Raymond B. West
actor, director, special_effects
- Born:
- 1886-02-11
- Died:
- 1923-09, Los Angeles, California, USA
- Professions:
- actor, director, special_effects
Biography
A midwinter baby, Raymond B. West arrived on 11 February 1886 and grew up to trade small-town quiet for the flicker of silent-era sets. Within months in 1917 he steered three one-reel whirlwinds—Chicken Casey, Madcap Madge and Borrowed Plumage—each one a sprint of slapstick and melodrama that showed his knack for coaxing chaos into clockwork. Between calls of “Action!” he even stepped in front of the lens, lending his own face to the stories he shaped. Six years after that burst of creativity, the cameras stopped for good: West died in Los Angeles in September 1923, leaving the screen a little dimmer.
