H. B. Warner
Encyclopedia
H. B. Warner was a British
actor.
, London
, England
in 1875. His father, Charles Warner, was an actor, and, although young Henry had initially thought about studying medicine, he eventually followed in his father's footsteps and performed on the stage.
s in 1914, when he debuted in The Lost Paradise. He played lead roles, culminating in the role of Jesus Christ in Cecil B. DeMille
's silent film epic
, The King of Kings in 1927. Following that film, he was usually cast in dignified roles, in such movies as the 1930 version of Liliom (as the Heavenly Magistrate), Grand Canary
(1934, as Dr. Ismay), the 1935 version of A Tale of Two Cities
(as Charles Darnay's servant), Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
(1936) (as the judge), the original 1937 version of Lost Horizon (as Chang, for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
), You Can't Take It with You
(1938), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
(1939), The Rains Came
(1939), and The Corsican Brothers
. In It's a Wonderful Life
(1946) he played what was for him, an atypical role, as the drunken druggist. He also appeared in Sunset Boulevard (1950) (in which he played himself) and The Ten Commandments
(1956). Occasionally, Warner was seen in a sinister role, as in the 1941 film version of The Devil and Daniel Webster
(1941), in which he played the ghost of John Hathorne
as well as Topper Returns
from the same year.
In December 1958 Warner died in Los Angeles, California of heart attack, and he is buried in Chapel of Pines crematory in Los Angeles, California.
Warner has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
, at 6600 Hollywood Blvd.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
actor.
Early life
He was born Henry Byron Charles Stewart Warner-Lickford in St John's WoodSt John's Wood
St John's Wood is a district of north-west London, England, in the City of Westminster, and at the north-west end of Regent's Park. It is approximately 2.5 miles north-west of Charing Cross. Once part of the Great Middlesex Forest, it was later owned by the Knights of St John of Jerusalem...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1875. His father, Charles Warner, was an actor, and, although young Henry had initially thought about studying medicine, he eventually followed in his father's footsteps and performed on the stage.
Career
Warner began his film career in silent filmSilent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
s in 1914, when he debuted in The Lost Paradise. He played lead roles, culminating in the role of Jesus Christ in Cecil B. DeMille
Cecil B. DeMille
Cecil Blount DeMille was an American film director and Academy Award-winning film producer in both silent and sound films. He was renowned for the flamboyance and showmanship of his movies...
's silent film epic
Epic film
An epic is a genre of film that emphasizes human drama on a grand scale. Epics are more ambitious in scope than other film genres, and their ambitious nature helps to differentiate them from similar genres such as the period piece or adventure film...
, The King of Kings in 1927. Following that film, he was usually cast in dignified roles, in such movies as the 1930 version of Liliom (as the Heavenly Magistrate), Grand Canary
Grand Canary (film)
Grand Canary is a 1934 Fox film of A. J. Cronin's novel of the same title. The film was produced by Jesse L. Lasky and directed by Irving Cummings.-Cast:*Warner Baxter as Dr. Harvey Leith*Madge Evans as Lady Mary Fielding...
(1934, as Dr. Ismay), the 1935 version of A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities (1935 film)
A Tale of Two Cities is a 1935 film based upon Charles Dickens' 1859 historical novel, A Tale of Two Cities. The film stars Ronald Colman as Sydney Carton, Donald Woods and Elizabeth Allan. The supporting players include Basil Rathbone, Blanche Yurka, and Edna Mae Oliver. It was directed by Jack...
(as Charles Darnay's servant), Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town is a 1936 American screwball comedy film directed by Frank Capra, and starring Gary Cooper and Jean Arthur in her first featured role...
(1936) (as the judge), the original 1937 version of Lost Horizon (as Chang, for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
), You Can't Take It with You
You Can't Take It with You
You Can't Take It with You is a comedic play in three acts by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. The original production of the play opened at the Booth Theater on December 14, 1936, and played for 837 performances...
(1938), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is a 1939 American drama film starring Jean Arthur and James Stewart about one man's effect on American politics. It was directed by Frank Capra and written by Sidney Buchman, based on Lewis R. Foster's unpublished story. Mr...
