Biography
Frank Lanning (14 August 1872 – 17 June 1945) was an American character actor of the silent era. Born in Marion, Iowa, he appeared in more than eighty films between 1910 and 1934, frequently in supporting roles as villains or ethnic characters in Westerns and serials. He worked for studios including Biograph, Kalem, Universal and Pathé.
Lanning is credited as Costra in Tod Browning’s The Unknown (1927) and as Sam Hooper in Harold Lloyd’s The Kid Brother (1927). Other notable appearances include Huckleberry Finn (1920) and The Victoria Cross (1916). He was married to Merva Eaton.
