Melville W. Brown

Biography

Silent screen pioneer Melville Walker Brown was born on March 10, 1887, to John and Fannie Brown of Portland, Oregon. His father was originally from Maine and his mother a native of Massachusetts. John Brown was a stenographer whose income was such that he was able to employ a domestic servant. Melville W. Brown was screenwriter, actor and director who probably began his show business career with the Baker Stock company in Spokane, Washington, where he collected tickets at the door and played juvenile roles on stage. He would later work for a stock company headed by Charles Chaplin and on a number of his later films, including A Dog's Life (1917) and Shoulder Arms (1918). Melville Walker Brown died as a result of a heart attack on January 31, 1938 in Los Angeles. His wife Margaret and daughter Delores were not mentioned in obituaries that appeared in newspapers available to this writer. Nevada State Journal 7 Sep 1929, Hartford, Courant, February 1, 1938, Chicago Tribune, February 1, 1938, 1900 & 1930 US Census.