Henry B. Walthall

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

211

Gender

Male

Birthday

1878-03-15

Day of death

1936-06-17 (58 years old)

Place of Birth

Shelby County, Alabama, USA

Henry B. Walthall

Biography

​From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Henry Brazeale Walthall (March 16, 1878 – June 17, 1936) was an American stage and film actor. He appeared as the Little Colonel in D. W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation (1915). In New York in 1901, Walthall won a role in Under Southern Skies by Charlotte Blair Parker. He performed in the play for three years, in New York and on tour. With the company of Henry Miller he gained recognition on Broadway in plays including Pippa Passes, The Only Way and William Vaughn Moody's The Great Divide (1906–08). His fellow cast member James Kirkwood introduced Walthall to D. W. Griffith, and at the conclusion of that engagement, Walthall joined the Biograph Company. His career in movies began in 1909 at Biograph Studios in New York with a leading role in the film A Convict's Sacrifice. This film also featured James Kirkwood, and was directed by D. W. Griffith, a director that played a huge part in Walthall's rise to stardom. As the industry grew in size and popularity, Griffith emerged as a director and Walthall found himself a mainstay of the Griffith company, frequently working alongside such Griffith regulars as Owen Moore, Kate Bruce, Lillian and Dorothy Gish, Mae Marsh, Bobby Harron and Jack and Mary Pickford. He followed Griffith's departure from New York's Biograph to California's Reliance-Majestic Studios in 1913. After a few months with Reliance, he joined Pathé for a short period. He decided to go into the producing business and formed The Union Feature Film Company, the first to be devoted entirely to full-length films. The venture was not successful, however, and he again became associated with Griffith's company. Given the relatively short length of films in the early years, Walthall frequently found himself cast in dozens of films each year. He gained national attention in 1915 for his role as Colonel Ben Cameron in Griffith's highly influential and controversial epic, The Birth of a Nation. Walthall's portrayal of a Confederate veteran rounding up the Ku Klux Klan won him large-scale fame, and Walthall was soon able to emerge as a leading actor in the years leading up to the 1920s, parting ways with Griffith. Walthall continued working in films through the 1920s, appearing in The Plastic Age with Gilbert Roland and Clara Bow. He portrayed Roger Chillingworth in Victor Seastrom's 1926 adaptation of The Scarlet Letter opposite Lillian Gish. Walthall continued his career into the 1930s. After his performance in director John Ford's 1934 film Judge Priest starring Will Rogers he enjoyed a golden period of his career. He portrayed Dr. Manette in A Tale of Two Cities (1935), starring Ronald Colman. In 1936 he appeared as Marcel in The Devil-Doll. He was gravely ill during his final film, China Clipper. Frank Capra wanted Walthall to portray the High Lama in his 1937 film, Lost Horizon. "Frail and failing, he died before we could test him," Capra wrote. Walthall has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame located at 6201 Hollywood Boulevard.

Known For

  • The Boomerang

    The Boomerang

  • Abraham Lincoln

    Abraham Lincoln

  • The Jazz Age

    The Jazz Age

  • The Wanderer

    The Wanderer

  • A Feud in the Kentucky Hills

    A Feud in the Kentucky Hills

  • Love Time

    Love Time

  • The Barrier

    The Barrier

  • The Informer

    The Informer

  • The Garden Murder Case

    The Garden Murder Case

  • The Flaming Signal

    The Flaming Signal

  • Black Shadows on a Silver Screen

    Black Shadows on a Silver Screen

  • A Flash of Light

    A Flash of Light

  • A Tale of Two Cities

    A Tale of Two Cities

  • The Battle at Elderbush Gulch

    The Battle at Elderbush Gulch

  • The Burglar’s Dilemma

    The Burglar’s Dilemma

  • Broken Ways

    Broken Ways

  • Strange Interlude

    Strange Interlude

  • The Long Arm of Mannister

    The Long Arm of Mannister

  • The Broken Locket

    The Broken Locket

  • Rose o' Salem Town

    Rose o' Salem Town

  • Chandu the Magician

    Chandu the Magician

  • The Great Love

    The Great Love

  • Pranks

    Pranks

  • Home, Sweet Home

    Home, Sweet Home

  • The Gangsters of New York

    The Gangsters of New York

  • The Sealed Room

    The Sealed Room

  • The Avenging Conscience

    The Avenging Conscience

  • The House with Closed Shutters

    The House with Closed Shutters

  • The Mended Lute

    The Mended Lute

  • The Usurer

    The Usurer

  • The Long Chance

    The Long Chance

  • The Heart of an Outlaw

    The Heart of an Outlaw

  • The Call

    The Call

  • The Mysterious Shot

    The Mysterious Shot

  • Hold Your Man

    Hold Your Man

  • His Last Burglary

    His Last Burglary

  • Alias Mary Smith

    Alias Mary Smith

  • Viva Villa!

