Biography
A music-hall favorite in his native England, dapper, diminutive Leo White was brought to America by theatrical impresario Daniel Frohman. In 1914, White joined the Essanay film company, where he appeared in support of
Wallace Beery in the Sweedie comedies. Within a year he was a member in good standing of
Charlie Chaplin's stock company, playing a variety of dandies, noblemen, and anarchists. He moved to
Hal Roach's "Rollin'" comedies in 1917, where he co-starred with such funmakers as
Harold Lloyd, Harry "Snub" Pollard,
Bebe Daniels, and
Bud Jamison. White showed up in several features of the 1920s, including Lloyd's
Why Worry (1923), Valentino's
Blood and Sand (1922), and the mighty
Ben-Hur (1926, as Sallanbat). In the talkie era, he played supporting roles in Columbia and RKO two-reel comedies, and bits in features: in the
Marx Brothers'
Night at the Opera, for example, he's one of the three bearded Russian aviators. From 1934 to 1948, he was on call at Warner Bros. for bits and extra roles. Leo White spent his last decade essaying one-scene roles in such Warner features as
Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942),
Arsenic and Old Lace (1944), and
The Fountainhead (1949), and even had a part in the animated
Looney Tune Eatin' on the Cuff (1943). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide