Gareth Hughes
| Gareth Hughes | |
|---|---|
Hughes, c. 1923
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|
| Born |
William John Hughes 23 August 1894 Dafen, Carmarthenshire, Wales |
| Died | 1 October 1965 (aged 71) Motion Picture Country Home, Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California |
| Occupation | Stage actor, Silent Screen actor, Missionary |
| Years active | 1920s-1944 |
Gareth Hughes (23 August 1894 – 1 October 1965) was a Welsh stage and silent screen actor. Usually cast as a callow, sensitive hero in Hollywood silent films, Hughes got his start on stage during childhood and continued to play youthful leads on Broadway.
Born William John Hughes into a working-class family in Dafen, Carmarthenshire, after working with a number of UK touring companies he joined a group of Welsh players. The group took a tour to the United States, and although not successful Hughes was spotted in Chicago, and stayed in America to pursue his acting career. By the end of 1915 he had become successful on Broadway. This, in turn, led to his involvement in the motion picture business.
Hughes's earlier screen work was with Clara Kimball Young in Eyes of Youth (1919) and with Marguerite Clark in Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch (1920). He was teamed with Viola Dana in The Chorus Girl’s Romance (1920)He signed with Metro Pictures and was loaned to Famous Players Lasky for Sentimental Tommy (1921), probably his best film role.
Even though he had already appeared in many films before this, he regarded Sentimental Tommy as his favorite and most successful. He made forty-five films from 1918 to 1931. He was also the Welsh dialect coach on The Corn Is Green (1945) starring Bette Davis. Cecil B. DeMille called him “a young idealist”, and Fulton Oursler described him as ”the charm boy to end all charm boys”.
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