Fred Kohler

Fred Kohler

actor

Fred Kohler was born on Apr 20, 1887 in USA. Fred Kohler's big-screen debut came with The Tiger's Trail directed by Robert Ellis in 1919, strarring 'Bull' Shotwell (as Frederick L. Kohler). Fred Kohler is known for West of the Pecos directed by Phil Rosen, Richard Dix stars as Pecos Smith and Martha Sleeper as Ril Lambeth. The upcoming new movie Fred Kohler plays is Lawless Valley which will be released on May 05, 1939.

Prolific "heavy" in American films of the silent and early talkie eras. A native of Kansas City, Missouri, Kohler left home as a teenager, working various jobs while trying to establish a career in vaudeville. During this time, according to his son, actor Fred Kohler Jr., Kohler worked in a mine and lost part of his right hand in a dynamite accident. Eventually he fell in with a touring theatrical company and worked onstage around the U.S. for several years. In his mid-twenties, he ended up in California and found roles in silent films. He quickly found a niche as a villain, by virtue of his imposing size and his fearsome features, typically and most memorably in The Iron Horse (1924). He worked primarily in Westerns, but films of all sorts benefited from his skill at screen nastiness. In a series of silent Paramount Westerns based on Zane Grey novels, Kohler not only played the heavy, but also repeated some of those roles when these films were remade as talkies a decade later. His career lasted without let-up until his sudden death due to a heart attack at 51 in 1938.

  • Birthday

    Apr 20, 1887

  • Place of Birth

    Burlington, Iowa, USA

Known For

West of the Pecos
Movie
West of the Pecos

19367.2

Queen Christina
Movie
Queen Christina

19347.5

Hell's Heroes
Movie
Hell's Heroes

19307.2

Forgotten Faces
Movie
Forgotten Faces

19287.2

Underworld
Movie
Underworld

19277.5

The Iron Horse
Movie
The Iron Horse

19257.2

Behind the Door
Movie
Behind the Door

19197.2

Movies & TV Shows

All
Movies