Bayard Veiller

Not to be confused with American child actor, Philip Bayard Veiller (Bayard Veiller II), known for Red Planet Mars.

Bayard Veiller
Veiller in 1920
Born(1869-01-02)January 2, 1869
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
DiedJanuary 16, 1943(1943-01-16) (aged 74)
New York City, U.S.
OccupationWriter
Years active1915–1943
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1901; div. 1922)​
ChildrenAnthony Veiller

Bayard Veiller (January 2, 1869 – January 16, 1943) was an American playwright, screenwriter, producer and film director. He wrote for 32 films between 1915 and 1941.

Biography

He was born on January 2, 1869, in Brooklyn, New York to Philip Bayard Veiller.[1] He was married to English actress Margaret Wycherly from 1901 to 1922; their son, Anthony Veiller, was also a screenwriter.

Veiller first broke into Broadway theatre with The Primrose Path, a play that he wrote and produced. It was a failure and left him broke,[2] although it later served as the basis for the 1920 film, Burnt Wings.[3] His first success as a playwright was Within the Law, a hit on Broadway in 1912-1913. It was later adapted as a movie five times. Veiller continued to write plays as he began screenwriting. His later Broadway hits included The Thirteenth Chair and The Trial of Mary Dugan, which were adapted as films.[4] The play The Thirteenth Chair had been licensed for production in Britain in 1917.[5]

Veiller wrote an autobiography, The Fun I've Had, published in 1941 by Reynal and Hitchcock.[6] He died on January 16, 1943, in New York City at age 74.[1][7]

Selected filmography

References

  1. ^ a b "Bayard Veiller, Writer of Plays. Author of 'Within the Law' and 'Trial of Mary Duffan' Is Dead Here at 74". The New York Times. June 17, 1943. Retrieved November 16, 2012. Bayard Veiller, a leading American playwright for many years, died yesterday morning in the ... Veiller was born in Brooklyn, the son of Philip Bayard Veiller and Elizabeth ...
  2. ^ Veiller, Bayard (2010) [1941]. The Fun I've Had. Cornwall, New York: Cornwall Press. pp. 175–176. ISBN 978-1-4344-0659-0.
  3. ^ "Burnt Wings". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on March 6, 2018. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  4. ^ Kabatchnik, Amnon (2009). Blood on the Stage, 1925-1950: Milestone Plays of Crime, Mystery, and Detection. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. pp. 123–125. ISBN 978-0-8108-6963-9. OCLC 320351782.
  5. ^ "The Thirteenth Chair". Great War Theatre. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
  6. ^ Veiller, Bayard (2010) [1941]. The Fun I've Had. Cornwall, New York: Cornwall Press. ISBN 978-1-4344-0659-0.
  7. ^ "Bayard Veiller Dies". Ottawa Citizen. Associated Press. June 17, 1943. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
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