10 Reasons To Visit Hollywood Forever Cemetery (Before You're Dead)
2. Hollywood's Hamlet (Well, Sorta)
The transition from silent to sound saw many actors suddenly out of work, especially for those with a thick accent or a weak voice. As a result, some stars descended into obscurity -- or permanently checked out. Karl Dane was one such tragedy.
Originally from Denmark, Rasmus Karl Therkelsen Gottlieb landed at Ellis Island, NY in 1916 with $25 in his pocket. He toiled as a factory worker, carpenter and mechanic before stumbling into show business -- a stroke of luck that would change his life. He soon changed his name to Karl Dane and headed west to California, where he began working in silent pictures.
His first big break came in 1924 with the movie, The Big Parade with John Gilbert and Renee Adoree. The film became a box office smash and thrust Dane into stardom. He then appeared with Valentino in The Son of The Sheik that was released shortly after the heartthrob's death in 1926.
Dane began earning $1500 a week (over $20,000 today), starring in a successful run of comedies. But in a few years "talkies" would change everything -- and by the early 1930s, he struggled to find even bit parts. Eventually, "The Great Dane" committed suicide with a gunshot wound to the head.