William Henry Crane

William Henry Crane (April 30, 1845 – March 7, 1928) was an American actor.

Crane was born in Leicester, Massachusetts on April 30, 1845. He grew up in Boston and graduated from Brimmer School.

He made his first professional appearance at Utica, New York, in Donizetti's The Daughter of the Regiment on July 13, 1865.: 152  He made his first hit in the legitimate drama with Stuart Robson in The Comedy of Errors and other Shakespearian plays. This partnership lasted for 12 years. He had successes as Le Blanc the Notary in the Victorian burlesque Evangeline (1873) and The Henrietta (1881, with Robson) by Bronson Howard. Subsequently Crane appeared in various eccentric character parts in such plays as The Senator and David Harum.

In 1904 Crane turned to more serious works and played Isidore Izard in Business is Business, an adaptation of Octave Mirbeau's Les Affaires sont les Affaires. In his 70s, Crane appeared in a number of films, notably in a reprise of his role in David Harum (1915). He also appeared in MGM's Three Wise Fools, which was revived on Turner Classic Movies and is available on home video/DVD.

Crane died on March 7, 1928, at the age of 82 in the Hollywood Hotel.