Richard Talmadge

Richard Talmadge (born Sylvester Alphonse Metz; 3 December 1892 – 25 January 1981) also known as Sylvester Metzetti,[1] Ricardo Metzetti,[2] or Sylvester Ricardo Metzetti,[3] was a German-born actor, stuntman and film director.[4][5]

Richard Talmadge
Talmadge in The Live Wire (1935)
Born
Sylvester Alphonse Metz

(1892-12-03)3 December 1892
Munich, German Empire
Died25 January 1981(1981-01-25) (aged 88)
Carmel, California, U.S.
Resting placeInglewood Park Cemetery
Other names
  • Sylvester Metzetti
  • Ricardo Metzetti
  • Sylvester Ricardo Metzetti
  • Richard Metzetti Talmadge
Occupations
  • Actor
  • stuntman
  • film director
Years active1910–1967
Spouse(s)Madeleine Francis Allen
(m. 1917; div. 19??)
Suzanne Avery
​
(m. 1961)​
Children1 (stepdaughter)

Early life

Born in Germany in 1892, Talmadge arrived in Hollywood in 1910 and began his career as a stuntman (including a stint with Douglas Fairbanks) before becoming an actor himself. He began starring in silent action pictures in 1921, and began producing his own vehicles in 1923. His last silent feature, The Poor Millionaire (1930), was the very last silent production filmed in Hollywood (except for two Charlie Chaplin silent features that were released well after the advent of sound).[3]

Career
Alberta Vaughn and Talmadge share a cigar in The Live Wire, 1935

Richard Talmadge spoke fluent English, but with a German accent that became obvious when talkies arrived. Still acting as his own producer, he began starring in lower-budgeted features. His accent didn't matter much in these pictures, which had Talmadge in almost constant motion, doing spectacular stunts throughout the films. During the Depression he gave up his production company and signed with a major studio, Universal Pictures, where he starred in the 12-chapter serial Pirate Treasure (1934). Independent producers Bernard B. Ray and Harry S. Webb then signed Talmadge for a series of action features, with titles emphasizing Talmadge's breakneck speed: Never Too Late, Step on It, The Live Wire, etc. These were his last starring efforts.

Talmadge then began working behind the cameras as assistant director, stunt coordinator, and director.[6] His later work included How the West Was Won, The Greatest Story Ever Told and Casino Royale.[7]

Personal life

He was the stepfather of American polo pioneer and Polo's Grande Dame Sue Sally Hale. His brothers, Otto and Victor Metzetti, both had success as stunt performers, and were members of the vaudeville troupe the Flying Metzettis,[8] (or the Five Metzettis[9]) who were the first to perform the quadruple back somersault[10] in 1917, at Barnum and Bailey's, with Richard as voltiguer.[11] The family was close, with brothers Otto, Victor, and Leon working on the Richard Talmadge productions of the 1930s.

Death

Talmadge died of cancer at the age of 88 on 25 January 1981, in Carmel, California. He is interred at Inglewood Park Cemetery, his grave marked with the name "Richard Metzetti Talmadge".[5]

Selected filmography

References
  1. "The obituary of Richard Talmadge states he was born Sylvester Metzetti in Switzerland in 1892. Other sources state, Ricardo Mazetti was born in Munich, Germany, in 1896, of Italian-Swiss parents. Twenty Years of Silents gives the year of birth as 1898. The Milwaukee Journal of October 1941 stated he was 47 at the time, which would take his birth back to 1894. Since he was 88 when he died on January 25, 1981, the 1892 date is doubtlessly [sic] the correct date."George A. Katchmer (1991). Eighty Silent Film Stars: Biographies and Filmographies of the Obscure to the Well Known. McFarland. p. 918. ISBN 978-0-89950-494-0.
  2. Cinemateca - Issue 27 - Page 7
  3. Filmarama: The flaming years, 1920-1929. Scarecrow Press. 1 September 2002. p. 514. ISBN 978-0-8108-1008-2.
  4. Gene Scott Freese (2014). Hollywood Stunt Performers, 1910sÐ1970s: A Biographical Dictionary, 2d ed. McFarland. p. 1993. ISBN 978-1-476-61470-0.
  5. Allan R. Ellenberger (2001). Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory. McFarland. p. 181. ISBN 978-0-786-40983-9.
  6. Harold N. Pomainville (2016). Henry Hathaway: The Lives of a Hollywood Director. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 67. ISBN 978-1-442-26978-1.
  7. Richard Talmadge at the Turner Classic Movies
  8. Gene Scott Freese (2014). Hollywood Stunt Performers, 1910s-1970s: A Biographical Dictionary, 2d ed. McFarland. p. 191. ISBN 978-0-786-47643-5.
  9. "Vaudeville News 5 November 1920 — Illinois Digital Newspaper Collections".
  10. Guinness Book of Records
  11. "La bascule | BnF / CNAC".
  12. "Welcome to the US Petabox". Archived from [source: PizzaFlix Youtube channel the original] on 7 August 2013. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
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