    Viva Villa!

  • Pippa Passes

    Pippa Passes

  • The Confession

    The Confession

  • A Corner in Wheat

    A Corner in Wheat

  • In Life's Cycle

    In Life's Cycle

  • The Golden Bed

    The Golden Bed

  • The False Faces

    The False Faces

  • I Am Not a Racist

    I Am Not a Racist

  • The Stolen Loaf

    The Stolen Loaf

  • The Wolf Dog

    The Wolf Dog

  • Police Court

    Police Court

  • Wings

    Wings

  • Beggars in Ermine

    Beggars in Ermine

  • Pillars of Society

    Pillars of Society

  • Love Among the Roses

    Love Among the Roses

  • The Honor of His Family

    The Honor of His Family

  • A Gambler's Honor

    A Gambler's Honor

  • Dante's Inferno

    Dante's Inferno

  • The Plastic Age

    The Plastic Age

  • Ghosts

    Ghosts

  • Dark Hazard

    Dark Hazard

  • The Day After

    The Day After

  • The Iconoclast

    The Iconoclast

  • Retribution

    Retribution

  • The Oath and the Man

    The Oath and the Man

  • The Scarlet Letter

    The Scarlet Letter

  • The Misleading Lady

    The Misleading Lady

  • Her Mother's Oath

    Her Mother's Oath

  • In the Border States

    In the Border States

  • 42nd Street

    42nd Street

  • Central Park

    Central Park

  • The Birth of a Nation

    The Birth of a Nation

  • So Near, Yet So Far

    So Near, Yet So Far

  • Thou Shalt Not

    Thou Shalt Not

  • Me and My Gal

    Me and My Gal

  • Screen Snapshots (Series 22, No. 10)

    Screen Snapshots (Series 22, No. 10)

