THE "unspoiled lover" of the screen, Conrad Nagel, had many
advantages when he came to the screen. One was the love of the public for
anyone who typifies youth, and the unsophistication thereof. That was Nagel.
He has matured somewhat, but the roles he does best are those of the lover
whom the corrosion of life has not yet touched.
Six feet tall, with blue eyes and blond hair, he is, at 25, looked upon
by the public as one of the most popular leading men in pictures. He had
seven years' experience on the stage before entering the cinema, and has
therefore been an actor since he was sixteen years old, or shortly before
he graduated from Highland Park College at Des Moines, Ia.
Nagel was born at Keokuk, Ia., in March, 1897. Conrad's father being
a musician and composer of wide reputation, and his mother (now deceased)
a singer, he came naturally by his artistic nature.
His first production on the West Coast was The Fighting Chance, in which
he and Anna Q. Nilsson were featured. This was in 1920. Among the other
notable photoplays in which he has been one of the featured or leading players
are: "Midsummer Madness," "What Every Woman Knows,"
"Sacred and Profane Love," "Fool's Paradise," "Saturday
Night," "The Ordeal," "Nice People," "The
Impossible Mrs. Bellew," and "Bella Donna." He was then to
appear in "Grumpy," a William De Mille production.
Nagel is of athletic build, weighing 160 pounds. Although best known
in parts representing him as the sympathetic lover, he is fond of character
roles, and says he derived almost the greatest enjoyment of his stage career
playing the part of the man without humor in "What Every Woman Knows."
Like many other motion picture actors, he is a student of everything related
to literature and the drama, and has a carefully, selected library in his
home. He likes to read, and has a retentive memory.
He is married and has a daughter, Ruth Margaret, who was two years old
in 1922. His wife was formerly Miss Ruth Helm who also played in motion
pictures before her marriage. Mr. and Mrs. Nagel live in Hollywood, where
the former's father also resides. Aside from reading, Mr. Nagel's hobbies
are tennis, swimming and other outdoor recreations. |