(1939), The Rains Came
The Rains Came
The Rains Came is the title of a novel by Louis Bromfield, published in 1937, as well as the 1939 20th Century Fox film version which followed it...
(1939), and The Corsican Brothers
The Corsican Brothers
The Corsican Brothers is a novella by Alexandre Dumas, père first published in 1844. It has been adapted many times on the stage and in film.-Adaptations:*The Corsican Brothers , directed by film pioneer and inventor George Albert Smith...
. In It's a Wonderful Life
It's a Wonderful Life
It's a Wonderful Life is a 1946 American Christmas drama film produced and directed by Frank Capra and based on the short story "The Greatest Gift" written by Philip Van Doren Stern....
(1946) he played what was for him, an atypical role, as the drunken druggist. He also appeared in Sunset Boulevard (1950) (in which he played himself) and The Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments (1956 film)
The Ten Commandments is a 1956 American epic film that dramatized the biblical story of the Exodus, in which the Hebrew-born Moses, an adopted Egyptian prince, becomes the deliverer of the Hebrew slaves. The film, released by Paramount Pictures in VistaVision on October 5, 1956, was directed by...
(1956). Occasionally, Warner was seen in a sinister role, as in the 1941 film version of The Devil and Daniel Webster
The Devil and Daniel Webster
"The Devil and Daniel Webster" is a short story by Stephen Vincent Benét. This retelling of the classic German Faust tale is based on the short story "The Devil and Tom Walker", written by Washington Irving...
(1941), in which he played the ghost of John Hathorne
John Hathorne
John Hathorne was an executor in the Salem witch trials, and the only one who never repented of his actions. He was also a merchant in Salem, Massachusetts....
as well as Topper Returns
Topper Returns
Topper Returns is the third and final entry in the initial series of films inspired by the novels of Thorne Smith. It followed Topper and Topper Takes a Trip...
from the same year.
Personal life
Warner was married twice, to Rita Stanwood in 1919 and to F.R. Hamlin.In December 1958 Warner died in Los Angeles, California of heart attack, and he is buried in Chapel of Pines crematory in Los Angeles, California.
Warner has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
, at 6600 Hollywood Blvd.
Partial filmography
- The Ghost BreakerThe Ghost BreakerThe Ghost Breaker is a 1914 drama film directed by Cecil B. DeMille and Oscar Apfel and based on the Broadway play of the same name by Paul Dickey and Charles W. Goddard. It is considered widely to be the first film of a long line based on the genre of haunted house horror...
(1914) - The King of Kings (1927)
- Sorrell and SonSorrell and SonSorrell and Son is a silent film released on December 2, 1927 and nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director in the 1st Academy Awards the following year...
(1927) - The Divine LadyThe Divine LadyThe Divine Lady is a 1929 Vitaphone sound film with a synchronized musical score and sound effects. The film, however, featured no spoken dialogue. The film tells the story of the love affair between Horatio Nelson and Emma Hamilton. It stars Corinne Griffith, Victor Varconi, H.B. Warner, Ian...
(1929) - The Show of ShowsThe Show of Shows (film)The Show of Shows is a lavish all talking Vitaphone musical revue film which cost $850,000 to make. The Show of Shows was Warner Bros. fifth color movie, the first four were The Desert Song , On With the Show , Gold Diggers of Broadway and Paris . This movie featured most of the contemporary...
(1929) - The GamblersThe Gamblers (1929 film)The Gamblers is a 1929 drama film directed by Michael Curtiz.-Cast:* H. B. Warner - James Darwin* Lois Wilson - Catherine Darwin* Jason Robards Sr. - Carvel Emerson * George Fawcett - Emerson Sr* Johnny Arthur - George Cowper...
(1929) - The Green GoddessThe Green GoddessThe Green Goddess is an American talking motion picture released in 1930 and directed by Alfred E. Green. It was a remake of 1923 silent film, which was in turn based on the play of the same name by William Archer. It was produced by Warner Bros. using their new Vitaphone sound system, and adapted...
