J. Herbert Frank

J. Herbert Frank (May 12, 1885 – March 7, 1926) was an American actor who worked in both stage and silent film during the early twentieth century. Born in Manhattan, New York City, he built a career that spanned theatrical performance and a prolific output in motion pictures.

Frank's stage career included two Broadway productions separated by a decade. In 1911 he appeared in La Belle Paree, which featured the Bow-Sing segment, and he returned to Broadway in 1921 with a role in Don Juan. He was a native New Yorker whose Broadway work represented one dimension of a broader performance career.

His film work constituted the larger portion of his professional output. Between 1914 and 1924, Frank appeared in more than fifty films, establishing him as a recognizable presence in the silent era. He was occasionally credited under the name Herbert Frank across his screen appearances.

Frank's later life became entangled in controversy surrounding the death of actor Wallace Reid. In 1922 he publicly denied any acquaintance with Reid in response to allegations connecting him to the matter. He had previously been involved in narcotic investigations related to Reid's death, according to reporting by the Oakland Tribune.

Frank died on March 7, 1926, in Los Angeles, California. He took his own life in his apartment using chloroform and gas. The Oakland Tribune reported that he had faced charges of creating a disturbance and killed himself to avoid standing trial.