John C. Rice, born John C. Hilberg,[1] (April 7, 1857 – June 5, 1915) was an American born Broadway stage actor and vaudevillian who is credited with performing the first onscreen kiss with May Irwin in 1896 for the Thomas Edison film company film The Kiss.

[1] Rice began his career on the stage as a contortionist in vaudeville; ultimately branching out into work as a comic actor.

[6] The play starred the Rice and Munroe team and the pair spent the remainder of the decade touring the United States in vaudeville in this work.

[11] After his partnership with Munroe ended, Rice and his wife starred opposite one another in the popular sketch comedy "Our Honeymoon" at Keith's Theatre in Boston in 1898.

[12] The pair continued to perform in vaudeville theatres together as the comedy duo Rice and Cohen for more than fifteen years.