John J. Cooke (born John Joseph Cooke; 1874 – 1921) was an American stage performer and a silent film actor. Cooke was born on October 1, 1874, in Manhattan, New York. He was 47 when he died in Los Angeles, California on October 2, 1921. Between 1914 and 1921, Cooke acted in over 30 films.
Early years
John Joseph Cooke was born in New York on October 1, 1874. [a][2] When John was born, his father, Bartholomew Joseph Cooke, was 35 and his mother, Mary Josephine, was 31. He was the fifth child born and the only male of this burgeoning family. At the time of his birth, the Irish family was settled in New York's Lower East Side of Manhattan.[3]
Death
John Joseph "Johnnie" Cooke celebrated his 47th birthday on Saturday, October 1, 1921. On Sunday, October 2, 1921, Cooke died in Los Angeles, California at 8:30 AM.[b] At the time of his death, Cooke was residing with his 78 year-old mother, Mary, and 42 year-old younger sister, Catherine. Cooke chose to be buried at the Calvary Cemetery, located in Los Angeles, California.
A simple obituary appeared in the Friday edition of The Tidings published on October 7, 1921.[5] The obituary read:
The funeral of Johnnie Cooke, a well-known film actor, was held at Our Lady of Loretto Church, Tuesday morning (Tues, October 4, 1921) . . . The pallbearers, coworkers (Universal) of the deceased, were Wilfred Lucas, Bobbie Mack, James O'Neill, George W Kitchen, George O'Donnell, and Dick Cummings.
John was preceded in death by his 62 year-old father Bartholomew J Cooke on October 14, 1901, his second oldest sister Margaret Maud Cooke on December 28, 1907, at age 39, and his fourth oldest sister Genevieve Cooke on February 9, 1919, who was 46.[6][7][8] Cooke is survived by his mother Mary J. Cooke and sisters – Miss Catherine Cooke,Mrs. Mary Ellen Young,Mrs. Lillian Gonzalez, and Mrs. Theresa Haskins.
Filmography
John J. Cooke's filmography showcases his acting career, which began at the comparatively mature age of 38. Like numerous actors transitioning from the stage, he initially ventured into the world of motion pictures as an atmosphere player. He is believed to have first appeared in films around 1912–1913. However, those early uncredited roles remain unknown and are thus not included in his filmography.
The notes section contains three and four-digit numbers that serve as references to locate Silent movie data within Richard Braff's book - The Universal Silents.[23]
Notes
^There seems to be an element of uncertainty concerning the exact year of Cooke's birth. A variety of sources propose a timeframe spanning from 1874 to 1877. It's important to highlight that the specific birthdate, October 1, has remained undisputed. Cooke completed his federally mandatory World War I Draft Registration Card in 1918. In the section labeled "I AFFIRM THAT I HAVE VERIFIED ABOVE ANSWERS AND THAT THEY ARE TRUE," he affixed his signature as John Joseph Cooke on September 18, 1918. The draft card shows his age as 43 and a birth date of October 1, 1874. Given the official nature of this government record, the birth year 1874 is the most credible choice.[1]
^John Joseph Cooke death certificate is available for purchase from the Registrar-Recorder/CountyClerk, Birth, Death & Marriage Records, P.O. Box 489, Norwalk, California 90651-0489 State of California Certification of Vital Record County of Los Angeles Registrar-Recorder/CountyClerk
Certificate of Death 6718. . . John Joseph Cooke Died: October 2, 1921, 8:30 am Born New York October 1, 45 yrs old Father – B. J. Cooke Ireland, Mother – Mary J. O'Leary Ireland occupation – Actor Death Certificate signed October 3, 1921, death caused by "laryngeal hemorrhage" contributed by "cardiovascular renal disease." Physical stress from loud talking or singing can contribute to laryngeal hemorrhage, which is usually small in quantity, but sometimes it can be so abundant as to cause death.[4]
^"New Salisbury Picture ready". Moving Picture World. New York, Chalmers Publishing Company. July 12, 1919. p. 272. Archived from the original on September 6, 2016. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
Edmunds, I. G. (1977). BIG U - Universal in the Silent Days. Cranbury, New Jersey: A.S.Barnes and Co, Inc. p. 162. ISBN0-498-01809-1.
Braff, Richard E. (1999). The Universal Silents 1912-1929. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 675. ISBN0-7864-0287-3. A filmography of the Universal Picture Manufacturing Company, 1912-1929
Hirschhorn, Clive (1983). The Universal Story (1st ed.). New York: Crown Publishers. p. 400. ISBN0-517-55001-6. The Complete History of the Studio and its 2,641 Films
Spehr, Paul E.; Lundquist, Gunnar (1996). American Film Personnel and Company Credits, 1908 - 1920. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 695. ISBN0-7864-0255-5.
Robert B. Connelly. The Silents: Silent Feature Films, 1910-36, Volume 40, Issue 2. December Press, 1998.
Hampton, Benjamin B. (1970). History of the American Film Industry from its beginnings to 1931. New York, New York: Dover Publications, Inc. p. 628. ISBN0-486-22403-1.