(1930) - Five Star FinalFive Star FinalFive Star Final is a 1931 American film about crime and the excesses of tabloid journalism. It was written by Robert Lord and Byron Morgan from the play by Louis Weitzenkorn, and directed by Mervyn LeRoy. The movie stars Edward G. Robinson and features H. B...
(1931) - Charlie Chan's ChanceCharlie Chan's ChanceCharlie Chan's Chance is a 1932 murder mystery film, the third to star Warner Oland as detective Charlie Chan. It is based on the novel Behind That Curtain by Earl Derr Biggers, who also contributed to the film. The film is considered to be lost....
(1932) - The MenaceThe Menace (film)The Menace is a 1932 American drama film directed by Roy William Neill. The screenplay by Roy Chanslor, Dorothy Howell, and Charles Logue is based on the 1927 novel The Feathered Serpent by Edgar Wallace.-Plot:...
(1932) - The Phantom of CrestwoodThe Phantom of CrestwoodThe Phantom of Crestwood is a murder mystery film released by RKO Radio Pictures, directed by J. Walter Ruben, and starring Ricardo Cortez, Karen Morley, Richard "Skeets" Gallagher, Anita Louise, H. B. Warner, and Pauline Frederick...
(1932) - Unholy LoveUnholy LoveUnholy Love is a 1932 black-and-white drama film directed and produced by Albert Ray. It was the first film adaptation of the French novel Madame Bovary produced...
(1932) - The CrusaderThe Crusader (1932 film)The Crusader is a 1932 American drama film directed by Frank R. Strayer and starring Evelyn Brent.- Cast :* Evelyn Brent as Tess Brandon* H. B. Warner as Phillip Brandon* Lew Cody as Jimmie Dale* Ned Sparks as Eddie Crane* Walter Byron as Joe Carson...
(1932) - Sorrell and Son (1933), remake of the 1927 film
- Grand CanaryGrand Canary (film)Grand Canary is a 1934 Fox film of A. J. Cronin's novel of the same title. The film was produced by Jesse L. Lasky and directed by Irving Cummings.-Cast:*Warner Baxter as Dr. Harvey Leith*Madge Evans as Lady Mary Fielding...
(1934) - In Old Santa FeIn Old Santa FeIn Old Santa Fe is a U.S. 1934 Western film starring Ken Maynard and George "Gabby" Hayes. The movie features the first screen appearance of Gene Autry, singing a song with a bluegrass band that includes Smiley Burnette...
(1934) - A Tale of Two CitiesA Tale of Two Cities (1935 film)A Tale of Two Cities is a 1935 film based upon Charles Dickens' 1859 historical novel, A Tale of Two Cities. The film stars Ronald Colman as Sydney Carton, Donald Woods and Elizabeth Allan. The supporting players include Basil Rathbone, Blanche Yurka, and Edna Mae Oliver. It was directed by Jack...
(1935) - Mr. Deeds Goes to TownMr. Deeds Goes to TownMr. Deeds Goes to Town is a 1936 American screwball comedy film directed by Frank Capra, and starring Gary Cooper and Jean Arthur in her first featured role...
(1936) - Lost Horizon (1937)
- Victoria the GreatVictoria the GreatVictoria the Great is a 1937 British historical film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring Anna Neagle, Anton Walbrook and Walter Rilla. The film biography of Queen Victoria concentrating initially on the early years of her reign with her marriage to Prince Albert and her subsequent rule after...
(1937)
- Army GirlArmy GirlArmy Girl is a 1938 American comedy film directed by George Nichols Jr.-Cast:* Madge Evans as Julie Armstrong* Preston Foster as Capt. Dike Conger* James Gleason as Sgt. 'Three Star' Hennessy...
(1938) - The Adventures of Marco PoloThe Adventures of Marco PoloThe Adventures of Marco Polo is a 1938 drama-adventure genre film, and one of the most elaborate and costly of Samuel Goldwyn's productions.-Plot:...
(1938) - Girl of the Golden West(1938)
- You Can't Take It With YouYou Can't Take It with You (film)You Can't Take It With You Adapted from the Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. The cast includes James Stewart, Jean Arthur, Lionel Barrymore and Edward Arnold....
