John St. Polis

American actor (1873–1946)

John St. Polis
St. Polis in Party Girl (1930)
Born	John Marie Sainpolis (1873-11-24)November 24, 1873 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Died	October 8, 1946(1946-10-08) (aged 72) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1909–1943

John M. St. Polis (born John Marie Sainpolis; November 24, 1873 – October 8, 1946) was an American actor.^[1]

Biography

St. Polis was born John Marie Sainpolis in New Orleans, Louisiana, the son of Jean Marie Sainpolis and Marie Catherine Borg.^[2] Before starting his film career, he made a name for himself on the Broadway stage, most notably in the role of Frederik in the original production of The Return of Peter Grimm (1911–12) and the play's revival in 1921, both performed at the Belasco Theatre. He also appeared in a different role in the screen version in 1926.^[3]

He appeared in more than 120 films between 1914 and 1943. In all of his early roles, the actor is billed as John Sainpolis. His best-known performances are as Etienne Laurier in The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921), and as Comte Phillipe de Chagny in The Phantom of the Opera (1925). He successfully made the transition from silent cinema to "talkies" with one of his most praised performances as Dr. John M. Besant, the father of Norma Besant (played by Mary Pickford) in Coquette (1929). He died on October 8, 1946, in Los Angeles, California from undisclosed causes, aged 72.^{[citation needed]}

