Gayne Whitman

Gayne Whitman (born Alfred D. Vosburgh; March 19, 1890 – August 31, 1958) was an American radio and film actor. He appeared in more than 200 films between 1904 and 1957. In some early films, he was credited under his birth name. He was born in Chicago, Illinois.

Whitman's theatrical debut came when he carried a spear behind an actor portraying King Richard III in a production in Indianapolis.

Allen Vosburgh, he was the leading man in the film Princess of the Dark (1917). Soon after that, he changed his screen name to Alfred Whitman because "1917 was not a good time to have a German sounding name."

Beginning in 1921, Whitman acted at the Morosco Theater in Los Angeles. He returned to films in 1925 when he received a contract with Warner Bros.

On radio, Whitman played the title role in Chandu the Magician, was the narrator on Lassie and Strange as It Seems, and was an announcer on Paducah Plantation and other programs.

Personal life

Whitman was married to Estelle Taylor, an actress with a stock theater company in St. Louis. On August 31, 1958, Whitman died of a heart attack in Los Angeles at age 68.

Selected filmography