  • The Mine with the Iron Door

    The Mine with the Iron Door

  • Getting Even

    Getting Even

  • They Would Elope

    They Would Elope

  • The Unknown Purple

    The Unknown Purple

  • London After Midnight

    London After Midnight

  • The Mountain Rat

    The Mountain Rat

  • The Murder in the Museum

    The Murder in the Museum

  • Judge Priest

    Judge Priest

  • The Scarlet Letter

    The Scarlet Letter

  • The Devil-Doll

    The Devil-Doll

  • The Armorer’s Daughter

    The Armorer’s Daughter

  • Where the Sea and the Shore Doth Meet

    Where the Sea and the Shore Doth Meet

  • Death's Marathon

    Death's Marathon

  • Hotel Continental

    Hotel Continental

  • The Last Outlaw

    The Last Outlaw

  • The Cabin in the Cotton

    The Cabin in the Cotton

  • My Baby

    My Baby

  • City Park

    City Park

  • Klondike

    Klondike

  • Headline Shooter

    Headline Shooter

  • Gimme

    Gimme

  • In Old California

    In Old California

  • Brutality

    Brutality

  • Temple Tower

    Temple Tower

  • Everybody's Acting

    Everybody's Acting

  • Stark Mad

    Stark Mad

  • The Lemon Drop Kid

    The Lemon Drop Kid

  • Modern Husbands

    Modern Husbands

  • The One She Loved

    The One She Loved

  • The Odalisque

    The Odalisque

  • The Sorrows of the Unfaithful

    The Sorrows of the Unfaithful

  • A Trap for Santa Claus

    A Trap for Santa Claus

  • The Little Darling

    The Little Darling

  • Self Defense

    Self Defense

  • China Clipper

    China Clipper

  • Ride Him, Cowboy

    Ride Him, Cowboy

  • Wilful Peggy

    Wilful Peggy

  • The Phantom in the House

    The Phantom in the House

  • Love in an Apartment Hotel

    Love in an Apartment Hotel

  • The Switchtower

    The Switchtower

  • Speakeasy

    Speakeasy

  • Two Men of the Desert

    Two Men of the Desert

  • Flower of the North

    Flower of the North

  • My Hero

    My Hero

  • The Love Trader

    The Love Trader

  • Blaze o' Glory

    Blaze o' Glory

  • A Strange Meeting

    A Strange Meeting

  • Kentucky Pride

    Kentucky Pride

  • The Tenderfoot's Money

    The Tenderfoot's Money

  • If We Only Knew

    If We Only Knew

  • Black Magic

    Black Magic

  • Two Daughters of Eve

    Two Daughters of Eve

  • Helldorado

    Helldorado

  • Freedom of the Press

    Freedom of the Press

  • London After Midnight

    London After Midnight

  • Hearts in Bondage

    Hearts in Bondage

  • Men in White

    Men in White

  • The Green-Eyed Devil

    The Green-Eyed Devil

  • Tol'able David

    Tol'able David

  • The God Within

    The God Within

  • The Trespasser

    The Trespasser

  • A Woman in the Ultimate

    A Woman in the Ultimate

  • The Gray of the Dawn

    The Gray of the Dawn

  • From Headquarters

    From Headquarters

  • Star Power: The Creation Of United Artists

    Star Power: The Creation Of United Artists

  • The Whispering Shadow

    The Whispering Shadow

  • The Slave

    The Slave

  • Fighting Love

    Fighting Love

  • The River of Romance

    The River of Romance

  • The Little Tease

    The Little Tease

  • The Sin of Nora Moran

    The Sin of Nora Moran

  • The Road to Mandalay

    The Road to Mandalay

  • A Light in the Window

    A Light in the Window

  • The Long Lane's Turning

    The Long Lane's Turning

  • A Splendid Hazard

    A Splendid Hazard

  • Judith of Bethulia

    Judith of Bethulia

  • The Floor Above

    The Floor Above

  • 1776, or The Hessian Renegades

    1776, or The Hessian Renegades

  • The Old Man

    The Old Man

  • During the Round-Up

    During the Round-Up

  • In Little Italy

    In Little Italy

  • Love Me and the World Is Mine

    Love Me and the World Is Mine

  • Lord Chumley

    Lord Chumley

  • Strongheart

    Strongheart

  • Oil and Water

    Oil and Water

  • The Woman on the Jury

    The Woman on the Jury

  • Three Friends

    Three Friends

  • A Summer Idyll

    A Summer Idyll

  • The Awakening of Donna Isolla

    The Awakening of Donna Isolla

  • A Child of the Ghetto

    A Child of the Ghetto

  • In the Aisles of the Wild

    In the Aisles of the Wild

  • Classmates

    Classmates

  • The Raven

    The Raven

  • The Bridge of San Luis Rey

    The Bridge of San Luis Rey

  • The Command from Galilee

    The Command from Galilee

  • The Strange Case of Mary Page

    The Strange Case of Mary Page

  • The Call to Arms

    The Call to Arms

  • The Unknown Soldier

    The Unknown Soldier

  • Friends

    Friends

  • Her Forgotten Past

    Her Forgotten Past

  • A Girl of the Limberlost

    A Girl of the Limberlost

  • Kit Carson Over the Great Divide

    Kit Carson Over the Great Divide

  • Anybody's Blonde

    Anybody's Blonde

  • The Kickback

    The Kickback

  • The Gold Seekers

    The Gold Seekers

  • The Kid

    The Kid

  • Temper

    Temper

  • For His Sake

    For His Sake

  • Boy of Mine

    Boy of Mine

  • Parted Curtains

    Parted Curtains

  • The Tenderfoot's Triumph

    The Tenderfoot's Triumph

  • The Perfidy of Mary

    The Perfidy of Mary

  • The Girl Who Wouldn't Work

    The Girl Who Wouldn't Work

  • The Able-Minded Lady

    The Able-Minded Lady

  • The Sheriff's Baby

    The Sheriff's Baby

  • Rod of Wrath

    Rod of Wrath

  • The Circular Path

    The Circular Path

  • Somewhere in Sonora

    Somewhere in Sonora

  • The Way of the World

    The Way of the World

  • Three Faces East

    Three Faces East

  • Ramona

    Ramona

  • The Mirror

    The Mirror

  • The Face at the Window

    The Face at the Window

  • The Newlyweds

    The Newlyweds

  • One Clear Call

    One Clear Call

  • Humdrum Brown

    Humdrum Brown

  • The Converts

    The Converts

  • The Lady and the Mouse

    The Lady and the Mouse

  • Souls Courageous

    Souls Courageous

  • The Outer Edge

    The Outer Edge

  • Rescued from an Eagle's Nest

    Rescued from an Eagle's Nest

  • The Face on the Barroom Floor

    The Face on the Barroom Floor

  • Fools of Fate

    Fools of Fate

  • The Thread of Destiny

    The Thread of Destiny

  • The Two Brothers

    The Two Brothers

  • In Old Kentucky

    In Old Kentucky

  • The Cloister’s Touch

    The Cloister’s Touch

  • On the Reef

    On the Reef