 11, 1958.

Kerr became an Actor/Manager of Vaudeville Theatre in London in 1885. Later he managed the Royal Court Theatre. Around 1880 he would come to New York City and work as a sketch artist, when fate would turn him into an actor. Kerr was living at a boarding house on 7th Ave in New York, when an actor that lived there (Osmond Tearle) hear an Englishman was needed for the play 'The School for Scandal'. Kerr was recruited for the role and began in January 1882. Kerr would do more plays during the year in New York but went back to London in December of 1882 to do a play there. In 1905 he would star in 'Public Opinion' at the Wyndhams Theatre and in 1906 as a pirate in George Bernard Shaw's 'Captain Brassbound's Conversion' at the Court Theatre.

Kerr would travel back and forth from New York to London to do plays on both sides of the Atlantic for the rest of his life.

Kerr would make his film debut in a short in (1916) 'The Real Thing at Last'. Kerr being 58 at the time was a very authoritative character actor would make nearly 20 movies normally dignified older men. Kerr would go on to be in (1919) '12:10', (1930) 'The Lady of Scandal' with Basil Rathbone, (1930) 'Ruffles' with Ronald Coleman, (1930) 'The Devil To Play' with Ronald Colman and Loretta Young, (1931) 'Born to Love' starring Constance Bennett and Joel McCrea

From (1931) 'Born to Love' with Constance Bennet

In 1931, Kerr would play what would be the role he was best known for, that of Baron Frankenstein in (1931) 'Frankenstein'. He would play the father to Henry Frankenstein (played buy Colin Clive the creator of Frankensteins Monster, played by the Legend in the making Boris Karloff.

From (1931) 'Frankenstein' as Baron Frankenstein

Kerr would make a few comedies after 'Frankenstein' but was having failing health. He was to play Baron Frankenstein again in the (1935) 'Bride of Frankkenstein but had to be written out, but he is mention in different scenes of the film.

Kerr was married to Lucy N. Dowson and had one son Geoffrey Kerr (who became and actor and writer of many films). Also Fredrick Kerr was Grandfather to Actor/Lawer John Kerr who is known most notably in the horror genre for (1971) Pit and the Pendulum with Vincent Price and Barbara Steele.

Fredrick Kerr died in London England on May 3, 1933 of a Lung Cancer at the age of 74. His remains are interred at Golders Green Crematorium Golders, Green London Borough of Barnet, Greater London, England.

Fredrick Kerr memoirs were published in 1930, The Title is "Recollections of a Defective Memory"