Difference between revisions of "Frank Fillis Jr."

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(b. Dundee, Scotland, **/**/1880? – d. Johannesburg, **/03/1961).  Circus performer, theatre manager. The son of showman [[Frank Fillis]] (Francis Edward Fillis) and Elizabeth Jane Carr, Francis Alfred Fillis (known as Frank Jr.) initially was a horseman and ringmaster in his stepmother’s circus.  He is known to have appeared in at least one film, featuring as the captain of the guard in [[H. Lisle Lucoque]]’s version of ''[[King Solomon’s Mines]]'' (1918).   After Madame Fillis disbanded her circus in 1913, Frank Jr. joined the Schlesinger organisation as a theatre manager.  According to Floris van der Merwe, in 1944 he was running the Astoria Theatre in East London and in the late 1940s managed a cinema in Johannesburg.  He retired in 1949.  He was the half-brother of [[Adele Fillis]] and [[Cecil Fillis]].  (FO)
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Frank Fillis Jr (b. Dundee, Scotland, **/03/1880 – d. Johannesburg, 23/03/1961) was a circus performer and thereafter a theatre manager.  
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<big>Biography</big>
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The son of showman Frank Fillis (Francis Edward Fillis) and Elizabeth Jane Carr, Francis Alfred Fillis (known as Frank Jr. and also as Bob) initially was equestrian director and ringmaster in his stepmother’s circus.  In 1912 he was involved in the production of a film entitled I.D.B., in which both he, his half-sister Adele Fillis and her fiancée Harry Vine had roles.  After Madame Fillis (Vicente Fillis) disbanded her circus in 1913, Frank Jr. joined African Consolidated Theatres and became manager of the Orpheum Theatre.  In 1916 he played an officer Harold M. Shaw’s film The Symbol of Sacrifice and in 1918 he was the captain of King Solomon’s guard in H. Lisle Lucoque’s version of King Solomon’s Mines.
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For some time he managed the King’s Hotel in Johannesburg, but subsequently returned to ACT as a theatre manager.  The cinemas with which he was involved included the Astoria in East London and the Parysia and the Odeon, both in Rosebank, Johannesburg.  He married Violet Dorothy Taylor, the daughter of Herbert “Captain Joe” Taylor, a famous elephant trainer.  He was the half-brother of Adele Fillis and Cecil Fillis.  (FO)  
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== Sources ==
 
== Sources ==

Revision as of 20:54, 20 April 2019

Frank Fillis Jr (b. Dundee, Scotland, **/03/1880 – d. Johannesburg, 23/03/1961) was a circus performer and thereafter a theatre manager.

Biography

The son of showman Frank Fillis (Francis Edward Fillis) and Elizabeth Jane Carr, Francis Alfred Fillis (known as Frank Jr. and also as Bob) initially was equestrian director and ringmaster in his stepmother’s circus. In 1912 he was involved in the production of a film entitled I.D.B., in which both he, his half-sister Adele Fillis and her fiancée Harry Vine had roles. After Madame Fillis (Vicente Fillis) disbanded her circus in 1913, Frank Jr. joined African Consolidated Theatres and became manager of the Orpheum Theatre. In 1916 he played an officer Harold M. Shaw’s film The Symbol of Sacrifice and in 1918 he was the captain of King Solomon’s guard in H. Lisle Lucoque’s version of King Solomon’s Mines.

For some time he managed the King’s Hotel in Johannesburg, but subsequently returned to ACT as a theatre manager. The cinemas with which he was involved included the Astoria in East London and the Parysia and the Odeon, both in Rosebank, Johannesburg. He married Violet Dorothy Taylor, the daughter of Herbert “Captain Joe” Taylor, a famous elephant trainer. He was the half-brother of Adele Fillis and Cecil Fillis. (FO)


Sources

van der Merwe, Floris - Frank Fillis: the story of a circus legend

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