True Boardman (screenwriter)

True Boardman
Born
True Eames Boardman

(1909-10-25)October 25, 1909
Seattle, Washington, U.S.
DiedJuly 28, 2003(2003-07-28) (aged 93)
Pebble Beach, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)Actor, scriptwriter
Years active1912–1974
Spouse(s)Thelma Joyce Hubbard
(m. 1935; died 1978)
Kathleen Gilmour
(m. 1982)
Parent(s)Virginia Eames
True Boardman
RelativesLisa Gerritsen (granddaughter)

True Eames Boardman[1][2][3][4] (October 25, 1909 – July 28, 2003) was an American actor and scriptwriter.

Life and career

Boardman, whose given names were derived, respectively, from his paternal grandmother's maiden name and his mother's stage name,[1] was born in Seattle, Washington. He was the only child of actress Virginia Eames and action-adventure star True Boardman.[5] Boardman's education included a bachelor's degree in English literature from UCLA and a master's degree in theater from Occidental College.[5]

He began acting in 1912 and had acted in six films by the age of 10. He acted with Charles Chaplin in Shoulder Arms in 1918. Boardman was a writer for Silver Theater, a dramatic anthology series on CBS radio in the 1930s and 1940s.[6] On May 21 and May 28, 1939, he also appeared as an actor on the program, starring with Helen Hayes in "Crossroads for Two," a two-part drama.[7]

During World War II, Boardman was an Army captain whose duties included creating radio programming for American troops via the Armed Forces Radio Service.[5]

Personal life and death

Boardman's first marriage, to radio/voiceover actress and television writer Thelma Joyce Hubbard, lasted from 1935 until her death following a long illness in 1978.[8][9] Their union produced two daughters.[9] The second and final marriage, dating from 1982 until his own death, was to the former Kathleen Gilmour.[5][10]

On July 28, 2003, Boardman died in Pebble Beach, California, aged 94, survived by his wife and both daughters from the previous marriage, as well as six grandchildren,[5] one of whom was former child actress Lisa Gerritsen.[11]

Selected filmography

As a writer

As an actor

References

  1. ^ a b Kiehn, David (2003). Broncho Billy and the Essanay Film Company. Berkeley, CA: Farewell Books. p. 98. ISBN 0972922652.
  2. ^ "United States Census, 1920", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MHQX-VNT : Sun Jul 14 08:07:43 UTC 2024), Entry for Margaret Boardman and True E Boardman, 1920.
  3. ^ University of California at Berkeley (1934). Register of the University of California, Volume 2. Berkeley, CA: University of California. p. 6. OCLC 27130928.
  4. ^ "California, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1940-1945", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QGFS-2516 : Fri Mar 08 15:30:26 UTC 2024), Entry for True Eames Boardman and Thelma Hubbard Boardman, 16 October 1940.
  5. ^ a b c d e "True Boardman, 94; Child Actor, Scriptwriter - Los Angeles Times". Articles.latimes.com. 2003-08-03. Retrieved 2014-03-30.
  6. ^ Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (Revised ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. pp. 615–616. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3. Retrieved 2019-10-22.
  7. ^ "Boardman to Act with Helen Hayes". Belvidere Daily Republican. May 20, 1939. p. 5. Retrieved March 31, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  8. ^ "Wedding March". Los Angeles Evening Post-Record. March 25, 1935. p. 4. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
  9. ^ a b Boardman, True (May 11, 1978). "Chariot Rider Works a Miracle on Her Beat; Now the Regulars Miss Her". The Los Angeles Times. p. 45. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
  10. ^ "California Marriage Index, 1960-1985", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V6NB-5JJ : 26 January 2024), Kathleen Gilmour, 1982.
  11. ^ "Granddad's Writing Keeps Her Riding". Peninsula Living. December 26, 1970. p. 14. Retrieved August 27, 2024.

Bibliography

  • Holmstrom, John. The Moving Picture Boy: An International Encyclopaedia from 1895 to 1995, Norwich, Michael Russell, 1996, pp. 40 – 41.