Lester Cuneo


Lester H. Cuneo was an American stage and silent film actor. Born in Chicago, Illinois, he began acting in live theatre while still in his teens.

Career

Lester then embarked on a film career in 1912 with the Chicago-based Selig Polyscope Company then joined Essanay Studios in 1914. Working in early Hollywood, his popularity increased after he switched from comedic roles to the increasingly popular western film genre. However, his career was temporarily interrupted when he served with the United States Army during World War I.
At war's end, Lester Cuneo returned to film and in the early 1920s set up his own production company making primarily western films.

Personal life

He married actress Francelia Billington in 1920 and had two children. The two made fourteen films together before their divorce in October 1925.

Death

Despondent over the breakdown of his marriage and the downhill slide of his film career, Lester Cuneo took his own life with a gunshot to the head in 1925. He was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California. His year of death is printed on his gravemarker as 1926 which contradicts 1925, the year usually given.

Filmography