Selected filmography

Soldiers of Fortune (1914) - Pres. Alvarez
Joseph and His Coat of Many Colors (1914)
Wormwood (1915) - Gaston Beauvais
Bondwomen (1915) - Dr. Hugh Ellis
The Salamander (1916) - Albert Sassoon
The Yellow Passport (1916) - Fedia
The Social Highwayman (1916) - Hanby
The World Against Him (1916) - Dr. Hamilton Welsh
The Fortunes of Fifi (1917) - Duvernet
Sapho (1917) - Dejoie
Sleeping Fires (1917) - Edwin Bryce
The Mystic Hour (1917) - Clavering
The Love That Lives (1917) - Harvey Brooks
Public Defender (1917) - David Moulton
The Mark of Cain (1917) - Judge Hoyt
Resurrection (1918) - Simonson
All Woman (1918) - Sam Tupper
Money Mad (1918) - Martin Ross
Laughting Bill Hyde (1918) - Black Jack Burg
Stake Uncle Sam to Play Your Hand (1918)
The Poison Pen (1919) - Dr. McKenna
The Great Lover (1920) - Jean Paurel
Old Dad (1920) - Jeffrey Bretton
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921) - Etienne Laurier
Cappy Ricks (1921) - Skinner
Shadows (1922) - Nate Snow
The Hero (1923) - Andrew Lane
Three Wise Fools (1923) - John Crawshay
The Untameable (1923) - Dr. Copin
A Prince of a King (1923) - Mario
Woman-Proof (1923) - Milo Bleech
The Social Code (1923) - Defense Attorney
Held to Answer (1923) - Hiram Burbeck
A Fool's Awakening (1924) - Lt. Wedderburn
Three Weeks (1924) - The King
Mademoiselle Midnight (1924) - Colonel de Gontran (Prologue)
Those Who Dance (1924) - Monahan
The Alaskan (1924) - Rossland
In Every Woman's Life (1924) - Dr. Philip Logan
The Rose of Paris (1924) - André du Vallois
The Folly of Vanity (1924) - Ridgeway (modern sequence)
The Dixie Handicap (1924) - Dexter
The Phantom of the Opera (1925) - Comte Philip de Chagny
My Lady's Lips (1925) - Inspector
Paint and Powder (1925) - Mark Kelsey
The Far Cry (1926) - Count Filippo Sturani
The Greater Glory (1926) - Prof. Leopold Eberhardt
The Lily (1926) - Comte de Maigny
The Return of Peter Grimm (1926) - Andrew McPherson (uncredited)
Too Many Crooks (1927) - Erastus Mason
The Unknown (1927) - Surgeon (uncredited)
A Woman's Way (1928) - Mouvet
The Grain of Dust (1928) - Mr. Burroughs
The Power of Silence (1928) - Defense Attorney
Marriage by Contract (1928) - Father
The Gun Runner (1928) - The Presidente
The Diplomats (1929, Short) - The King of Belgravia
Why Be Good? (1929) - Pa Kelly
Coquette (1929) - Dr. John Besant
Fast Life (1929) - Andrew Stratton
Party Girl (1930) - John Rountree
The Melody Man (1930) - Von Kemper
In the Next Room (1930) - Philip Vantine
Guilty? (1930) - Polk
The Three Sisters (1930) - Judge
The Bad One (1930) - Judge
A Devil with Women (1930) - Don Diego
Kismet (1930) - The Imam Mahmud
Captain Thunder (1930) - Pedro
The Criminal Code (1931) - Dr. Rinewulf
Beau Ideal (1931) - Judge Advocate
Doctors' Wives (1931) - Dr. Mark Wyndram
Transgression (1931) - Serafin, Arturo's Butler
Men of the Sky (1931) - Madeleine's Father
Their Mad Moment (1931) - Hotel Manager
The Gay Diplomat (1931) - General
The Yellow Ticket (1931) - Passport Official at Airport (uncredited)
Heartbreak (1931) - U.S. Ambassador
The Wide Open Spaces (1931, Short) - Townsman
Alias the Doctor (1932) - Dr. Niergardt
Lena Rivers (1932) - John Nichols
Symphony of Six Million (1932) - Dr. Schifflen
Forbidden Company (1932) - David Grant
The Crusader (1932) - Robert Henley
False Faces (1932) - Dr. McDonald (uncredited)
If I Had a Million (1932) - Glidden Associate (uncredited)
The Gambling Sex (1932) - John Tracy
Call Her Savage (1932) - Doctor Consoling Nasa (uncredited)
The Match King (1932) - Banker (uncredited)
Terror Trail (1932) - Colonel Charles Ormsby
The World Gone Mad (1933) - Grover Cromwell
King of the Arena (1933) - Governor
Cocktail Hour (1933) - French Police Investigator (uncredited)
Notorious but Nice (1933) - John J. Martin
Sing Sinner Sing (1933) - James Parks (uncredited)
Guilty Parents (1934) - Defense Attorney
The President Vanishes (1934) - Attorney General Davis (uncredited)
Death from a Distance (1935) - Prof. Trowbridge
The Lady in Scarlet (1935) - Jerome T. Shelby
A Night at the Opera (1935) - Opera Conductor (uncredited)
Magnificent Obsession (1935) - Seabury (uncredited)
The Dark Hour (1936) - Dr. Munro
Call of the Prairie (1936) - Banker Jim (uncredited)
Three on the Trail (1936) - Sheriff Sam Corwin
Below the Deadline (1936) - Mr. Abrams
The Border Patrolman (1936) - Manning (uncredited)
Woman in Distress (1937) - Duval (uncredited)
Borderland (1937) - The Doctor
A Day at the Races (1937) - Musician in orchestra (uncredited)
Paradise Isle (1937) - Coxon
Rustlers' Valley (1937) - Banker Crawford (uncredited)
Jungle Menace (1937, Serial) - Chandler Elliott [Ch. 1]
The Shadow Strikes (1937) - Caleb Delthern
Saleslady (1938) - Crane
International Crime (1938) - Roger Morton
Phantom Ranger (1938) - Pat Doyle
The Mysterious Rider (1938) - Townsman (uncredited)
Mr. Wong, Detective (1938) - Carl Roemer
Boys' Reformatory (1939) - Superintendent Keene
They Shall Have Music (1939) - Davis
Abe Lincoln in Illinois (1940) - Minor Role (uncredited)
Knights of the Range (1940) - Doctor (uncredited)
Rocky Mountain Rangers (1940) - Joseph Manners
On the Spot (1940) - Doc Hunter
Haunted House (1940) - Simkins
Federal Fugitives (1941) - Doctor (uncredited)
The Hard-Boiled Canary (1941) - Opera Conductor (uncredited)
Hurricane Smith (1941) - Doctor (uncredited)
Reap the Wild Wind (1942) - Devereaux Foreign Agent (uncredited)
Crossroads (1942) - Professor (uncredited)
Assignment in Brittany (1943) - Old Man at Inn (uncredited)

References

^ "John St. Polis". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Baseline & All Movie Guide. 2016. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved November 7, 2015.
^ Kear, Lynn; King, James (2009). Evelyn Brent: The Life and Films of Hollywood's Lady Crook. McFarland. p. 207. ISBN 9780786454686. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
^ "John St. Polis Was Member of Original 'Peter Grimm' Cast". Kenosha News. Wisconsin, Kenosha. July 20, 1926. p. 13. Retrieved October 16, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.