Billy Ruge
actor
- Born:
- 1863-08-16, Plattsburgh, New York, USA
- Died:
- 1955-10-19, New York City, New York, USA
- Professions:
- actor
Biography
Plattsburgh, New York, greeted Billy Ruge on 16 August 1863, and the restless kid who grew up along Lake Champlain would one day trade small-town quiet for the flicker of silent-era screens. Between 1915 and 1916 he sprinted through three one-reelers—The Battle Royal, Spaghetti and The Heroes—playing every pratfall and pie-fight with acrobatic glee that made audiences forget the projector’s clatter. Off-camera he swapped stage-door stories with Anna Overin, the woman who became his wife and lifelong co-conspirator. Forty years after the klieg lights dimmed, the city that never sleeps claimed him back; Ruge died in Manhattan on 19 October 1955, taking with him the last echo of vaudeville’s uproarious laugh.
