Short British-born actor who worked all over the silent comedy map in many films and shorts for various producers and studios before transitioning to a career in the sound era as a makeup artist for Warner Bros. and Universal. Joe was one of a number of children born to Jane Eve (née Marshall, 1846-1928) and Scottish-born John Bonner (1842-1919). They immigrated from England to Canada sometime in the 1890s (the available 1901 Canada Census records are unintelligible as to when exactly). Joe immigrated to the United States in 1905, arriving at the port of Blaine, Washington. He performed in music hall and vaudeville prior to entering the film business in the 1910s.
Joe married Alice Hodson (1879-1956), a Canadian native, on 16 November 1904 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. They had a son, Alfred Henry "Al" Bonner (1905-1975), who followed his father into the film makeup business (also working for Warners). Joe and Alice remained together for over 51 years until Alice's passing on 12 February 1956. They are buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles, California.
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