(1887-1979)
Born Elwood Dager Cromwell in Toledo, Ohio, the actor made his professional debut with a touring company in 1906 and his New York debut in Baby Mine (1910). Besides acting and stage managing for William A. Brady, he became a director and from 1913 to 1921, directed all of Brady's productions. Later directing credits include Tarnish (1923), Lucky Sam McCarver, in which he also played the title role (1925), and The Silver Cord (1926). He directed motion pictures until Hollywood's political blacklist impelled his return to Broadway, where he won a Tony Award* for his performance in Point of No Return (1951).
The Historical Dictionary of the American Theater. James Fisher.