H. B. Warner
| H. B. Warner | |
|---|---|
in 1919
|
|
| Born |
Henry Byron Warner or Henry Byron Lickfold 26 October 1875 St John's Wood, London, England, United Kingdom |
| Died | 21 December 1958 (aged 83) Woodland Hills, California, United States |
| Cause of death | Heart attack |
| Resting place | Chapel of the Crematory, Los Angeles, California |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1896–1956 |
| Spouse(s) | Mrs. Fred R. Hamlin (1907-1914) (her death) Rita Stanwood (1915-1933, divorced) 3 children |
Henry Byron Warner (26 October 1875 – 21 December 1958) was an English film and theatre actor. He was a popular theatre and film actor during the silent era and played Jesus Christ in The King of Kings. In later years, he successfully transitioned into supporting roles and appeared in numerous films directed by Frank Capra. Warner's most notable role to modern audiences is "Mr. Gower" in the perennially shown film It's A Wonderful Life, directed by Capra.
Born Henry Byron Lickfold in St John's Wood, London, England in 1875, H. B. Warner was educated at Bedford School. His father, Charles Warner, was an actor, and though young Henry initially thought about studying medicine, he eventually followed in his father's footsteps and performed on the stage. He had an older sister, Grace Warner (1873-1925), who was a stage actor and manager.
Warner's stage debut came in It's Never Too Late to Mend when he was 21. He went on to act in a number of plays before coming to the United States for the 1905-1906 season. His Broadway credits include Silence (1924), You and I (1922), Danger (1921), Sleeping Partners (1918), Out There (1917), and Blackbirds (1912).
H. B. Warner began his film career in silent films in 1914, when he debuted in The Lost Paradise. He played lead roles in the silent era and also appeared in numerous Broadway plays. His greatest success was the role of Jesus Christ in Cecil B. DeMille's silent film epic, The King of Kings in 1927. He received good reviews for this role, but with the advent of sound era he had to turn towards supporting roles, mostly because of his age. He was usually cast in dignified roles in numerous films of the 1930s and 1940s. He played in the 1930 version of Liliom (as the Heavenly Magistrate), in Five Star Final (1931, as Michael Townsend), in Grand Canary (1934, as Dr. Ismay) and the 1935 version of A Tale of Two Cities as Charles Darnay's servant. He also portrayed the strict judge in Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936) with Gary Cooper and Jean Arthur. He appeared in the original 1937 version of Lost Horizon as Chang, for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
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