Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Email
Answers.com

Henry B. Walthall

 
Actor: Henry B. Walthall
Home > Library > Entertainment & Arts > Actors
  • Born: Mar 16, 1878 in Shelby City, Alabama
  • Died: Jun 17, 1936 in Los Angeles, California
  • Occupation: Actor
  • Active: teens-'30s
  • Major Genres: Drama, Romance
  • Career Highlights: The Birth of a Nation, The Scarlet Letter, The Trespasser
  • First Major Screen Credit: Judith of Bethulia (1914)

Biography

Frail-looking but iron-willed American actor Henry B. Walthall set out to become a lawyer, but was drawn to the stage instead. After several seasons appearing opposite such luminaries as Henry Miller and Margaret Anglin, Walthall was firmly established in New York's theatrical circles by the time he entered films in 1909 at the invitation of director D.W. Griffith. Clearly, both men benefited from the association: Griffith was able to exploit Walthall's expertise and versatility, while Walthall learned to harness his tendency to overact. The best of the Griffith/Walthall collaborations was Birth of a Nation (1915), in which Walthall portrayed the sensitive Little Colonel. Walthall left Griffith in 1915, a move that did little to advance his career. A string of mediocre productions spelled finis to Walthall's stardom, though he continued to prosper in character parts into the 1930s. One of his best showings in the talkie era was a virtual replay of his Little Colonel characterization in the closing scenes of the 1934 Will Rogers vehicle Judge Priest. Henry B. Walthall died while filming the 1936 Warner Bros. film China Clipper; ironically, he passed away just before he was scheduled to film his character's death scene. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Search unanswered questions...

Enter a question here...
Search: All sources Community Q&A Reference topics

Wikipedia: Henry B. Walthall
Top
Home > Library > Miscellaneous > Wikipedia
Henry B. Walthall
Born Henry Brazeale Walthall
March 16, 1878(1878-03-16)
Shelby County, Alabama, USA
Died June 17, 1936 (aged 58) (influenza & nervous condition)
Monrovia, California, USA
Occupation Actor
Spouse(s) Mary Charleson (1918-1936) (his death) 1 Child
Isabel Fenton (1907-1917)

Henry B. Walthall (March 16, 1878 – June 17, 1936) was an American film actor.

Contents

Career

Walthall began his career as a stage actor, appearing on Broadway in a supporting role in William Vaughn Moody's The Great Divide in 1906–1908. His career in movies began in 1908, in the film Rescued from an Eagle's Nest, which also featured another young actor named D.W. Griffith. As the industry grew in size and popularity, Griffith emerged as a director and Walthall found himself a mainstay of the Griffith company, frequently working alongside such Griffith regulars as Owen Moore, Kate Bruce and Jack and Mary Pickford. He followed Griffith's departure from New York's Biograph to California's Reliance-Majestic Studios in 1913.

Given the relatively short length of films in the early years, Walthall frequently found himself cast in dozens of films each year. For those still unfamiliar with his face however, he gained national attention in 1915 for his role as Colonel Ben Cameron in Griffith's highly influential and controversial epic The Birth of a Nation. Walthall's portrayal of a Confederate veteran rounding up the Ku Klux Klan won him large-scale fame, and Walthall was soon able to emerge as a leading actor in the years leading up to the 1920s, parting ways with Griffith.

He continued through the 1920s, appearing in The Plastic Age with Gilbert Roland and Clara Bow and a 1926 adaptation of The Scarlet Letter opposite Lillian Gish. Now in his 40s, he found his roles increasingly more of the "character" variety. Having experience as a stage actor, Walthall continued his career into the 1930s until his death.

He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame located at 6201 Hollywood Boulevard.

Personal life

Walthall was married twice. His first marriage, to actress Isabel Fenton, ended in divorce after ten years in 1917. His second marriage, to actress Mary Charleson lasted from the following year until his death from influenza in 1936.

Selected filmography

External links


This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 

 

Copyrights:

Actor. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Henry B. Walthall".  Read more