Rapley Holmes

Rapley Holmes (June 1, 1868 – January 11, 1928) was a Canadian stage and screen actor born in St. Marys, Ontario, whose Broadway career spanned from 1900 to 1926. He married actress Gerda Holmes.

Holmes built his stage career during the Edwardian era, sharing the boards with performers including Maxine Elliott, Elsie Ferguson, Nance O'Neil, Douglas Fairbanks, and both William and Dustin Farnum. His Broadway credits encompassed productions across multiple genres, among them the musical The Right Girl, and the plays The Charm School, Wait 'Til We're Married, The Rose of Stamboul, and Rain.

Beginning in 1914, Holmes pursued a parallel career in silent films while continuing his stage work. His film appearances that year included One Wonderful Night, The Battle of Love, and a series of short subjects, among them The Fable of the People's Choice Who Answered the Call of Duty and Took Seltzer and The Place, the Time and the Man. He continued in film through 1916, appearing in Gloria's Romance, and returned for two final features in 1920, Nothing But Lies and The Servant Question, before stepping away from the screen entirely.

His most prominent stage role came in 1922, when he was cast as Joe Horn in the Somerset Maugham play Rain, starring Jeanne Eagels. The production enjoyed a long run, and the role occupied Holmes for the remainder of his career until his death in January 1928. The part of Joe Horn was subsequently played by James A. Marcus in the 1928 Gloria Swanson film retitled Sadie Thompson, and by Guy Kibbee in the 1932 Joan Crawford sound adaptation Rain.