Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/E. J. André

The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was keep. Sandstein 08:20, 1 September 2022 (UTC)[reply]

E. J. André

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Being just a guest appearance in popular films doesn't make him notable enough to meet WP:ACTOR. A quick Google search shows NY Times source only as an RS; no SIGCOV and doesn't meet WP:GNG either. Htanaungg (talk) 05:15, 17 August 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Note: This discussion has been included in the deletion sorting lists for the following topics: Actors and filmmakers, United States of America, California, and Michigan. Htanaungg (talk) 05:15, 17 August 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Keep. A familiar character actor with well over a hundred substantial speaking roles in theatrical films and episodes of TV series. There has also been a consensus in a number of previous deletion discussions that an obituary in The New York Times indicates notability sufficient to remain as subject of a Wikipedia entry. Also, "What links here" confirms that his name already has at least 20 links in various Wikipedia entries. —Roman Spinner (talk • contribs) 08:28, 17 August 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Keep. I agree with Roman Spinner Shouldn't even be any discussion about it... NYTimes doesn't focus on bit-players and extras! I've watched the entire Little House series & spinoff's, and when I saw Andre on Gunsmoke, he was immediately recognizable, let alone his appearance in Cecil B. DeMille's '56 Ten Commandments... <-- if those three alone aren't enough for Notability... ?? Evidently he was also "a prolific stage actor on and off Broadway" although I don't have access to those resources, or know enough about them to be qualified to make citations. I would ask that Users/Editors step up to expand that part of the page. But just from films/tv shows I've seen him in (besides those 3 above), He's Totally Notable. Instead of having a Discussion about whether he should be deleted into obscurity in the 21st Century, why don't you all go out and find some More 20th Century RS Citations??? (I've done MY part in getting his page started, along w/the NYTimes Citation, and by linking all the existing Wiki pages I could find which already had E.J. Andre listed in Cast/Credits, including Gunsmoke.) blah GreyElfGT (talk) 10:50, 17 August 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Comment: The New York Times obituary is very short and lacks an author byline, and if that's the most significant single source, that's really not saying much towards notability (WP:GNG needs multiple sources with nontrivial coverage). The claim "He was also prolific stage actor on and off Broadway" appears to be made up (or was pilfered from unreliable Find a Grave), as his NY Times obit mentions neither "Broadway" nor "prolific", merely "He also wrote and directed productions for the Nine O'Clock Players, which performed for disabled children." For all we know this could be no more than putting on local plays at a hospital. He apparently has no entries in the Internet Broadway Database nor the Internet Off-Broadway Database. He does have many TV credits listed on IMDB and other databases, but the vast majority seem to be one-shot, single-episode appearances, not significant roles per WP:ENTERTAINER. Even his alleged "best known" role on Little House on the Prairie consists of two appearances as Uncle Jed, and if IMDB is considered complete or reliable (it's neither), he also played Zachariah, Matthew Simms, Amos Thoms, and St. Peter on the show: so, little more than a recurring extra. There may well be some more extensive contemporary newspaper or magazine coverage of his career, but I've yet to find any: the California Newspaper Collection is only giving passing mentions about productions he was involved with. Similarly, browsing the Internet Archive, his name appears mainly appears in credit listings or other trivial coverage, although the UCLA Daily Bruin in 1955 comparatively wrote a novel by calling him a "versatile actor" and "a veteran of many past UCLA productions." Unless more significant coverage can be found, a redirect or deletion is likely warranted. Not every character actor who verifiably dies automatically gets an encyclopedia article. --Animalparty! (talk) 02:22, 18 August 2022 (UTC)[reply]
I'll remove the "prolific stage actor" bit until anyone can confirm it, but let's not assume it's not true...there was an Author Name for that source, even if that author didn't list his own references. Hopefully that'll help remove the "Article for deletion" template.... there's plenty of citations out there that can confirm his roles in the listed shows/movies (such as the one for the Lincoln Conspiracy, that I've added), so I'll leave those listed on the page for now. Yay? Nay? Huh? GreyElfGT (talk) 23:26, 18 August 2022 (UTC)[reply]
UPDATE: There're now FOUR Citations on the page listing his Name, birth/death date/place, and other Bio details, along with Film/TV cred's:
- NY Times
- Screen World
- Western and Frontier Film and Television Credits 1903-1995
- The Ultimate Directory of Silent and Sound Era Performers...
I've never seen Dallas, but evidently he was a regular there, later in life, so he is known. Therefore, I've added that to the Lead line, next to Little House. I've also found a lot of other shows, with 2ndary RS Citations, that were NOT listed in the Bio's ref'd so far. I've added those as well.

Now, does that satisfy Notability for you?

On the "Nine O'Clock Players" bit, they do have their own site out in California, so anyone w/an interest in tracking down that work could do so to see if they send their players to NYC/Broadway... the bio didn't say WHERE the disabled children actually saw the shows, so don't assume it's just a dinky lil' old hospital somewhere in Obscurityvale. Anyway, I'll leave that to someone more knowledgeable to expand the article... if they would be so kind... ? I know more about Film/TV than NYC Broadway... on or off... even though I have been to an Off-Broadway show myself... good show too, btw :) GreyElfGT (talk) 10:38, 26 August 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Keep. New York Times obituaries establishes notability. He has sources out there [1], a Los Angeles Times article. He had also had his obituary in other types of newspapers, his role as Uncle Jed is mentioned in [2]. He had numerous appearances in notable tv shows and films. There is also this source that confirms his birth and death date [3]. MoviesandTelevisionFan (talk) 03:25, 18 August 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Relisted to generate a more thorough discussion and clearer consensus.
Please add new comments below this notice. Thanks, Liz ^{Read! Talk!} 18:47, 24 August 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Keep. Definitely a recognizable character actor. 5Q5|^✉ 11:19, 31 August 2022 (UTC)[reply]

The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.