George Walsh
| George Walsh | |
|---|---|
From Stars of the Photoplay
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| Born |
March 16, 1889 Manhattan, New York |
| Died | June 13, 1981 (aged 92) Pomona, California |
| Occupation | American personality, sportsman and screen actor |
| Years active | 1914-1936 |
George Walsh (March 16, 1889 – June 13, 1981) was an American personality in the early decades of the 20th Century. An all-around athlete, who became an actor and later returned to sport, he enjoyed 40 years of notoriety and was a performer with dual appeal, with women loving his sexy charm and men appreciating his manly bravura. Known variously as "the Laughing Athletic Thunderbolt," "the Apollo of the Silver Sheet," "the Screen’s Greatest Athlete" and "the King of Smiles," Walsh’s movie career stretched from the start of true US film-making to the Golden Era (20 years) during which time he was featured in approximately 80 productions. The studios he was attached to included: Mutual, Triangle, Fox, Universal, Goldwyn, United Artists, Chadwick, and Paramount.
Born George Frederick Walsh in Manhattan, New York to Irish-Catholic parents, George was the middle child of three siblings. (His older brother was the prolific film director, Raoul Walsh.) At age 16, he was already accomplished at a variety of sports. While studying law, at Fordham and Georgetown Universities, his skill on the football field was such that he became a minor celebrity. He was also briefly with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
While recuperating in California from an injury in late 1914, he entered motion pictures (thanks to Raoul) when he was engaged as an extra for D. W. Griffith’s epic The Birth of a Nation (1915). Various bit parts followed, until a small role in The Fencing Master (1915) proved he was capable. Griffith’s confidence in him was such that he included George in an important scene in his masterpiece, Intolerance (1916). While a cast member he met his first wife, the beautiful actress Seena Owen.
George had proved himself at Reliance/Majestic on the west coast and moved to the newly established Fox Film Corporation on the east coast, becoming a serious rival to Douglas Fairbanks there, as well as a national and international star. His output for the studio was characterized by daring stunts, fights, dramatic pursuits, and happy endings with his female co-stars. He also perfected his comedy timing and learned how to get laughs, though it was far from amusing when he quarreled with William Fox about his salary and departed towards the end of 1920. Two years of ups and downs followed which included Serenade (1921), alongside his sister-in-law, Miriam Cooper; varied personal appearances; vaudeville; an unpleasant divorce trial; and an 18-episode historical serial, entitled With Stanley in Africa (1922).
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