(1938) - The Rains CameThe Rains CameThe Rains Came is the title of a novel by Louis Bromfield, published in 1937, as well as the 1939 20th Century Fox film version which followed it...
(1939) - Mr. Smith Goes to WashingtonMr. Smith Goes to WashingtonMr. Smith Goes to Washington is a 1939 American drama film starring Jean Arthur and James Stewart about one man's effect on American politics. It was directed by Frank Capra and written by Sidney Buchman, based on Lewis R. Foster's unpublished story. Mr...
(1939) - New MoonNew moonIn astronomical terminology, the new moon is the lunar phase that occurs when the Moon, in its monthly orbital motion around Earth, lies between Earth and the Sun, and is therefore in conjunction with the Sun as seen from Earth...
(1940) - Topper ReturnsTopper ReturnsTopper Returns is the third and final entry in the initial series of films inspired by the novels of Thorne Smith. It followed Topper and Topper Takes a Trip...
(1941) - The Devil and Daniel WebsterThe Devil and Daniel Webster (1941 film)The Devil and Daniel Webster is a 1941 fantasy film, adapted by Stephen Vincent Benét and Dan Totheroh from Benét's short story, "The Devil and Daniel Webster". The film's title was changed to All That Money Can Buy to avoid confusion with another film released by RKO that year, The Devil and Miss...
(1941) - City of Missing GirlsCity of Missing Girls- Cast :*H.B. Warner as Police Capt. "Mac" McVeigh*Astrid Allwyn as Nora Page*John Archer as Assistant D.A. James J. Horton*Sarah Padden as Mrs. Randolph*Philip Van Zandt as King Peterson*George Rosener as Police Officer 'Copper' Dugan...
(1941) - The Corsican BrothersThe Corsican Brothers (1941 film)The Corsican Brothers is a 1941 swashbuckler film starring Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. in a dual role as the title Siamese twins, separated at birth and raised in completely different circumstances. Both thirst for revenge against the man who killed their parents, both fall in love with the same woman,...
(1941) - CrossroadsCrossroads (1942 film)Crossroads is a 1942 mystery film directed by Jack Conway, starring William Powell, Hedy Lamarr, Claire Trevor and Basil Rathbone. Powell plays a diplomat whose amnesia about his past comes back to trouble him...
(1942) - Hitler's ChildrenHitler's Children (film)Hitler's Children is a 1943 American black-and-white propaganda film made by RKO Radio Pictures. It was directed by Edward Dmytryk and Irving Reis from an adaptation by Emmet Lavery of Gregor Ziemer's book Education For Death....
(1943) - Women in BondageWomen in BondageWomen in Bondage is a 1943 World War II film about conditions for women under Hitler's regime. The plot involves two women imprisoned for speaking out against the government...
(1943) - It's a Wonderful LifeIt's a Wonderful LifeIt's a Wonderful Life is a 1946 American Christmas drama film produced and directed by Frank Capra and based on the short story "The Greatest Gift" written by Philip Van Doren Stern....
(1946) - High WallHigh WallHigh Wall is a film noir, starring Robert Taylor, Audrey Totter and Herbert Marshall. It was directed by Curtis Bernhardt from a screenplay by Sydney Boehm and Lester Cole, based on a play by Alan R...
(1947) - HellfireHellfire (film)Hellfire is a 1949 western film about a gambler who changes his ways after a preacher sacrifices himself to save his life.-Cast:*Bill Elliott as Zeb Smith*Marie Windsor as Doll Brown, also known as Mary Carson*Forrest Tucker as Bucky McLean...
(1949) - Sunset BoulevardSunset Boulevard (film)Sunset Boulevard is a 1950 American film noir directed and co-written by Billy Wilder, and produced and co-written by Charles Brackett...
(1950) - The Ten CommandmentsThe Ten Commandments (1956 film)The Ten Commandments is a 1956 American epic film that dramatized the biblical story of the Exodus, in which the Hebrew-born Moses, an adopted Egyptian prince, becomes the deliverer of the Hebrew slaves. The film, released by Paramount Pictures in VistaVision on October 5, 1956, was directed by...
(1956) - Amminadab