George Larkin

Active - 1917 - 2017  |   Born - Nov 11, 1887   |   Died - Mar 27, 1946   |   Genres - Drama, Adventure, Action

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Biography by AllMovie

A former acrobat and vaudeville performer, American leading man George Larkin came to the screen in the very early 1910s. An athlete of no mean ability, Larkin appeared opposite future serial queen Ruth Roland in a series of robust comedies and melodramas for the old Kalem Company. He became a star in his own right in the physical culture drama Zongar (1919) and was subsequently advertised as Daredevil Larkin. A major presence in serials (e.g., The Lurking Peril, [1920]) and action melodramas, Larkin failed as a Western star, a victim, it seems, of Universal's inattention. Although a fine cameraman, Edward Kull was perhaps not the right choice to helm the Larkin {]Westerns; had he been guided by the studio's rising director William Wyler or even the veteran William Crinley, Larkin might have given Universal's main Western asset, Hoot Gibson, a run for his money. Instead, Larkin could only watch as his career disintegrated at the advent of sound. The veteran action star was married to actress (and frequent co-star) Ollie Kirkby.