George Kunkel (actor)

George Kunkel (December 29, 1866 – November 8, 1937) was an American character actor^[1] and operatic baritone.^[2] The son of two well known 19th-century actors, he should not be confused with his father; the theatre manager, minstrel show performer, and songwriter George Kunkel.

Kunkel began his stage career performing alongside his mother, the actress Ada Proctor, in 1887. By 1896 he began appearing with professional light opera companies as a comedian and baritone; touring throughout North America and to Hawaii over the next six years. From 1901 to 1905 he was active as both an opera singer and an actor in dramatic and comedic plays in Australia and New Zealand. He was a member of the San Francisco Opera Company from 1905 to 1908, and briefly returned to the company in 1909. He was a member of the Aborn Opera Company in 1908 and 1911. In 1911–1912 he starred in numerous plays at the Orpheum Theatre in Cincinnati.

Kunkel transitioned away from his stage career and became a star of the silent film era from 1913 to 1921. He briefly returned to stage performances in California in 1927-1928. He died in Los Angeles in 1937.