Jack Dougherty

Jack Dougherty (born Virgil Ashley Dougherty) (November 16, 1895 – May 16, 1938) was an American actor who appeared in B-movies in the 1910s, 1920s, and 1930s. He was married to actress Barbara La Marr at the time of her death. Jack was born in Bowling Green, Missouri, to Roy Dougherty and Julia Ach. The family relocated to Southern California when Jack was young. He began a career as an actor in Broadway musicals in the late 1910s. In 1920, after returning from serving in France during World War I, he was signed with Metro to play Alice Lake's leading man.He and actress Barbara La Marr got married in 1923, the same year Dougherty was signed to a five-year contract at Universal. The marriage was tumultuous, and multiple separations were noted in the press. The pair were still legally wed, however, when La Marr died of tuberculosis in 1926 at the age of 29.In 1927, Dougherty married his second wife, actress Virginia Brown Faire. That marriage did not last long—the pair parted ways in 1929, and she soon married director Duke Worne. In 1928, he and actress Lottie Pickford were assaulted by robbers outside of a cafe in East Los Angeles. Later that year, Dougherty was charged for assaulting another male guest at a party held by Pickford.His legal foibles and troubles with alcohol led to diminishing roles on screen right as the silent era waned; he was no longer getting starring roles or gigs from major studios. After an attempted suicide in 1933, he committed suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning on May 16, 1938, in the Hollywood Hills; he reportedly left behind four suicide notes that blamed financial troubles for his ultimate fate. He was 42 years old.