Henry B. Walthall

Born

March 15, 1878

Died

June 17, 1936 (58 years old)

Known For

Acting

Place of Birth

Shelby County, Alabama, USA

IMDb

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

6.0

A Corner in Wheat

I Am Not a Racist

Ben

0.0

2019

London After Midnight

Sir James Hamlin (archive footage)

6.9

2002

Star Power: The Creation Of United Artists

Col. Ben Cameron (archive footage)

0.0

1998

Black Shadows on a Silver Screen

Self (archive footage)

0.0

1975

Screen Snapshots (Series 22, No. 10)

Self (archive footage)

0.0

1942

China Clipper

Dad Brunn

5.6

1936

The Devil-Doll

Marcel

6.8

1936

The Last Outlaw

Cal Yates

5.5

1936

Hearts in Bondage

Capt. Buchanan

4.4

1936

The Mine with the Iron Door

David Burton

0.0

1936

The Garden Murder Case

Dr. Garden

5.5

1936

A Tale of Two Cities

Dr. Manette

6.8

1935

Dante's Inferno

Pop McWade

6.2

1935

Helldorado

Abner Meadows

0.0

1935

Love Time

Duke Johann von Hatzfeld

0.0

1934

A Girl of the Limberlost

Dr. Amon

1.0

1934

The Lemon Drop Kid

Jonas Deering

5.0

1934

The Scarlet Letter

Roger Chillingworth

4.9

1934

Judge Priest

Reverend Ashby Brand

6.4

1934

The Murder in the Museum

Bernard Latham Wayne, alias Prof. Mysto

4.4

1934

City Park

Colonel Henry Randolph Ransome

0.0

1934

Viva Villa!

Francisco Madero

6.3

1934

Men in White

enry B. Walthall

6.0

1934

Beggars in Ermine

Marchant the Blind Man

6.3

1934

Dark Hazard

Schultz

5.4

1934

The Sin of Nora Moran

Father Ryan

5.5

1933

The Wolf Dog

Jim Courtney

7.8

1933

Her Forgotten Past

Mr. Maynard

6.0

1933

Headline Shooter

Judge Beacon (uncredited)

5.8

1933

The Flaming Signal

Rev. Mr. James

5.0

1933

Hold Your Man

Clergyman in Alternate Version (uncredited)

6.1

1933

Somewhere in Sonora

Bob Leadly

5.0

1933

The Whispering Shadow

J. D. Bradley

4.4

1933

42nd Street

Stage Actor (uncredited)

