Ben Bard
Ben Bard (January 26, 1893 – May 17, 1974) was an American movie actor, stage actor, and acting teacher. With comedian Jack Pearl, Bard worked in a comedy duo in vaudeville. In 1926, Bard, Pearl, and Sascha Beaumont appeared in a short film made in Lee DeForest's Phonofilm sound-on-film process. He had a small role in The Bat Whispers (1930). Later in the decade, he ran a leading Hollywood acting school, Ben Bard Drama. Bard was recruited to be a leading man at Fox Film Corporation. However, he was typecast as a "Suave Heavy"—a smooth-talking, well-dressed fellow with a dark side. An example of this type is his portrayal of "Mr. Brun" in The Seventh Victim (1943). Also in 1943, Bard appeared in two other Val Lewton-produced horror films: The Leopard Man, as Robles, the Police Chief, and The Ghost Ship, as First Officer Bowns. Bard became the head of the New Talent Department at Twentieth-Century-Fox in September 1956, eventually resigning in August 1959. He re-opened his school, Ben Bard Drama, in 1960. |
Birth and Death Data: Born Milwaukee (city in and county seat of Milwaukee County, and largest city in State of Wisconsin, United States), Died May 17, 1974 (Los Angeles (seat of Los Angeles County, and largest city in California, United States) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1917 - 1930
Roles Represented in DAHR: lyricist, speaker
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | B-21419 | 10-in. | 1/15/1918 | Give me the right to love you all the while | Sterling Trio | Male vocal trio, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Victor | [Trial 1923-02-03-02] | 10-in. | 2/3/1923 | Troubles | Ben Bard ; Jack Pearl | Comic dialogue | speaker | |
| Columbia | 77323 | 10-in. | 9/10/1917 | Give me the right to love you all the while | Sterling Trio | Male vocal trio, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Columbia | 77828 | 10-in. | 5/17/1918 | Victory | Arthur Fields | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Brunswick | LAE898 | 10-in. | 11/10/1930 | As long as we’re together | Abe Lyman’s California Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with vocal; without vocal (take G) | lyricist | |
| Edison | 5913 | 10-in. | 12/7/1917 | Give me the right to love you | Gladys Rice | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Bard, Ben," accessed December 24, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/111234.
Bard, Ben. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 24, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/111234.
"Bard, Ben." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 24 December 2025.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Bard, Ben - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no98128729
Wikidata: Ben Bard - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q4885267
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