CRAVEN, FRANK

born 1880?, Boston, Mass., U.S. died Sept. 1, 1945, Beverly Hills, Calif. American actor, director, playwright, and producer who was best known for his performance as the stage manager in his production of Thornton Wilder's Our Town (performed 1938) and for his domestic comedy The First Year (1920). Born into a theatrical family, he first appeared on the stage in Boston as a child. After completing his schooling, he toured, then made his first New York success as James Gilley in G.H. Broadhurst's Bought and Paid For (1911), a part he also played in London. In 1914 Craven appeared in Too Many Cooks, the first of many comedies he was to write, following it with several other plays. After 1929 he turned to producing, writing, and acting in motion pictures.