Warren William

Warren, William (1767–1832), character actor. The heavy‐set, puffy‐faced performer was born in Bath, England, and had been playing some time in the provinces when Wignell hired him to perform with his company at Philadelphia's Chestnut Street Theatre. Arriving in America in 1796, an outbreak of plague in Philadelphia forced him to make his debut in Baltimore. Philadelphia first saw him as Friar Laurence, and he quickly established himself as a favorite, later taking over management of the theatre with William Wood. Among his notable roles were Sir Anthony Absolute, Sir Toby Belch, Brabantio, Sir John Falstaff, and Sir Peter Teazle. Although he excelled at comedy, he was a fine judge of all young talent, comic or serious, and it was he and Wood who gave Edwin Forrest his first major opportunity. Warren was married three times, each time to actresses, and had six children, all of whom had careers in the theatre. He retired in 1829 but later made several special appearances. One of his sons was William WARREN [Jr.] (1812–88), considered by many of his contemporaries to be the greatest 19th‐century American comedian. Shortly after his father's death he made his debut at Philadelphia's Arch Street Theatre as Young Norval in Douglas. He then played in various cities over the next fourteen years, including brief engagements in New York and in London. In 1846, tired of a roving life, he settled in Boston and was enlisted as a member of the Howard Athenaeum company before going to the Boston Museum, where he continued as its leading comedian until his retirement shortly after celebrating his semicentennial as an actor in 1882. During his stint there he gave over thirteen thousand performances in nearly six hundred plays. His most admired interpretations included Sir Peter Teazle, Sir Lucius O'Trigger, Polonius, Tony Lumpkin, Touchstone, and numerous comic roles in contemporary pieces, such as Jefferson Scattering Batkins in The Silver Spoon. He was a large, tall, jowly man, with penetrating, heavy‐lidded eyes and a large shock of curly black hair. Although the noted Boston critic Henry Austin Clapp complained that “the one fault of his style was a slight excess in the use of stentorian tones,” most critics undoubtedly would have agreed with an obituary which noted, “His range as a comedian was unequaled, and to the interpretation of every variety of character he brought that exquisite sensibility and clearness of insight, that mobility of nature and fullness of understanding which made his work vital, natural and satisfying.” Autobiography: Life and Memoirs of William Warren, 1882.

• Born: Dec 02, 1895 in Aitkin, Minnesota
• Died: Sep 24, 1948 in Hollywood, California
• Occupation: Actor
• Active: '30s-'40s
• Major Genres: Drama, Mystery
• Career Highlights: Gold Diggers of 1933, The Wolf Man, Cleopatra
• First Major Screen Credit: Plunder (1923)

Biography

Suave film leading man Warren William was the son of a Minnesota newspaper publisher. William's own plans to pursue a journalistic career were permanently shelved when he enrolled at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. After serving in World War I, William remained in France to join a touring theatrical troupe. He worked on Broadway in the 1920s and also appeared in serial star Pearl White's last chapter play, Plunder (1923). His talkie career began with 1931's Honor of the Family. Typically cast as a ruthless business executive or shyster lawyer, William effectively carried over some of his big city aggressiveness to the role of Julius Caesar in DeMille's Cleopatra (1934). He also had the distinction of starring in three whodunit film series of the 1930s and 1940s, playing Perry Mason, Philo Vance, and the Lone Wolf. Off camera, William was unexpectedly shy and retiring; his co-star Joan Blondell once noted that he "was an old man even when he was a young man." Warren William was only in his early fifties when he died of multiple myeloma. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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