When he was four years old, Gallaher debuted as an actor portraying Rip in
Sol Smith Russell's production of
Poor Relations. When he was 15, he ceased acting for two years and pitched in semi-professional baseball on Long Island. He returned to the stage at age 17. He appeared in the silent film
The Great Train Robbery (1903), and a bit part in the 23-chapter serial
The Million Dollar Mystery (1914). He co-starred with
Louis Wolheim and
Una Merkel in the two-reeler ''
Love's Old Sweet Song'' (1923) filmed in
Lee De Forest's
Phonofilm sound-on-film process. Later in life, he produced
Broadway plays and directed films, including
Temple Tower (1930),
June First (1931), and
The Hot Spot (1931). In 1949, using the name Don Gallagher, he served as narrator of the
ABC Television Players, a short-lived dramatic anthology series broadcast from Chicago. == Personal life ==