6.9

1933

Strange Interlude

Professor Leeds

5.7

1932

Self Defense

Doctor Borden

0.0

1932

Central Park

Eby

5.2

1932

Me and My Gal

Sarge

6.5

1932

The Cabin in the Cotton

Eph Clinton

6.3

1932

Klondike

Mark Armstrong

4.7

1932

Ride Him, Cowboy

John Gaunt

4.7

1932

Chandu the Magician

Robert Regent

6.3

1932

Alias Mary Smith

Atwell

5.0

1932

Hotel Continental

Winthrop

6.0

1932

Police Court

Nathaniel "Nat" Barry

5.0

1932

Anybody's Blonde

Mr. Evans

0.0

1931

Tol'able David

Amos Hatburn

7.0

1930

Abraham Lincoln

Colonel Marshall

5.4

1930

The Love Trader

Captain Adams

0.0

1930

Temple Tower

Blackton

0.0

1930

Blaze o' Glory

Burke

0.0

1929

The Trespasser

Fuller

6.6

1929

The Phantom in the House

Boyd Milburn

4.6

1929

Black Magic

Dr. Bradbroke

0.0

1929

The River of Romance

General Jeff Rumford

0.0

1929

From Headquarters

Buffalo Bill Ryan

0.0

1929

The Bridge of San Luis Rey

Father Juniper

7.3

1929

Speakeasy

Piano player

5.0

1929

Stark Mad

Capt. Rhodes - Yacht Commander

3.0

1929

Freedom of the Press

John Ballard

0.0

1928

Retribution

Henry / Tommy Mooney

0.0

1928

London After Midnight

Sir James Hamlin

6.6

1927

A Light in the Window

Johann Graff

0.0

1927

Love Me and the World Is Mine

Van Denbosch

0.0

1927

Wings

Mr. Armstrong

7.2

1927

Fighting Love

Filipo Navarro

0.0

1927

The Scarlet Letter

Roger Prynne aka Roger Chillingworth

7.3

1927

Everybody's Acting

Thorpe

0.0

1926

The Road to Mandalay

Father James

6.1

1926

The Unknown Soldier

John Phillips

0.0

1926

The Barrier

Gale Gaylord

6.0

1926

Three Faces East

George Bennett

0.0

1926

The Plastic Age

Henry Carver

5.9

1925

Kentucky Pride

Mr. Beaumont

5.9

1925

Kit Carson Over the Great Divide

Dr. Samuel Webb

0.0

1925

The Girl Who Wouldn't Work

William Hale

0.0

1925

The Golden Bed

Col. Peake

3.5

1925

The Woman on the Jury

Prosecuting Attorney

0.0

1924

Boy of Mine

William Latimer

0.0

1923

The Unknown Purple

Peter Marchmont / Victor Cromport

0.0

1923

Gimme

John McGimsey

0.0

1923

The Face on the Barroom Floor

Robert Stevens

5.0

1923

The Long Chance

Harley P. Hennage

0.0

1922

The Kickback

Aaron Price

The Outer Edge

Dr. Rownlee

0.0

1915

The Circular Path

Reverend Darwin Kirby

0.0

1915

Temper

Frank Bradbury

0.0

1914

The Mysterious Shot

The Gopher

0.0

1914

The Floor Above

Stephen Pryde

0.0

1914

Judith of Bethulia

Holofernes

6.2

1914

Strongheart

Soangataha / Strongheart

5.0

1914

The President of the Republic

0.0

1914

The Battle at Elderbush Gulch

The Indian Chief's Son

5.9

1913

A Woman in the Ultimate

Badger Gang Member

0.0

1913

Two Men of the Desert

First Partner

0.0

1913

The Mirror

The Station Agent

0.0

1913

During the Round-Up

The Stranger

0.0

1913

A Gambler's Honor

Beth's Brother

0.0

1913

Her Mother's Oath

The Actor

0.0

1913

The Switchtower

The Switchman

5.0

1913

Death's Marathon

The Husband

5.7

1913

The Stolen Loaf

The Poor Man

0.0

1913

The Tenderfoot's Money

The Prospector

0.0

1913

The Husband

5.0

1913

The God Within

The Woodsman

0.0

1912

The Burglar’s Dilemma

0.0

1912

Vincent, as an Adult

0.0

1910

Pedro

0.0

1910

The Face at the Window

0.0

1910

Love Among the Roses

The Lord

4.7

1910

The Kid

Walter Holden

0.0

1910

The Gold Seekers

0.0

1910

The Way of the World

0.0

1910

In Old California

Perdita's Son

0.0

1910

The Thread of Destiny

Estrada

0.0

1910

Thou Shalt Not

0.0

1910

0.0

1910

The Heart of an Outlaw

The Mexican Lover

2.0

1909

The Day After

Party Guest

2.8

1909

In Little Italy

Victor Ratazzi

2.0

1909

A Trap for Santa Claus

Arthur Rogers (uncredited)

5.5

1909

A Corner in Wheat

Wheat King's Assistant

6.1

1909

Fools of Fate

4.4

1909

5.2

1909

The Sealed Room

The Minstrel

5.1

1909

The Little Darling

In Boarding House

4.5

1909

Pranks

Sunbather

2.5

1909

Woodsman

5.5

1908